Good News at Last

Happy Birthday Candi!

Good news at last.

It’s been a while since we could post good news. I’m pleased to report that the results of my most recent bone marrow biopsy showed no leukemia cells. This was the second round of chemo.  The first didn't have the desired effect, and we were getting nervous.  

I’ve been receiving medical support for the past two weeks including regular infusions of platelets, red blood and neupogen shots. I still have a way to go before they'll say I'm in remission. We need to see the production of more healthy blood cells. But this positive development means we can begin to look toward the future and other treatments. 

The transplant team in Salt Lake has requested we come down next week. Among other things, they are going to biopsy a rash that has developed on my face. If it is evidence of graph vs host disease then perhaps the infusion of Robert’s T-cells will be a viable procedure after all. We might in fact be back on track with the original transplant. This sounds like wishful thinking.  It is certainly hopeful thinking.  By the end of next week we should know more. 

Charge up the iPod and load up an audio book.  We're going on a road trip.

--Roger

September 17, 2011

There's not a lot of news from the Merrill household this week.  We are still waiting to see if the chemo worked.  Roger has been on "support" (meaning 1-2 transfusions every day) for the last three weeks.
 
We had a bit of good news on Thursday.  His neutrophils doubled overnight.  That means his body is working -- producing something worthwhile.  Only a bone marrow biopsy will tell whether it is working hard enough and doing the right thing. What is happening inside those bones?  So, although it hasn't been long since his last biopsy, he'll have another one on Monday.  It will be a few days before we get news, but of course, we will post it as we get it.

In the mean time, Roger is sleeping well, eating well, walking the dog every day, and working at his computer a little.  He gets tired easily, but overall is not feeling too bad.

The hardest part is the waiting.  Our nerves are frayed.

It's a Wild Life in Missoula Montana

Some of you may remember this.  It was taken September 14, 2010.  This photo, by Missoulian photographer Kurt Wilson, made the national news and won first prize in a regional journalism contest.  That's our house.  That bear is falling out of our tree.  That's my flower garden being trampled by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks people.  But what a photo!

This shot, also by Kurt Wilson, appeared this week in the Missoulian.  It looks like it was created in Photoshop but it is the real deal.

I walked by this same mountain ash tree a few days later and saw about 50 little birds stuffing themselves on the ripe fruit.  Between the birds and the berries it was prettier than a Christmas tree, and much noisier.

We see wildlife so frequently here in Montana.  I tend to forget that an osprey flying overhead, a heron standing in the river, a mama deer with  twin fawns using the crosswalk on a busy street, and a bear rummaging for fallen apples are not common sights for most of our friends and family.  So I wanted to share this with you.

--Candi

Mulligan

It appears my bone marrow transplant was a success in so far as I survived the procedure and the donated cells did engraft.  As it turns out, my brother Bob was too close a genetic match so I did not get sufficient graft vs leukemia effect. Go figure. So here we are, virtually right back where we were a year ago.

I am currently undergoing a second round of chemotherapy. The first didn’t take. We’re using a new drug my body hasn’t experienced before. Remission will most likely take at least two rounds of chemo, over the next two to four weeks. If this succeeds in knocking the leukemia back into remission, the next step will be a second transplant. That’s right, a do-over! This time however we will use an unrelated donor (no offense, family). The current donor list from the national bone marrow registry shows 38 potential matches for me. Of course the selection narrows considerably once serious screening begins.

There is much to do and many obstacles to overcome before a second transplant could happen. I know how this sounds: impossible. For several days after getting the news, Candi and I were undeniably depressed. But the human spirit is amazing. We have both regained our footing and are again proceeding on a path very similar to last year. We might find ourselves once again ordering Thanksgiving dinner from the hospital menu.  Now that is something to dread!

We don’t know anything with any degree of certainty, so we’ll take it one step at a time. We learned a lot the first time around and we will use that experience to our advantage. The next few weeks will be interesting.

My love to everyone. Stay tuned.
--Roger