Thanks to You All:
As I sit here and watch the sleet and snow we are getting today and reading all the replys.......I am reminded of how blessed my life is! The last few days, I've been sort of "re-living" that nightmare of the week I learned of a disease called CML. I never knew that there were different kinds of Leukemia........boy, did I learn as much as I could after my doctor called me on Thursday afternoon to tell me what was wrong and to tell me that he had made me an appointment with an Onc./Hem. the next day. He was very kind to me and told me not to worry & fret.....that this was a type of Leukemia that could be managed and that he had patients who have lived many years with it. All I knew about Leukemia was from what my husband's office manager had gone through in '95 when she almost died, but was pulled through and has been living in remission since. I didn't know the difference between acute and chronic...but, I was soon to find out. And, boy, did I! Now, I'm one of the biggest "babies" when it comes to blood, needles, & pain. In my younger years, I passed out at the drop of a hat when it came to taking blood or IV's, you name it! My first week after dx'es was a holy nightmare. I had so many blood tests taken and then came the wonderful BMB & BMA in the doctor's office with nothing but some Lorazapan & Percocets........I remember crying......I remember his saying he could not aspirate any marrow as it was set up like concrete but he was extremely happy about the sliver of bone which just didn't make sense to me at the time. Then, if that wasn't torture enough, he sent me back down stairs to the lab for more blood drawn. By this time, the drugs had hit and I was pretty much out of it. I barely remember any of that other than the nurse had to go from one arm to the other as she couldn't find a vein in the first. I asked my husband later about all of this. (smile) The visit a few days later, I learned the lab had lost some of the tests, so I had to go through them again. The genetics test took nearly three weeks to come back......by this time, my husband had had enough of their incompetence and had the doctor refer us to the same doctor in St. Louis that had treated Betty, his office manager. Right away, I learned the difference in how small labs & hospitals vs. one of the top five hospitals in the World does things. They treated me with so much compassion and made me feel at ease around every corner. When I almost passed out after one extensive blood draws ( 9 vials).....they were all right there helping. I told my husband at one of the days when I had to go to Labs, then Dr., then over to have a BMB/BMA, that I was sure that God was sitting up in heaven and watching me and laughing. Every time I sat for blood to be drawn, I mentally had a talk with God and said, "Father, I know you are thinking this is funny!" "Of all the diseases, why this?" But, after five years, I can tell you that now, it's a piece of cake. I don't have to have anyone go back with me to keep me focused by talking to me........the girls who do the tests are so good, I hardly ever feel the stick of the needle and they are usually pretty fast and done before the arm begins to throb. The doctor I have now doesn't do BMB's unless she sees something in the drawn blood that warrants it. I can call her or her nurse practitioner any time and they are available. I am pretty sure when I go back next month, they will then stretch my visits out to every six months. So, through all the awfulness of the beginning till now, I learned......and now I am able to maybe help someone else by telling them my story. That's it, fellow survivors.....we all have a story to tell. That is what we should remember............and share it with others. Let them know that they are not alone even though they may feel like it at the time. So, God bless you all.......& try to remain focused on the good things.........they are like mercy drops from heaven! Love to all, Suzieq --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [CMLHope] A support group of http://cmlhope.com ------------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
