Yay!!  It’s a very simply word, but when expressed appropriately, it conveys just the right emotion.  I was talking to my 8-year old cousin, Christopher, the other day, and he asked me when I was going to be able to go back to Virginia.  When I told him this Thursday, he shouted “YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!”  Just thinking about it makes me smile.  His enthusiasm was contagious, and it reminded me how important it is to learn from children:  sometimes the simplest phrase will do, especially if you yell it out!!  :)  Christopher is very special to me, and talking on the phone is always so much fun!  We don’t get to do it often enough, but, Christopher, I love you, buddy!!!  Aunt Carol and I will talk to you when we’re back in Virginia—only 2 days left!!!!!!!!

My mom and I are doing well.  We had a busy packing day today, and I had two appointments at SCCA: social work and my departure meeting with my doctor and nurse.  The packing is going smoothly…we’ve already set home about 15-20 boxes…can you believe it?  How did we accumulate so much?  Well, we mailed stuff out here on the way out, but I don’t think it was anywhere near 15 boxes.  Prettttty crazy.

My appointments went well.  I was excited to receive a check from Social Security, which also gave me Medicaid as another insurance.  My social worker, Cathy, suggested that we take my Medicaid card down to the pharmacy and see if there was anything they could cover that we paid between November 1st and today.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!!  I will miss Cathy and our talks, but I’m looking forward to coming back to Life with Cancer to meet up with Shara.

My appointment with the team doctor and nurse went really smoothly.  The doctor said that everything looks great–my white count went down a little bit, but she is not concerned because sometimes Prednisone can cause that.  On the bright side, I’ve had all clear bone marrow biopsies/aspirates; a minor case of GVHD in the form of the rash I told you about previously (which they treated with Prednisone); and all the cytogenetics are normal. Regarding chronic GVHD, the likelihood of me getting it is 50/50, so be thinking gooood thoughts so I can skip all that crapola!!!

I would say that I worry about cytogenetics the most, because my translocation was so rare (translocation 7;21).  No one really knows what that means.  I worry, does it mean that it’s a type of leukemia that is easy to get into remission and stay into remission for a while, but it always comes back?  And then I remind myself that I have Laura’s cells now so it’s totally different than the first time-around with leukemia.  This time they’ve laid out all new grass (to steal Andrew’s comparison), and it will be slow-growing, but it will grow, and eventually, I will be a regular person, and not an immuno-compromised bubble girl.  OK, it’s not that bad, as you can see from my blog….I’m no bubble girl, but note that I do have to go to the off-times for dinner/lunch/movies (I want to see the “Bride Wars” whenever it comes out–doesn’t it look good?!–I know all you men out there are dying to see it!!!).

The doctor handed me a piece of paper which got me pretty excited….a cyclosporin taper!!!!!!!!  That’s right…we’re gonna get rid of the big grey pills that look a little bit like big fat ticks (thanks for pointing that out to me, Laurel!) and smell like a skunk.  It’s a long taper, but I should be finished with it in April or May, I can’t remember which.  PS This is the point where you yell “YAYYYYYYYY!!!” 

Everyone is impressed I haven’t had to return to the hospital as an in-patient during these last few months (knock on wood!–I don’t want to jinx myself!)…I guess I’m the all-star patient.  :)  Oh, one more thing!  I think they will probably remove my Hickman on Wednesday because I did well this weekend without the iv magnesium.  They upped my pill dosage to 12 pills a day, and that seems to manage it well.  It would be wonderful to remove the Hickman because the line is an easy source of infection.  I’ll keep you posted on it, and let you know whether they pull it or not.

Tonight my mom and I went to dinner with David and Hollie at….”Joey’s”!!  I loooooove that place.  You know one of the coolest things, when you order fish tacos, they bring them out in a taco holder.  This isn’t the exact one (Joey’s is steel or something and looks more modern), but check it out:  http://www.wdrake.com/WalterDrake/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?CID=Kitchen&SCID=Table+Top&ProductID=0000104365&SourceCode=20508000001&Affid=1 .  Cool, huh?!  I’d never seen one before…have you?

As our departure date nears, both my mom and I are reflective on our trip out here, what we accomplished medically (with your support and the help of the SCCA), and how the transition will be when we go home.  In some ways, the past few months feel surreal.  My mom and I both focused on getting me well, and had a lot of fun while we were at it.  We spent almost all our time together which was something very special for both of us.  We saw each day as a separate entity, and we did whatever we needed to do to get to the end of that day and enjoy some “Frasier” or just relax.

Now we’re ready to see our dogs, family, and friends, yes, in that order!  :)  We’re both excited to see how the dogs react after us being gone since late August.  We’ll find out soon!

I think my Ativan is kicking in because I’m gettin’ pretty tired.  Although it is also 12:36 AM on Tuesday, so that’s pretty late!!  I don’t have any plans for tomorrow though so I can sleep in a little. 

Anything exciting in VA?  I know everyone is going crazy over the inauguration…..it sounds like a big mess!

OK, seriously, my eyes are shutting and I can’t stop yawning.  Speaking of, David read in one of my magazines today that yawning is contagious, even with dogs!  I’m totally going to try it out on Jameson and Guinness to see if they do it too.

Ok, hasta luego!
Love from Seattle,

Julie