Fat Feet to Leukemia

So, how do you go from swollen feet and ankles to AML? You are very, very lucky. I have not had a regular physican for a number of years. In fact, I am the last to seek medical attention even for bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. But I had promised, so the following Thursday I picked up the phone and called a local family care office where both of my married children take their children.

A wonderful young Dr. listened to my complaints and patiently spoke to me about "elderly edema" and prescribed a diuretic and ordered routine bloodwork to get a base line on the potassiam. Twelve days later I had my first bone marrow biopsy --- one week after that, initial diagnosis --- four days later diagnoses confirmed in Denver ----- and three days later (6/14/07) admitted to the hospital.

A week has now passed and I am amazed. This morning I just finished a round of chemotherapy that ran 24/7 since check in. I have had no nausea, no pain, still have my hair (oh, yeah, still thin and ugly, but MINE). I feel a little tired from time to time, but I still feel like I could and should be at the office finishing up the budget, at home mowing the lawn, and helping care for my grandchildren.

For me things have been going better than expected, but not so for my youngest son. From 1000 miles away, I had to tell him about my illness over the phone. It tore me apart not to be able to put my arms around him and assure him things would be fne. Three days later his less than a year old laptop was stolen while he was at work using it! For a 20 year old that was like having your entire connection to the outside world taken away. But . . . it got worse for him.

Three days later some of his best friends from Cheyenne made it to Minneapolis at a time when he needed them most. The plan was that their band would play with some of the better local talent. They were all pumped only to be devasted a few hours before they were to play when they discovered their vehicle and all their instruments had been stolen.

Fortunately, their encounter had to be with some of Minneapolis's dumbest criminals who did not take the Wyoming plates off the vehicle, so it was recovered on Saturday. The instruments were not with the vehicle, but the thieves still were --- eating at a White Castle less than a dozen blocks from where they took the vehicle. The instruments have been recovered and now we await how to reunite them with my favorite muscial sons from Cheyenne.

Bad enough, so far? Well . . . not done yet! His friends took off to return to Cheyenne last Saturday and he was lonely, but I didn't think alone because I know he has friends there. The question in my mind was where were they this past Monday? Dylan parked his car too close to a fire hydrant and was towed to an impound lot several miles from his apartment. He tried to find someone to drive him to the lot or ride the bus with him to the lot, but noone could or would. I know he didn't want to dump on me, but I'm glad he did. He took a taxi and got the car back.

In two weeks his summer class will be done and he can come home for a few weeks. And I expect to have at least one backyard cook out with me doing the eating . . . 7 bags of chemo, and I still don't cook. There are just some things I hope don't change.