Was Sprycel Keeping My Peripheral Neuropathy at Bay?

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In April of 2010, a little more than three and a half years ago, I suffered extreme side effects from an antibiotic called Cipro, also known as Ciproflaxin. This antibiotic is in a class of antibiotics called floroquinolones; Levaquinn and Avelox are also in this class of antibiotic. Apparently in 2010 there were over 20 million prescriptions written for Cipro, and its’ popularity has increased.

Cipro was designed as a powerful, last drug of choice, antibiotic to be used in extreme bacterial infections that did not respond to prior treatment; it has become a first choice antibiotic for many, many physicians and dentists, despite its’ Black Box Warning status.

So, what’s the big deal? It’s an antibiotic, right? All antibiotics come with some risk and side effects, right? If you’re sick, you need an antibiotic, right? While all of these answers may be “yes” I will tell you what three doses of this antibiotic have done to me; they have apparently caused a permanent, peripheral neuropathy; with my feet being the hardest hit.

I suppose that I probably take in excess of 10,000 steps each and every day; imagine excruciating pain every time that you put weight on your foot; that is 10,000 jolts a day. And imagine that after you experience the jolt, your feet just throb in between each jolt. That is what Cipro did to my feet. I had/have many other issues as well, but my feet are my greatest challenge.

Fast forward eleven months from my second floxing; I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. During my initial treatment I received a chemotherapy drug called Cytarabine. Within days of receiving these chemo treatments, my foot pain began to subside; eventually it became almost non-existent. I began to be able to walk normally and I began to be able to use and bend my toes, my knees and my hips without pain. I was ecstatic! I had found a golden lining to having leukemia; my daily pain was much improved; I began to move, and dance like my old self. To me it was miraculous; to the doctors, they simply shrugged and said that they often heard that people’s RA and other peripheral neuropathy improved after chemotherapy.

I cannot tell you how happy and excited I have been without this daily pain. I was released from the hospital and began a daily medication called Sprycel. Sprycel is a drug used to treat CML. Apparently it also has kept my peripheral neuropathy at bay, because for two and a half years, my pain level has remained stable.

That is until I developed pleural effusion, a side effect of Sprycel, and had to stop my treatment for three weeks until the PE resolved. During this time, the pain in my feet has returned. It began slowly but has continued to progress; it is depressing and I swear I would go in and have a round of chemo if I knew that it would help. I am hoping and praying that by resuming my Sprycel treatment the pain will begin to subside once more, but I also wonder if the Sprycel was strong enough to hold the peripheral neuropathy at bay, but not strong enough to stop it. 

Something to ask at my next doctor's appointment....

Sprycel Vacation: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!!

Interestingly enough, I have noticed many different things that Sprycel does, and doesn’t do, to my body. After a nearly three week vacation, it has been difficult in some ways to return to my CML treatment, but comforting and even helpful, in others.

The major disappointment in returning to treatment is my missing “spark”; Sprycel seems to have a way of diminishing my inner “happy” glow! I know that sounds silly, and I am still an extreme optimist, but the bursting-over joy, that I have when I am not on Sprycel, just is not the same. This coupled with the fact that when I am not on Sprycel, the leukemia has an opportunity to kick start its engine.

That being said, there is a comfort to returning to the battlefield. The most difficult part being the return of the side effects; I have suffered greatly from muscle spasms in my back, am extremely tired, and once again, my hair is starting to fall out! Ugh, it was finally beginning to grow again. The afternoon, flu-ish, fever-y feeling has returned, along with the headaches.

The Good news is that the peripheral neuropathy, from the Cipro damage, is beginning to subside again. I still cannot believe how taking Sprycel keeps the pain in my feet, and joints in my legs, at bay. I suppose this really is the golden lining to living with a chronic cancer; totally strange!

My belief and hope is that it will not take as much time, as it did when I first began taking Sprycel to adapt to the medication and for the side effects to seem less severe. I often wonder whether the side effects actually lessen, or if we just learn to better adapt to them.

