Some not good news

I have leukemia in my breasts. Big lumps appeared overnight and are apparently escaped leukemia cells that have now colonized. The medical term is "chloroma." Dr. Abhyankar hasn't seen one in 10 years.

So I go in the hospital tomorrow and start chemo. A 5 day regimen so hopefully I will get out Sunday or Monday. I started taking Revlimid again today. We think these two things will combine to kill it and seal the entry.

However, we are still gathering information. Tomorrow I will have another biopsy to determine if 5q- is present. We hope it is. We hope this is renegade cells still swirling around my body. Today I had a full body CT Scan that showed no other chloromas, but tomorrow I will have a PET scan to make sure.

The lumps or even the breasts could be removed surgically, but that is not a solution. The problem would still exist. You have to cut off the cells as they circulate.

PICC line, nausea, hair loss (no leg shaving!) neutropenic diet (no salad,) isolation, and all the other stuff that goes with chemo. This is another full blown round. I cancelled my hair cut and dentist appts.

The good news is that the bone marrow graft appears strong and 100% donor. We will see how things hold up through the chemo but at this point we're not talking about another transplant.

I don't quite have my head in the game. My head is saying "I thought we were finished paddling this canoe." But I am sure that I will figure out a way to consciously fight this.

It is again a game of action and reaction. Check the research. Check with other transplant centers. Check where we've been.

I guess I should think about some inspiring things to take with me tomorrow and have on the wall of the hospital room. Perhaps some pictures of Harrison and Ella. Perhaps that one big card that flushes when you open it.
~Cathi