Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Leo is not in the hospital yet. He will be admitted next Thursday. When he was at his regular doctor's appointment last Monday, he was told that one of the tests he previously took had a conflicting result, so he had to have another biopsy. When those results came back, it was confirmed that the cancer has returned. They saw it in 60% of his cells. As such, they have had to change his treatment plan to a more aggressive one. He will no longer receive the 10 days of chemo that was originally planned. He will undergo what is called Total Body Irradiation(TBI) and the doctors feel as though this high dose of radiation will be able to clear the cancer completely from his system. But the radiation will clear both the bad and good cells, which is what will put Leo at risk, as it will wipe his system out to ground zero again. From what I've discussed and read online, the side effects of TBI are more severe from chemo, so this will be very difficult for Leo, especially since his counts are already depleted. So please say several prayers for some extra strength for him.
After the TBI regimen, which will happen 3 times a day for 3 days, they will attempt the double cord transplant. Since they still haven't found a full match for him, they will infuse 2 units of cord blood in hopes that it will do the trick. We can only hope at this point that second time's a charm.
That's all I have for now. Prayers please and I will keep you posted as things develop. Have a great evening!
Also, if there are some out there that have not yet registered to become a marrow donor, there is a drive being held this weekend. Leo's doctors are always looking for his match. To date, there still is not one available. This would be the ideal cure to his disease. Since he doesn't have a full match, they are resorting to cord blood and the rate of success is not as good. Please, please, please, if you haven't registered yet, please try to do so. You COULD be the one to save a life...
Details on the drive:
Saturday, July 25
11:00am – Sunset
Forest Glen Forest Preserve
½ milewest of Cicero & Peterson St.
near the Metra Station
Please stop by if you have the chance!
My name is Bernadette Rivera and my husband, Leo was dignosed with Leukemia in 2007. I've decided to create this blog so that you will all have the most current information on Leo and what's going on with his condition and his transplant. I hope this will be an informative (and maybe even entertaining) tool to keep you posted on his progress.
July 2009
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