What do you think?

Peripheral Neuropathy, from Cipro, Returned; Not Good!

As many of you may already know, four and a half years ago, I suffered severe side effects from an antibiotic, in the floroquinolone family, called Cipro. The first time it happened, I suffered a ruptured tendon. I did not correlate the ruptured tendon to the antibiotic, Cipro.

Eleven months later, I was nearly crippled by the drug. I was given it a second time for a urinary tract infection; I took five pills and my body was destroyed. I mean literally destroyed; I suffered from the worst pain I have ever felt, in my entire life. It was mostly located in my hips, legs and feet. The pain was constant, excruciating, and never subsided. This time I DID realized that it was caused by Cipro.

I also suffered from light sensitivity and total brain fog. This is not something that you would wish upon any one, not even your worst enemy. There is no way to reverse these side effects and doctors simply shrug their shoulders when presented with a floxed patient.

Oddly enough, I suffered with this destruction and peripheral neuropathy, right up until I received chemotherapy treatments, after being diagnosed with CML. Oddly enough, there is something in the chemotherapy that can reduce symptoms in RA patients, and now I have experienced the same thing; pain relief. I was ecstatic and figured that this pain relief was the golden lining, in having leukemia.

Fast forward two and a half years; the peripheral neuropathy and the light sensitivity have improved drastically, although I cannot say the same thing about the brain fog. All was well until I developed pleural effusion and bronchitis last month; I had to go off of my Sprycel treatment, until my lungs were functioning properly, again.

 Within ten days of ceasing the Sprycel, the peripheral neuropathy began to return. I started getting extreme pain in the balls of my feet and toes, (my hardest hit area), skin sensitivity and the feeling that my Achilles and other tendons could rupture if I was not careful. I was horrified and angry. It really makes me ponder the correlation between the peripheral neuropathy and the TKI’s, as well as the chemotherapy; AND just how damaging this class of antibiotics, really are.

Moral to the story; I am actually blessed to have CML because living with that sort of pain is truly unbearable. It literally made me wish I would die; I would rather have cancer than the pain associated with the damage from those drugs. How sad it that?

In my opinion, unless it is an absolute, last resort, life or death situation, the floroquiolone, antibiotics Cipro, Levaquinn and Avelox, should be avoided like the plague!

Cipro Poisoning Sucks!

So, I guess there are two things bothering me today:

1. Cipro poisoning SUCKS! I know that I should be grateful for the improvements that I have made, and I AM however, I am still so irritated that my body has been so compromised by Cipro. The fact that they continually dispense this drug without informing the patient of the potential side effects is criminal!

Of course, my small improvement of being able to slightly bend my toes caused me to test my limits and try to walk and dance like a normal person. That would be USING my toes and pushing off with my toes as opposed to walking and dancing on my heels. That unfortunately led to a bit of a toe injury on my right foot, yup, the BIG TOE! Ugh, wonder how long it will take that to heal?

2. I hate the inflammation underneath the skin that causes the skin itself to be so tender that you don't want to sit or lie on it. The back of my thighs are killing me today, thank God it seems to be an intermittent side effect. It is so strange because een the slightest touch makes them feel as tough they are on fire! It has been long 5 months now.

So that being said, I hope those of you that have never been effected by Cipro, Levaquinn, Avelox, or any other floroquinolone, take my advice and steer clear of this poison! For those of you in the same boat or worse off, my best wishes to you and I hope you are having one of those "good" days!

Helpful Suggestions Post Cipro Poisoning

Yesterday I saw Dr Leland Carrol, he is a chiropractic Kinesiologist He has studied extensively to learn alternative healing techniques to help patients with their individual needs. My only and I say that in jest, problems are muscle, joint and tendon pain in my legs.

