Keep me in mind - Page 5

fezo · 02-24-2009, 07:16 PM

Two more units. That brings the count right up. Essentially someone else's bone marrow is doing the work mine is supposed to do. You'd think mine would be ashamed of itself.

As this has gone along it takes longer now because they have to give me medication before the transfusion to keep my body from trying to reject it and then different medication after to prevent iron from building up. Too much iron is way bad for you.

If you ever read the Steve Goodman biography, Facing the Music, there's a piece in there on how he got picked up by the Chicago police because they thought all the little needle bruises on his arms were from heroin use when in fact he was fighting leukemia. My arms are starting to look like that. Be ready to post my bail.....

luv4lightfoot · 02-24-2009, 08:34 PM

I can't afford to post bail for anyone, but if I can donate bone marrow for you, I'm willing to do that. Make sure the cops don't see those little needle bruises. You don't need to be going to jail. Going to the hospital is close enough. Does Jen have some concealer? That might help.

fezo · 02-24-2009, 08:38 PM

I'm cool. At least I have a brother who's a lawyer.....

I could see that with the concealer... Cop: "I love what you've done with your arms."......

Dream Street Rose · 02-24-2009, 09:32 PM

Fezo,

Happy to see you still have your sense of humor. I really admire you.

Keep up the good work.

Thinking of you.

DSR

ELizabeth · 02-25-2009, 07:15 AM

fezo...I'm so sorry about the relapse (?). Hope you're out of the hospital soon.

fezo · 02-25-2009, 09:13 AM

Will just be the day. I'll check i tonight.

Off I go.

fezo · 02-25-2009, 08:48 PM

Two units of Portland, OR a+. Hoping for the best. At least things feel more like something normal. I learned to never let it get that low again.

Have three new holes in my arm..... I'm ready to start a really miniature golf course....

luv4lightfoot · 02-26-2009, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fezo

Well, you'd have to overcome the curvature of the earth but...... I'm probably 90 miles southwest of the Empire State Building. Incredibly i have never been up it. My "tall building in New York" experience was going up the World Trade Center. Still spooks me when I think of that.

Ah! Another chance to talk about the "twins." We had decided to get a girl from China about a year and a half before it all happened. Wasn't a fertility thing. It was a 'those kids have a terrible time of it and you can't help the big picture much but can do everything for one kid" thing. Well, halfway through things Jen gets pregnant but we'd decided beforehand that if that happened we were still going through with it.

So Carrie was born September 21,2001. Believe me that was a weird time to be having a kid! We continue on things for Claire. In January 02 I have a series of ministrokes leading to a seizure. We pause and really started thinking this might not be a go. We tell the adoption agency we're slowing down but come May I get a call from the agency telling me she's looking at a picture of my daughter. I'm there "excuse me?" She had been away and never got the delay message. Says we can say no but in conversation says she was born on September 22, 2001. I know at that point that I'm going to go get her.

Jen was already in bed. i go up and tell her and first she's says we can't do it. Then i say "she was born on September 22 - I'm going." She was quickly on board.

The trip to China was at the end of June of 2002. At the time the girls were nine months old. Jen didn't see taking Carrie to China at 9 months so i took my oldest daughter, Jill. She was 13 at the time. On July 1 we arrive in Changsha, the capital of the Hunan province. They hand Claire off to us almost before I've put down my suitcase! Jen sends me an E-mail. Now we had named Claire before she was even conceived. i named her after my mother who just missed ever getting to meet her. The orphanage, where she had lived from the age of two days had given her the name Wei. We had checked on the meaning of that and when you look in a baby name book Claire means exactly the same thing! The Chinese speak of a red thread holding people together. If you are connected to another person by a red thread you will meet that person no matter how tangled the thread may get. We were obviously connected to Claire by that red thread.

It was tough early on because Carrie is such a laid back happy kid and Claire is very temperamental which we were warned first thing is a Hunan characteristic. They are often very opinionated and passionate. Mao was from Hunan. Carrie and Claire have become twins for all practical purposes. Best friends and worst enemies. More often friends.

I'll have to post a picture at one point.

Meanwhile, I'm tired but getting along. I imagine I'll have another blood trip on Wednesday. As long as i can keep it going which I'm sure I can.

Very interesting post, and I would like to learn more about what the Chinese say about that red thread.

fezo · 02-26-2009, 01:21 PM

A reasonably quick description of the red thread -

"The Red Thread

The Chinese have an ancient belief that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break.

When a child is born, these invisible red threads reach out from the child's spirit to all the important people who will enter her life. As she grows, the thread shortens, drawing her closer to the people who love her."

Patti · 03-10-2009, 01:11 PM

Hi Steve,
About two weeks ago I got a really cool PM from ... China.
Cool pics on her website too.
Thanks again Jeanette.

BILLW · 03-10-2009, 01:55 PM

What a story man, hang in there !

Peace,

Bill

fezo · 03-10-2009, 03:19 PM

Hey!

Well, I'm in again tomorrow for a couple of units... Will let you know how it goes. I'm beginning to try and plan my schedule around these things since otherwise I'd run out of sick days. You do what you have to.

