Leukemia Ups and Downs; or Should I Say Downs?

                  

I must admit that I have been cruising along quite well for a week or two. It seems that leukemia has a warped sense of humor; it teases you by almost allowing you to think that your body is starting to adjust to its presence and is actually learning to co-exist. Not! The joke is once again on me!

I started feeling like crap again; nothing in particular, just plain crappy. I have no energy, a low grade fever and just feel kinda’ achy.  I will be curious to see what my blood reveals next week as I have another appointment with Dr. Paquette.

Fast forward: I am still feeling crummy and my blood results indicate a rise in my white cells. They are 7,650 almost twice as high as usual; which is a good indication that I am fighting something. My reds are just a touch low as are my platelets. Dr. thinks that I am probably fighting a virus that is running rampant throughout our area. He sends me home and tells me to email him if I get any worse and that if my temperature rises to 101 degrees to go to the ER.

One week later the cough begins. It starts with a loose cough in my chest, I am OK with that. This continues for five days and then settles tightly, deep in my chest. Fortunately I still have an inhaler of albuterol from my yearly bout of bronchitis. I send an email to my doctor and wonder if he will actually respond. He does, and in record time; he tells me to use the inhaler and report back to him at the end of the week. I am loving modern technology AND my new doctor!

A week passes and I am still coughing and feeling miserable. I let the doctor know and he says to go off of the Sprycel for now.  Go off of the Sprycel; really? I am shocked and freaked out at the same time. I have been told that this medication is my lifeline; I have been told to be diligent about taking it. Taking it not only every day, but taking it at the same time every day; never forgetting. My molecular remission depends upon my diligence.

So I get up, and do not take my pill. I wonder how this will affect my cough and my overall general feeling. I also email the doctor and suggest Advair; that seems to be the medication that really knocks my bronchitis out of my chest. I do not know why I didn't think of it before, but I think that all of this coughing has finally rattled enough brain cells to the surface, that I finally remembered. He calls in the prescription and tells me to report to him again, in a few days. Hopefully this will do the trick.