I will share the regimen that he has suggested to me. I am NOT a doctor, these are just what I am trying. A lot of what I will be eating and taking are to remove as much as the toxin as I can. He suggested that I eat 1 cup of mixed brussel sprouts and broccoli and 1 whole red beet everyday. These should be steamed and the red beet should be steamed whole. It is the "red" in the beet that is supposed to thin the bile from the liver that can become thicker after Cipro poisoning.

In addition to those veggies I am "drinking" Green Vibrance. It has 25 billion probiotics per dose. It is also used for detoxification.

I am taking 3-4 Magnesium Malate (1250mg) per day, 2000mg of Vitamin C per day, 1 tablet 4 times a day on an empty stomach (be sure to eventually wean yourself down to a normal dose if you take this much Vitamin C). Bromelain, 2 capsules, 4 times a day between meals. Fibrozym, 3 tablets in the morning. Vitamin D and Calcium. These are all in addition to my "regular" everyday vitamins!

By the time I am through sucking down all of these pills and eating those veggies, I think I might just explode!

He also suggested epsom salt baths and light massage. Movement , especially in a pool, and to not push to the point of damage. He also pressed on tendon connections and did something like spreading the muscle tissue. None of this was painful.

Today is day 12, since the side effects began. Last night was the first night that I did not wake up in the middle of the night an hour or two BEFORE I could take Ibuprofen. I actually woke up one hour AFTER I was supposed to take it. I am taking 600mg every 6 hours. My "other" Dr. recommended that as it IS an anti-inflammatory. It helps me tremendously. I seem to be moving a bit faster, at the moment! Hoping for a good day.

Medical Expenses of Leukemia: I Need Your Help!

I suppose that since it is National Leukemia and Lymphoma Month, now would be a great time for me to begin freaking out about my medical insurance that resets on January 1^st of every year. Since I have been self-employed, in one form or another for most of my adult life, I have never had the good fortune of being included in the benefits of an employer’s health insurance plan. I have had to purchase my own health insurance, which I have done through Anthem Blue Cross, for the past thirty years. Fortunately, I have had the wither-all and means in which to do so, despite the high rates and low benefits that have been available to me.

I have always figured that some health insurance is better than no health insurance at all, and since I have always been in great health, a catastrophic insurance plan has always been a good choice for me. A catastrophic health insurance plan is literally just that. It does not pay for the small medical instances such as a sore throat, flu of urinary tract infection, but does cover larger instances such as appendectomy’s, or in my case, cancer. The biggest drawback is the extremely high, yearly out of pocket expense. Last year, needless to say, I met that expense in one fell swoop; when I was admitted to the hospital, after being diagnosed with leukemia. Normally, this would not be an issue; I would have been hospitalized, cured and sent home. I would have had to pay one, great big, out of pocket insurance deductible. I would have recovered, picked myself up, dusted myself off and gotten right back to work!

The issue arises from the fact that my type of leukemia is not curable, only manageable, which means, extremely high medical costs that reset on a yearly basis. I will need to come up with a $5000 deductible at the first of every year for the rest of my life. This in addition to the many other out of pocket expenses and extremely high cost of my medication, has kept me up many a night; worrying.

I have been very blessed with random and surprising donations, and am extremely grateful to all of you that have helped me in my fight thus far. I have never been very good at asking for help of any kind, but I am afraid that I have been humbled by leukemia. I have found a few writing gigs, some sewing and cakes that need making, but I am afraid that none of these are yet, profitable enough to keep my head and body for that matter, above ground for long. I have found some really cute bracelets that are cancer/leukemia related and I am going to try and sell them as somewhat of a fund raiser. They range in price from $7.50 to $18.00. If you simply wish to donate, there is a place to do so in my right column. Desperate measures require desperate times. Of course, I am also willing to consider any and all other options or opportunities offered to me.

For those of you that can and do, my humblest thanks. For those of you in the same boat, or even one with more holes in the bottom of it, you have my emotional support and empathy. And to all of you that just read and support me through encouragement and kind words, please know that I am eternally grateful. 

To order, just click on link below the picture. Thanks!