The doctor was away on vacation for a week and then had a family emergency so getting everything done was wackier this time but I'm due in tomorrow morning now which is right on schedule.

geodeticman.5 · 03-10-2009, 03:53 PM

Fezo - I havn't kept up on your story from the time I wished you well the first day. Reading today, I am astounded by your high spirits, and just plain toughness getting through what you are. And to be so giving as to adopt your child from China, that I think is one of the most giving things a couple can ever do. I wish you well in the 2 more units, and hope your arm make-up works ! I am very humbled in reading your proud struggle - I have no doubt all will be well with your love of life. All the best,
geo- steve

fezo · 03-10-2009, 06:44 PM

Many thanks to my fellow Steve...

On the adoption front let me tell you - I've gotten far more back than i ever put into it. She's one special girl. named her after my mom. Major daddy's girl - like none I've seen. I mean my second daughter was a daddy's girl (still is to a fair degree) but nothing like this. She's very opinionated and passionate which is a challenge but loving as all get out and scary bright.

fezo · 03-11-2009, 06:40 PM

So I'm back with two units from Columbus, OH.... We carry on..

So I get home and we just have some fried chicken from the store. Claire asks how they catch the chickens! You can't buy that kind of entertainment. Once she figured out that the chicken didn't live to a ripe old age you could see the wheels starting to turn in her head. Her 16 year old sister (my daughter Michelle) hasn't eaten meat in a year and a half.

03-12-2009, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fezo

Hey!

Well, I'm in again tomorrow for a couple of units... Will let you know how it goes. I'm beginning to try and plan my schedule around these things since otherwise I'd run out of sick days. You do what you have to.

The doctor was away on vacation for a week and then had a family emergency so getting everything done was wackier this time but I'm due in tomorrow morning now which is right on schedule.

I hope all went well :D

Nightingale · 03-13-2009, 01:33 AM

Well, I really enjoyed reading your story about the adoption. That is wonderful and I am sure the babies bring a great deal of joy to your life.

I loved the story about the red thread

Really a lovely thought.

You hang in there

It sounds like you are going through some tough experiences. I don't know if I could be as brave and upbeat as you are. I admire your mind set and courage. I still keep you in my prayers.
Anne

charlene · 03-13-2009, 04:41 AM

Send her up here - the local paper has a job posting for a 'chicken catcher' at a local chicken farm.
My sister went thru a 'no meat' phase around age 15 or so. It lasted a couple of years if I remember correctly.

BILLW · 03-13-2009, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fezo

So I'm back with two units from Columbus, OH.... We carry on..

So I get home and we just have some fried chicken from the store. Claire asks how they catch the chickens! You can't buy that kind of entertainment. Once she figured out that the chicken didn't live to a ripe old age you could see the wheels starting to turn in her head. Her 16 year old sister (my daughter Michelle) hasn't eaten meat in a year and a half.

Mostly with a machine that looks like a Bobcat thats been modified to have soft rubber fingers, like a street sweeper sort of. But it's also still done by hand and it's a lot faster than you might imagine. But from birth to fying pan the treatment is largely humane, a happy, well cared for chicken is what you want.
I work in the corporate offices but in your first year of employment you usually get a "tour" of a processing plant. Believe me, if you like chicken you'll want to skip the tour. I was off meat eating for a good 8 - 10 hours after that. Really.

Next time you have Cornish Hens I'd love to hear the story from that table side chat, LOL. (they're just "younger" by the way)

Good story,

Bill

charlene · 03-13-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BILLW

I was off meat eating for a good 8 - 10 hours after that. Really.
Bill

LOL - A whole 8 - 10 hours..mygoodness! Hard to believe!

fezo · 03-13-2009, 11:54 AM

I suspect Claire's immediate idea was they they went hunting wild chickens... i don't know for sure. You would think between Old MacDonald and all the little farm stories that she'd figure they were there on the farm.

I noticed she was asking about chicken at dinner last night. she likes it so I don't think that image stuck with her.

fezo · 03-17-2009, 02:00 PM

Weird stuff going on. Two weeks ago I was scheduled to see the doctor his first day back from vacation. I get a call that he has a family emergency and will have to reschedule. The next week still no doctor and the on premises blood lab that he owns as part of the practice isn't operating either. They send me over to the hospital for the tests and the next day i get two units of blood. Since I like Mark i get Columbus, OH blood so I can still associate with him.

Yesterday i call the office and everything is still shut. They faxed an order to my local blood lab but not until a few misses on that so that a simple blood test takes up a good chunk of my morning.

Meanwhile, my older brother's roommate from college was the clinical director at Sloan Kettering at one point so I sent my brother my bone marrow test and asked for a recommendation which I got. once they have a copy of where I am at the moment I'll have an appointment with him. I should have done this in the first place.

What I have isn't technically cancer but that's who treats it and it's kind of related. It can turn into a nasty leukemia down the road so I'm disagreeing with current doc on conservative approach. We will see.

Nightingale · 03-18-2009, 12:00 AM

I think you are taking a really smart approach to this. It's so easy for a patient to get lost between paper work and test results that doctors sometimes seem to know much less than they should about the person they are treating.
It always makes sense to have an active role and strong opinions about your care.
Doctors aren't always right and they aren't always on top of a situation.
I hope the new doctor works out well for you.

Dream Street Rose · 03-18-2009, 12:24 AM

Hi fezo,

I am sorry to hear about the hassle you have had to go through. I bet the new doctor will be a God send. It is time someone stepped up to the plate to help you. Our technology has improved so much. Hopefully moving on will for the better.

Wishing you good luck, better health and all the good times you can get.

DSR

charlene · 03-18-2009, 07:55 AM

Being pro-active and advocating for yourself is the best thing. Let us know how it goes..


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