And we're off...

Monday, September 17, 2007

We received a call from The James Cancer Hospital this morning letting us know that I was going to be admitted today. Even though this is only one day earlier it has thrown us for a bit of a spin. Nonetheless, we are off for the initial stay and chemo.

The first event is the much dreaded bone marrow biopsy and, because I'm so special they're going to give me a two-for-one deal...I get one from each hip.

I've been thinking about how to describe the experience and I'm really struggling with this one; however, think back to that National Geographic special you saw on Global Warming and the last Ice Age. Remember when the scientist mucked out to the tundra and drilled down about 500 feet for a core sample? Well that's pretty much the way a bone marrow biopsy works, except for the fact that I had more people involved and they did not have to go the full 500 feet. Actually while it was not fun at the time, it was not as bad as I had it made our to be in my mind. When were finished the nurse practitioner told me that if I had this done again make sure and tell them to use the long needles. She used a fancy term, but the lay translation is you have a big butt. Yeah, just wait until I've had my six months of chemo sister, you better get those short needles ready.

If anyone need more details let me know, but that should suffice.

We're STILL waiting on the final molecular study, which was supposed to be in last Friday, to confirm the Burkitts diagnosis, but I'm all ramped up for chemo to start this afternoon.

It's still surreal at this point because I do not feel sick! Until the bone marrow thingy I thought this could be the most elaborate practical joke ever played.

At any rate there are a lot of people here much worse off than I am, so I should just shut up and be thankful that I do feel well.

Now for our daily science lesson. There are only about 300 cases of Burkitts Lymphoma in the U.S. every year. The James sees about five or six and they always seem to come in multiples, two or three every six months or so. Another person was admitted with it last week and everyone was commenting on how weird it was...

Comments

[Patrick Pope]

Marsh and Carol, you're in our prayers and in the prayers of our Sunday School group. I'm in the Word today, and am drawn to I Peter 5:10. "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." God bless and keep you, Patrick

[Paul Lambert]

Marsh:

I spoke about you during our prayer time at choir the other night. About eight years ago, a kid in our church went through a fight with cancer - his Dad is our choir director and mom sings in the choir. They said the cancer their son had was Burkett's as well. That kid is now a strapping 6 footer in his freshman year at OSU on a full ride scholarship.

There's little chance of you coming out of this as a strapping 6 footer with a full ride to OSU, but I thought you'd appreciate hearing the success story.