LEUKEMIA - went to the oncologist at UCSF on the 23rd and got a big scare. My platelet count at UCSF was 11. This is dangerously low and totally inconsistent with the counts that I have had at Kaiser, which run in the 40's. He suggested that I confirm the low count with another test at Kaiser, which I did later that afternoon. That test showed a platelet count of 49 - low but certainly not dangerous. I can't believe , while there are certainly lab differences, that Kaiser has been consistently wrong for 2 years. Had the count of 11 held up, he would have recommended treatment with Dacogen or Vidaza. But as it now stands, after reviewing my latest bone marrow biopsy and my blood values, he is in agreement with my oncologist at Kaiser that we continue to do nothing as all my blood values are stable. He will call my oncologist at Kaiser to touch base. I'll see him in another 6 months unless there is a change in my stability. It sure is nice to have an expert to see every few months.

PARATHYROID - I continue to have my high pitched voice 4 months after the surgery although there are times in the morning that the voice sound a little more normal. I just saw the surgeon and he reviewed my options. He can inject the vocal cord, using a large curved needle which goes down my throat to give me relief. This is a temporary measure which will last 2-3 months. The thought of the needle makes me want to gag, so I rejected that out of hand. I could have surgery under a local anesthetic where they permanently inject the cord to move it closer to the other cord while I am awake (so they can monitor my voice). When the surgeon looked at my vocal cord, he "could almost see some movement". I decided to do nothing at this time giving it a little more time to see if the vocal cord recovers on its own, which can take up to a year. I see him in another 3 months. I was told that statistically, this problem occurs with 10% of parathyroid surgery. In the meantime, my bones are getting stronger now that I no longer have a tumor robbing me of my calcium.

KYPHOPLASTY - Had my last kyphoplasty surgery on May 6th. This time , I did not crack a rib. Unfortunately, I am still in some pain from the surgery and it did not improve my ability to walk. If anything, It made it worse although it seems to be starting to improve now. I still need my walker to walk any distance and I have pain in my back when I go to sleep. I see the surgeon in another 1 1/2 weeks to see what's going on. By the way, the kyphoplasty was supposed to restore some of the height I lost due to the compression fractures of the spine. I gained a whole 1/2 inch. I am now 5' 3 1/2 inches tall, down from 5'7". WOW - THAT's A REAL BIG DIFFERENCE.

In other health issues, I had a cholesterol test and psa test done. If you can believe this, I had a cholesterol value of 98 and I don't take cholesterol drugs. Extremely good. I celebrated the news by going out and eating a steak. My PSA value was 0.8, also very good and consistent with my range of values over the past 10 years. I had a 6 month checkup of my bladder and it remains cancer free. No gout attacks for the last 4 months.

Arlene and I managed to get away for a week and went to the beach. It was really nice to get away. My goal over the next 2 years is to build my strength up so in the next 2 years I have a real choice to make as to whether to undergoe the mini cell stem transplant which can cure the leukemia.

My last kyphoplasty

Finally had my last kyphoplasty surgery on may 6th. NO CRACKED RIBS this time. Maybe my bones are getting stronger finally. Went home and had alot more pain this time. I may have had this pain on my previous 2 operations but didn't notice it because of the cracked ribs. Anyway, the pain lasted about a week before letting up. Has the whole kyphoplasty procedure done any good? I don't know. I have not regained any lost height to speak of. I haven't really started any physical therapy or exercises yet. That'll come next week. I seem to be a little more stable when I walk, but still have to use a walker for any distance walking. All I know is that when they dig me up 200 years from now, they'll say "What's with this dude with all the cement in his back?"

My voice still has not gotten back to normal. I keep thinking that its starting to change back to a more normal voice, but by the end of the day, it's back to being high pitched again. I have an appointment with the doctor re this next week and we'll see what he says. My oncologist says not to get the surgery to correct this unless it's a "slam dunk". We'll see. I'm tired of doctors and surgery and don't want to do any more unless it's life saving.

I also have an appointment at UCSF with my oncologist there. I'm going to have him review my last bone marrow biopsy and see where we go from here regarding treatment, if any. My blood tests continue to show stablilty with the leukemia. The only effects I have from it are my low platelets and my borderline anemia. My oncologist at Kaiser doesn't want to treat me since I'm so stable, but my concern is 2 years from now. That's when I have to decide about having the mini stem cell transplant procedure. If I undergo it, I have to be strong physically to survive, but it can CURE the leukemia. We shall see.

Off the subject, last December I got a new computer with the VISTA operating system, the "computer destroyer" version of vista. Last week I had to reinstall the operating system because it got so screwed up. Dealing with India for tech support was another experience. I am now very careful as to what goes on the computer and create a restore point before I add any software.
&^%$*#$ Microsoft.