T+199: I’m female?

Sorry for the delay, folks. We got the T+180 bone marrow biopsy results two weeks ago, but then hopped on a plane to Mile High country to visit family. We’re heading to the arid Southwest in a few days for more family fun, so this post will be mostly about my health. Don’t worry, there are plenty of photos to be downloaded and posted and stories to be told once we get some down time. Here’s one photo to tide you over until then.

Darby's first corn on the cob - yummy!

The biopsy results are pretty good. No CLL cells were detected through the microscope or through flow cytometry. The donor chimerism analysis results are also positive, though a little confusing. It turns out that the chimerism analysis is done two ways: through chromosomal analysis and DNA analysis. The chromosomal analysis showed 100% female cells, which are from the donor. The DNA analysis is a more sensitive test, and it showed 93.8% donor cells. That’s still a good number even though it’s slightly down from the 96% at T+80. Dr. Carroll’s hypothesis is that there are still some CLL cells in the marrow that aren’t detected through the microscope or flow cytometry. Over time, the chimerism results will trend toward 100% donor because of the graft vs. leukemia effect. This means that the donor cells recognize the leukemia cells as foreign and attack and kill them. The donor cells become stronger as the immunosuppression drug dosage is reduced. Ultimately, this is how a stem cell transplant is successful.

For now, I’ll be seeing Dr. Carroll every two weeks. If no GVHD symptoms occur, he’ll decrease my dosage of cyclosporine every two weeks as well. I’m currently scheduled to return to work on November 1, though he said it’s possible that I could be back sooner if I don’t have any GVHD or other complications as the immunosuppression drug dosage is reduced.

Prayer requests:
1. We remain hopeful for a continued successful recovery.
2. We have financially survived the past year through a combination of state disability benefits and my vacation and sick leave hours from work. The state disability benefits will end in mid-August, and my remaining vacation hours will be used up in the first week of September. My employer has a program that allows fellow employees to donate their vacation hours to employees who have exhausted their leave balances and are on an unpaid leave of absence. We are praying for God’s provision to bridge the gap until I am able to return to work. This is a faith exercise for us.

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