Click Here: Silver Tiffany Bangle Bracelet $18.00   

Click here: Bangle Bracelet $18.00   

Click here: Where There is Love Bracelet $15.00

Love Those Funny Scrub Hats!

Five months ago, when I was in the hospital, after being diagnosed with Leukemia, I very firmly stated that under “NO” circumstance would I take a floroquinolone. My night time nurse, the one with the pink set of scrubs, told me not to worry, she totally understood because when she was in the hospital with breast cancer, she had gotten an infection and they had given HER Cipro; she couldn’t walk for months, just like me. She said that she wore her “pink” scrubs to remind her that she was a breast cancer survivor.

The next morning, I was sent down to have a port put into my chest for chemotherapy. Once again, I encountered another Cipro victim. This time it was the radiologist with the coolest looking scrub hat. She said that she wore them to entertain her patients. I asked her where she gets her scrub hats, as I was soon to be bald and would need to cover my head. She told me that she got them at  http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/.

Since returning home, I have looked up the Blue Sky Scrubs and the have the greatest fabrics for scrub hats! I still have some of my own hair and I managed to fulfill my hospital stay without one floroquinolone crossing my lips!

Love this design!

Typically when I compete, it is at 8:00 am, with warm ups at 7:00 am. Luckily at this competition we didn't need to be in the ballroom until 9:30, which was a huge relief. I slept well and woke up feeling OK. I had actually managed to finish sewing and stoning my new costume and I thought that it was going to be a great day. Wrong!

By the time that I got to the ballroom, I had that achy, fevery feeling, so I took an Ibuprofen. We had also decided to delay my daily dose of Sprycel (Dasatinib) until later in the day. Joe actually came up with this brilliant theory; if I take Sprycel at my “normal” time, 10:00 am; I usually start feeling crappy around 3:00 pm, about five hours after I take it. Usually, I start feeling better around 9 or 10 pm; so, he suggested that I try to start taking it at 10:00 pm, right before I go to bed, that way I would sleep through the “yucky” part. Worth a try, right?

Anyway, back to the ballroom; besides feeling a bit achy and extremely tired, I realized that I had left my brain back in bed, still sound asleep. I was present in body, but not in mind. It was the strangest feeling; it was as though my head was completely vacant .I actually felt a bit like I feel when I need a shot of Neupogen. The only other time that I have experienced that vacant-ness was when I was actually in the hospital going through chemotherapy. I was very odd and disconcerting.

I seemed to do alright during warm up’s, despite not having a brain and I remember walking out onto the floor for our first dance. I remember hearing the music, starting the dance and then all I remember was turning and turning and turning, thinking why in the world isn’t he picking up my hip! I knew that I must have blown out of the routine, yet I hadn’t a clue of when or where. Somehow, being the Pro that Joe is, he managed to pick me up, get us back into the routine and finish the dance with no one, the wiser. I apologized profusely and wondered how the rest of the day was going to play out. It was not a great start to the morning!

The next dance is a Polka, which ought to get the nerves out and wake me up, right? Nope, just as vacant as the last dance but fortunately I only had one mis-step and it was an easy, no-brainer fix. The day continued on this way for another two dances; a friend of mine then offered me a sip of that five hour energy stuff in a small bottle. I was a bit reluctant so I only took a small sip after making sure that there was no grapefruit in it.

Waltz was our next dance. It began with the same empty brain, but somewhere near the end I actually felt like myself. I knew where I was and I knew what I was doing. It was a miracle; a short lived miracle, but a miracle nonetheless. The clarity came about quite suddenly and left just as quickly. I spent the remaining part of the competition and the rest of the entire day in a foggy, I just don’t feel good, daze.

Now, for the topper of the entire day; After the competition, I approached one of my judges to ask for constructive criticism. I expected some sort of dance related tip, but instead, she asked me; “What in the world is up with those black panties???” Great, right?

