Books, Movies, Cricket and Medicines!

That's exactly how our daily event schedule looks like. Kartik is taking a break from fiction reading and exploring a non-fiction - The Power Of Now. I would give two thumbs up! The book truly reflects the profound message from the film Bawarchi: "It is so Simple to be Happy, but so Difficult to be Simple".

Moving into another genre we recently saw a mystery thriller: Agatha Chrisite:Poirot's Lord Edgware Dies. A must watch I must say. We have still some more Hercule Poirots in the queue so wait for the reviews. :-)

Cricket is in the air these days. It was thrilling to see India win the second Test Match against Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans were absolutely bowled over by our bowlers. Hoping to enjoy the third Test Match too starting on 2nd December.

There is nothing much to update on the treatment front. The WBC counts have reached the nadir at 100 or so we think. Hopefully they shouldn't go down further. Growth injections have started so the counts should gradually come up in the next 15-20 days. Kartik's taste buds have gone for a toss, however, the doctors made sure that his body does not so they have put him on all kinds of antibiotics - antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. These are all preventive medications to minimize the high risk of infection at low counts.

Things are going on pretty well as of now. Hoping this to continue in the coming days. Sorry guys, I cannot be funny or punny like Kartik so I am at least being sunny.

Chemo Over!

And now getting ready for the consequences of the chemo and commencing of Groundhog Day :-) For the next few days we are expecting the counts to be very low. It would take its own sweet time to rise once again. The doctors have put Kartik on some of the antibiotics as he is very prone to infection in this vulnerable period of next 10-15 days. Otherwise he is doing well.

Hopefully he should be back to blogging soon!

Third Day of Chemo

More than half of the chemo doses have already been administered. The doctors are giving combination of three different drugs in this treatment protocol. Kartik is taking them quite well without any noticeable side effects except mild fever and slight weakness. He is also maintaining his normal diet. Hoping for the smooth sailing throughout the entire cycle.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support.

Fresh Round of Chemo Inches Away

New and Stronger Drugs are waiting to flow down Kartik's veins to attack the army of unwanted cells that stealthily managed to escape before. Hopefully this time the cells would not have much leeway and would have to succumb to the medicines.

The entire chemo cycle would take around 3-4 weeks to finish before Kartik gets discharged. The cycle would be almost similar to the previous ones - 5 days chemo followed by growth injections until the WBC counts come up. As one of Kartik's friends wrote "We have been there in the fog before so coming back would not be difficult though the road would still be treacherous".

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement.

Ward Off Trouble - But First, Trouble of Wards!

Friends, believe it or not I am still at home, enjoying all the coziness around me.  I was scheduled to get admitted last weekend but it seems our hospital has run out of semi-private and private wards.  It's incredible.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to go for a blood transfusion since my haemoglobin is low.  That would happen in the daycare.  Hopefully, I would get a vacant room tomorrow right after the transfusion.

Will keep you posted. :)

Back to Square One

Title of this post happens to be what I keep hearing everywhere around me or I sense it being said silently when  people talk with me.  The phrase it seems is laced with bleakness and defeat - even if we go by the dictionary perhaps.  But I carry my own Dreamer's Unabridged Collegiate Dictionary.  The lexicographer in me has different connotations for such words and idioms than what was perceived by my counterpart in real world.  To me "back to square one" means, yes, I am back from where I started but the meaning is not one-dimensional.  I am back where I started with more knowledge.  I am wiser.  I know so much more about my body.  I know so much more about how mind helps healing.  I know so much more about all you well-wishers  and how you kept praying for me perpetually.  I am back to square one with more wisdom and more fortitude.  I am back with more tenacity to battle this disease and never let it trounce my inner happiness.  

Just a few days back a dear friend of mine visited me and we all started talking about Mount Rainier in Seattle.  This mountain is huge enough to have its say on the climate surrounding it.  That's what I am striving to become.  I always want to be enwrapped in my own weather - a weather of happiness and tranquility.  Let the doctors come and sigh pitifully at me.  Let them impart the grimmest of news, I want to be under my own weather impervious to my surroundings.   It goes without saying that you all will play a key role in making me maintain such a weather.

The next few days will unravel the next journey I have to embark on.  Like a game, it is now at a level higher with more risk and requiring more experience.  I feel I have that.  I will not cave in under pressure.

Chances are I will be going for a chemotherapy really soon - maybe in next few days.  My blood sample has already boarded the flight to New York to find a good Samaritan who matches it.   MUD transplant is  what we are looking for.  MUD stands for Matched Unrelated Donor.  Since neither my sibling nor my maternal  cousins' marrow can be donated to me I have to look for an unrelated donor.  A 10-by-10 match is preferred but a 9-by-10 match can also work.  The process is going to be slow so we all need to be extremely patient.

The forecast in my world for coming days is "warm, sunny and clear skies" so don't worry :).

We are getting stronger!

It is said that difficulties make you stronger and better. It is so true, indeed! The Higher Power somehow gives you this inner strength to handle the situations well.

Things were going on smoothly at our end when yesterday the doctors dropped a bomb shell - the disease has relapsed! So, basically we are back to square one. It was really shocking for all of us; this was the last thing we expected. However, the best thing is that the "Birthday Boy" is cool. Kartik chooses to be calm and composed without being much disturbed. His smile is giving us courage to remain smiling and hopeful.

A close friend of Kartik visited us to wish him birthday and make us smile too!

Kartik's primary doctor is out of town so we will get the updates on further line of treatment only on Monday or Tuesday.

Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and encouragement. We will need these in plenty now. :-)

Biopsy and Transfusion Done Today

Thanks to some great planning by Surbhi and to my dear friend who graciously decided to come for platelets donation today itself, I got both biopsy and transfusion done on the same day.  Everything went off really smoothly.

Let's see what my scorecard says next week.  I am hoping for the best :).

Have a great weekend everyone.

Long Day at Hospital Tomorrow

Dear friends, it looks like I will be spending better half of my day at hospital tomorrow.  The bone marrow biopsy which was due few weeks back is due tomorrow.  There is nothing to worry - this is a routine procedure.  Because my WBC count was very low till recently there was very little to learn from the biopsy.  However, now WBC count has soared healthily, mostly in response to my cold and sore throat - which is a good thing.  So now doctors will get a better picture of my bone marrow's health.  The procedure will be performed under general anesthesia so I will be in a nice slumber when the procedure happens.

We also have got to take care of low platelets.  Yet another kind friend of mine is giving me his platelets this time.  Thank you so much to all my donors - I don't know what I would have done without you!  Let's hope that after this transfusion the platelet count soars up like the WBC through my own marrow.   The hope is still very much alive and I am very patient.

As I said earlier I have a running nose and slightly sore throat.  There is nothing to worry.  It is in the air out here in Pune.  In fact after having taken just one antibiotics dose I am feeling much better.

So that's that.  See you all on the other side of the bone marrow biopsy.  The report will take its own sweet time to come though.  Keep me in your prayers and thoughts.  I am feeling upbeat because of all you  nice people out there.

Constructive Witticism

This is an SOS call to all the civil engineers reading this blog post. The three storied blood count building that I erected few months back, located on the top right corner of this post, needs some strengthening  Our short-sighted engineer seeing the third floor's occupancy weight not go beyond couple of  thousands planned its support structure with those figures in mind.  Today we had an occupant weighing 6,600 and as you can see the building has begun to crumble.

We don't want to lose this valuable occupant so can one of you be kind enough to do the required masonry work?

:)