I have been collecting my thoughts about my battle with leukemia, and I have started a new blog as a place to record and share them.
In keeping with my penchant for naming blogs after lines in Western movies, I present:
Plumb Mad Dog Mean.
’cause if you lose your head and you give up, then you neither live nor win. That’s just the way it is.
There are a couple of very recent additions to the states that recognize my Georgia Weapons Carry License:
South Carolina
Effective upon signing of the law on June 3, 2016, South Carolina recognizes Georgia WCLs, and with the announcement of the Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, Georgia recognizes permits from South Carolina. You can see a great summary of SC gun laws here.
Virginia
Effective July 1, 2016, Virginia will recognize permits issued by all other states, with some conditions listed on that page. Other Virginia requirements are listed here.
Georgia will recognize Virginia permits once their recognition goes into effect, and the Attorney General so announces.
Personally, both of these ease the restrictions I have faced travelling from Georgia, especially since South Carolina is contiguous, and one of my major clients is in Greenville. Now I don’t have to stop at the rest stop on the way out and put my pistol in the glove box. This will also make my next trip to the DC area better.
Pardon the sidetrack . . .
Some time back, I was leaving my home, and some rain dripped off the roof, straight on to my bald spot. I decided then that I had to make a life decision.
In my mind, there are three stages of dealing with hair loss, without resorting to transplants or Rogaine. I name the three stages after the most prominent people who elected them.
Trump:
Here you act like nothing is different, and cover it up. Also known as the Comb Over.
Picard:
Here you admit that your coverage isn’t what it used to be, but you still want something there. So you trim it down and own up to it.
Jordan:
Here you say, what the hell, and shave it all off.
So, about 5 years ago I went Picard and started getting a 3/8 inch buzz cut all over.
But then came the Recent Unpleasantness and the threat of losing it all, and I decided to go Jordan.
Another milestone.
It’s been over a month since I wrote about my bout with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, so I wanted to give an update.
After discovering that my blood count numbers were out the bottom, at my annual physical in February, I went through more testing, including a bone marrow biopsy. Then on the morning of March 15, I got The Call. My doctor explained that the tests were clear, and I had AML. So I reported to the leukemia center at Northside Hospital, and began treatment.
After a lot of testing, I went through an intense round of chemotherapy, and about 4 weeks in the hospital, before my immune system had rebounded from the chemo enough that I could go home. Even then, I visited the leukemia clinic at Northside every day or every other day.
My 2 most recent bone marrow biopsies show no cancer cells, so I am officially in remission. But history has shown that my kind of leukemia always comes back, maybe a year, maybe 3 years, maybe 10, but always.
So I have started more treatments to keep it away. First was another round of chemo, which was actually done at the clinic, and at home. I’m coming back from it now, and I feel great.
Next is a bone marrow transplant, scheduled for June 16. I am blessed by God to have found an almost perfect match. Now, on my end the transplant will be just another IV infusion. For the donor, he will be put under, in the operating room, and the doctors will go after his hip bones with a big drill.
Then, when I get his marrow, it will replace mine completely, since we also plan to do another chemo treatment on me, leaving no marrow at all. Then his marrow implants in my bones, and when it comes back, I have cancer free marrow, and I’m done.
Except . . .
Think about it – I now have a new immune system, which likely sees my organs as a foreign body, and could attack it. This is called graft versus host disease, or GVHD, and is the number one thing I will have to take care of, for the rest of my life. With a good match like mine, serious GVHD is unlikely statistically, but even minor GVHD like skin, requires treatment.
But all that beats dying from leukemia, so I’m up for it.
++++
All during this, my family and friends have been so supportive, and the medical staff could not be more professional and thorough. Add to that my faith – letting God lead with me following – and I am prepared to do what I have to do.
Fill Yer Hands 