Now, let me explain; if you remember, I had previously bought material and a TON of rhinestones, a bathing suit pattern and some elastic. I put my imagination to work and made my own costume. The short skirt was almost to my knees so I thought that it was long enough to NOT show my panties. It actually has a full bathing suit/body suit underneath the outer costume, so there was absolutely no reason for my “black dance panties” anyways; I had actually put them on without even thinking about it, as I had worn them in all of my other previous competitions.

As it turns out, the bottom couple of inches of the black, dance panties were sticking out below the leg of the orange ( in recognition of leukemia), body suit. Mind you, I had previously asked four different people if my skirt was too short, or went up to high when I turned. “Did everything look ok?” Every one of them said, “No, it didn’t go up to high and everything looks just fine.”

Thanks guys, for NOT mentioning the black panties!!  I am now, and forever will be; “The Black Panty Girl!” A perfect ending to a not so perfect day! It seems as though I gave many dancers’ something to talk about for the entire weekend.

Despite my complete out of body experience I finished second overall; more importantly I danced better than I did at my last competition and managed to compete in all eight dances instead of only five. Nowhere to go but up, right?

Be sure to watch for the Black Panties!!

Question and Answer Update!

Question: I hate to bother you. I see you some how made it out of this crap storm and still manage to dance. I am currently trying to get my pain under control in my legs. Burning, stabbing, muscle pain and weakness. It sounds like it good be fibromyalgia or some muscle disease. Did you ever take any strong pain medicine or have any treatment? Sounds like your really upbeat and motivational. 

Answer:  The pain in my feet, legs and hips was beyond any pain that I have ever 

experienced. In the beginning especially. After one month had gone by, I decided to attempt to dance again. Dancing is my passion and my

profession. I took precautions with braces on my knees, ankles and then taped my feet and toes to help protect from 

any tears. It hurt like hell but made my heart feel good.The next day I was pretty much down for the count, but the following

day I was back to my "regular" hobbling. I feel as though my moving and exercising  helped in my recovery. I found that 

being immobile made me really stiff and it more painful to move.

I know a lot of people on this board poo-pooed the supplements I took and the foods I ate, but that is when I started seeing an improvement!

It has been 14 months and I am much, much better with the exception that I now have leukemia.

I swear, life is never easy! It is very easy to become depressed when you are in constant pain. I highly doubt that you have Fibromyalgia. My pain traveled thorough out my 

body.

The ONLY help I received is from my chiropractor. He was instrumental in giving me back my legs!

I did take mass doses of Ibuprofen. I took three tablets every six hours, It did give me much relief, especially when I was dancing.

Hope this helps and feel free to contact me anytime.

Cipro verses Leukemia

This has been a pretty good week; the bronchitis seems to have finally found its’ was out of my body. The coughing is minimal and the low grade temp is gone. I finally have enough energy to start dancing again. This is a good thing as we have three brand new routines to learn and five additional dances to work on for our next dance competition at the Portland Dance Festival, in July. God willing, I will be well enough to keep practicing and to compete.

As we were practicing the other day, I had a surprising realization; it is much easier to dance with leukemia than it was when I was poisoned with Cipro. Cipro is an antibiotic in the floroquinolone family. It is a very powerful drug that was originally used to treat anthrax. They currently prescribe Cipro, Avelox and Levaquin at an astonishing rate, despite black box warnings and severe side effects. At the very top of the black box warning it states that Cipro is “Not a first drug of choice.” With the rampant illnesses floating around out there, I thought that now would be a good time to throw this information out there. I am not a doctor; only a victim.

It seems as though doctors and pharmacists alike do not “believe” the damage that is actually occurring to patients. They can be life changing and permanent.  They often state that the side effects are very rare. Truth be told, “Reported” side effects are very rare. Few people taking the drugs correlate a ruptured tendon or extreme all over muscle pain to their antibiotic. Many people are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when in fact there pain was caused by their antibiotic; they just don’t realize it.

