leukemiasurvivor.comOn leukemia, chemotherapy, and moving on with the rest of your life.Baby Steps- April 15, 2004 There is a young man. His thin, weak legs struggle to carry him up a staircase. He has been in a hospital bed. He has been lying in a hospital bed for so many days, weeks, months, that his legs are emaciated. Bony arms poke out from underneath a plain white tee-shirt, matching the twigs he's using to walk. The chemotherapy had done this to him. The hospital had made him better, but in the process, it had taken away his strength. But he is home now. The house has two levels. The young man has..http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/4_happy_birthday_to_me/baby_steps.html Finally- April 13, 2004 They've given me some pills to help bump up my potassium counts. I can hear Dr. Doug explaining things to the collection of interns in the hallway outside my door. I'd been pretty upset, earlier, when he first told me that they wouldn't release me from the hospital if my counts remained low. It didn't make any sense. I'd beaten the leukemia, right, beaten it twelve ways from Sunday, and I wasn't going to bleed anymore, and I'd be able to fend off any new infections with my new healthy polys,..http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/3_induction/finally.html Except For One- April 12, 2004 I've got another new doctor -- the latest resident on our floor -- one of the effects of a long-term stay when you get three or four different physicians as they rotate through their various residencies. He's young. Clean cut. Short brown hair, always well-shaven. We'll call him Dr. Doug. He's friendly and jovial, and I'm sure that he knows there's not much left to do before I get to be shown out the door. He does the standing at the foot of the bed thing as well as anyone. He's got the...http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/3_induction/except_for_one.html Does A Body Good- April 8, 2004 One of the many ironies I've been able to enjoy about my leukemia is the one where I remember how much I've always loved milk. Growing up, I'd almost always preferred milk to pop. Freshman year in college is when, living away from home for the first time, you're supposed to put on those dreaded fifteen extra pounds. Much of that, I'm sure, comes from the freedom of being able to choose whatever the hell you want to eat or drink for meals. All the Coke I can drink some might say when they see...http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/3_induction/does_a_body_good.html Hot Dish- April 7, 2004 The recipe is simple. Had I actually grown up in Minnesota, I most certainly would not have been amazed by it's elegant mix of ground beef and egg noodles, a fresh onion and a can of creamed corn. And the tomato soup. Can't forget the can of tomato soup. That's, what, like two vegetables, a fruit, some grain (sort of), and meat. It's like a complete well-balanced meal that you can pretty much cook anywhere. How perfect is that The only food group we're missing is dairy. More on that...http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/3_induction/hot_dish.html Gimme Some Grub- April 2, 2004 Cindy is right, of course. The few remaining bumps before I'm out of the hospital are minor. With an across-the-board increase in my blood counts, the chemotherapy has pretty much worked it's way out of my system. The fevers have vanished, which also means I'm not taking nearly as many meds throughout the day. My appetite has finally returned, too. I'm surprised to find that I'm actually hungry again, that I'm thinking about getting some food into my system. It starts off with baby steps. I've.http://www.leukemiasurvivor.com/3_induction/gimme_some_grub.html |