Well just one day away from Day 500, I have quite a bit to report. I wish I could say it was all good news, but unfortunately there was an unexpected report from the doctor yesterday and it has thrown things into a whirlwind. Everything has been going very well for the last month. In fact, I have been excited to blog about running 6 miles in the Half Full Triathlon two weeks ago with a great group of my friends. It was an awesome experience and I was thrilled just to finish, nevermind the fact that I ran the fastest I have run thus far since recovering. I was planning to start round 7 of the trial the Monday following the race but my counts had not recovered enough. I had been delayed before so it wasn’t terribly surprising. I also had my biopsy done two days before the race and the verbal report from the doctor (she had not yet seen the written report) was that everything was fine – I was still in remission.

Yesterday I went for bloodwork and to try once again to start round 7, but my platelets were just shy of the level they needed to be to start. However, the nurse practitioner presented me with my biopsy results and explained that they had received a call from cytology indicating that there was a problem with one of my chromosomes. I am still in remission, but one of my chromosomes was now showing as having a break in it. Up to this point, my chromosomes have been perfectly normal and thus the reason that I did the course of treatment that I did. I was an ideal candidate for it. The change in the chromosome is, according to my doctor, an indication that the AML has progressed to a more serious stage. Although I have no cancer cells whatsoever, the root of the problem (the chromosome) is now in a better position to produce cancer cells and needs to be corrected. The only way to do this is with a donor stem cell transplant.

My doctor was literally in tears when she told me. I was honored to have a doctor that felt so much about me personally and I felt like I needed to console her as much as I needed it. She was completely surprised by the findings and we immediately did another biopsy to confirm the results. In the meantime, the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) team has already begun work on locating a donor for me. They have 10 matches to start with, which as an incredible number considering how difficult it can be to find a match. But when I spoke to my BMT nurse this morning, she said that the team presented my case yesterday at a meeting and they, too, are waiting to see the second biopsy results because it is very unusual for this progression to occur.

There is the possibility that the chemo itself cause the new leukemia, just as breast cancer patients sometimes end up with leukemia years later because the chemo is so toxic. Ironic, I know. I had no choice but to do the chemo. My doctor doesn’t necessarily believe that but thinks that the leukemia that was there could have just naturally progressed to this point and we have just detected it before it has started to actually form the cancer. The chemo I did killed the cancer that was there but didn’t correct the root problem.

There are many more details and many questions, but I hesitate to go too much into detail until everything is confirmed on Thursday or Friday. I can most likely begin to prepare for a transplant in mid-November, hoping that the match works, there are no terrible side effects and that I can come home by Christmas. If all goes well and it works, I will be housebound for 6-12 months, depending on how long it takes for my new immune system to rebuild. Yes, I will lose my hair all over again. I won’t be allowed in public or to eat in restaurants or to be around anyone who is sick. My kids germs will become my enemy once again.

It’s a lot to take in considering that this never really occurred to me as a real possibility. I can’t say I didn’t worry about it from time to time, but I felt like Supergirl and I felt like I had defeated this. I can’t stop feeling like Supergirl now – if anything I have to fight a lot harder.

I will write more in the next few days as I learn more myself. I guess that this blog will be continuing for quite a bit longer now. Thank you for sticking with me on this. Power up those prayers and positive thoughts. I will really need them!