What condition my condition is in Part I Sept 2011

Soundtrack  Go ahead, click on it.



Here is an email I sent out back on September 9th, 2011

                                                                                             
  Dear Friends,

     To some of you this will be news, to others an update.  I am back at
home after 9 days at Carteret General Hospital.
On the Monday after Hurricane Irene I was feeling extremely fatigued, a
condition I attributed to Lymes, and went to see
Dr. Mark for some blood work. The following day he called and told me to go
directly to the Emergency room, and check in- I was several quarts low and
had few white blood cells, and fewer platelets.  Lt. Brown gave me a lift to
Morehead, and so began 9 days of transfusions and tests. Unfortunately the
big test, the bone marrow biopsy occurred on Friday, the eve of the 4 day
weekend, so results have been delayed.
                                                                                                                         

     Turns out my Bone Marrow had stopped producing blood. Several different
doctors were quite baffled by this condition-  were there cancerous stem
cells crowding out the normal production of white and red cells?  Was a
lifetime of exposure to boatyard and everyday toxins impairing the
production of blood? Had a gene switched off, and if so, why?

      As blood tests results came back, Leukemia  was
ruled out.  After 6 days of hospital cuisine and injections of Neupogen,
a drug that promotes white blood cell production  my white blood count began to increase.

    So....don't know what caused it yet, don't know what fixed it yet  ( or just
how fixed it is ) .  We are off to the Raab clinic for another shot this am,
then an appt. w/Dr. Loynes the Hematologist/Oncologist on Monday, to review
the long awaited bone marrow biopsy results.

Thanks to all of you who have called, prayed, sent out good vibes, get well cards, etc.
I have been remiss in returning voicemails, and if I don't answer the phone
( or the door) I am probably sleeping.

Anne has been a Saint through this, and she is much relieved for me to be
home. I will post an update when I know more.


Cheers,

Cap'n Chris