For me, it was a yearlong battle that was nearly crippling for several months with continued excruciating pain throughout a years’ time. Oddly enough, after going through chemotherapy, the muscle pain in my feet improved drastically. That improvement is what makes dancing easier with leukemia than dancing after being severely debilitated by an antibiotic that I should not have been prescribed unless absolutely necessary. That is the crime in the floroquinoline prescriptions; they should only be prescribed as a last resort, not as an easy fix. The risks just are not worth it. I could not have prevented my leukemia, but the Cipro poisoning could have been prevented. I am still angry about the stolen year of my life caused by that drug. Read more about Cipro poisoning here: Beware of the Antibiotic Cipro

Updating My Update; One Year after Being Poisoned by Cipro

Well, it seems as though I have struck a nerve, with at least one person out there that has also been affected by the antibiotic Cipro. My update was not written to discredit any ones’ pain or suffering from this devastating drug; it was merely written to give hope and to state my current condition one year after being poisoned by Cipro.

Let me state that I am not a medical professional and I am not suggesting that what I have done or what I am currently doing, is or was a “cure” to the side effects that I suffered. If you choose to read and follow my journey, that is up to you. I went to traditional doctors, a chiropractor and a health nutritionist. The traditional doctors did little for me with the exception of saying that I was “rare” and asked me if I wanted pain meds. The chiropractor and the nutritionist gave me suggestions and told me why they were suggesting certain supplements and foods.

I chose to follow their suggestions as I had no others. I was desperate; and willing to try just about anything, with-in reason, in hopes to regain the ability to walk and dance again; like a normal person and without pain. I wanted my old life back. I wanted my body back; I was weary of being in constant pain. I made every effort possible to not allow my pain to rob me of everything that I enjoyed.

I continued dancing through the pain; with knees and ankles braced, and feet taped. I took too much Ibuprofen in order to do so. Was it easy? No, it was not. Did it hurt like hell? Yes, especially after I stopped dancing. My feet and legs throbbed all night long and I often spent an entire day down and out; paying for those few hours of enjoyment. But let me tell you, those few hours of painful enjoyment allowed my spirit to soar, to hold out hope that someday things would be better.

Currently I am growing my own "damn beets!"

One year down the road, some things are better. The pain in my muscles, joints and tendons is greatly reduced. My toes bend again and I can even use them to walk. My knees and hips bend and there is less popping. Is this because I ate red beets? I would say no. Is this because of the supplements? Probably not directly. Is there a magic cure? Unfortunately not. But is there hope? Yes, there is hope and if everything I did and ingested helped me to heal, I am glad that I took the chance. Nothing I ingested was harmful, so what did I have to lose?

We will never know why some people react better or worse to any medication, but I still believe that this is a devastating medication that should not be doled out, like candy, for simple infections. Like the black box warning states; Not a first drug of choice.  I will continue to warn any one that will listen to the life changing side effects of these drugs known as floroquinolines. And I will continue to have empathy to all that have been affected. Cipro stole a part of my life, but it did not steal my soul.

I am on a new journey now; shortly after feeling better from the effects of my Cipro poisoning, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. If anyone out there had been poisoned by these drugs and also has leukemia, I would love to hear from you.

One Year Update after Being Floxed; There is Hope

It has been one year and one month since I was poisoned by the drug named Ciprofloxacin. It is in a class of drugs known as floroquinolones and while it may be a miracle drug for some; it can be a devastating, debilitating drug for other. It is my continued belief that the side effects of these drugs are highly under reported thus allowing them to continue to be distributed freely.

Three days after taking my first dose of Cipro, I was crippled. I walked as if I was an 85 year old woman that had been hit by a train. My feet felt as though I was walking on razor blades or shards of glass; my toes would not bend. My knees were swollen and felt as though they would explode if I bent them. I could not bend at the hip without excruciating pain. Sitting down and getting back up was nearly impossible. Even just the plain air on my feet hurt. I have never experienced such pain before; or since. I also could not stand bright light; it hurt my eyes and it was often noon before I could open my drapes.

You can search my blog to follow my progress and all of the remedies that I experimented with.  I am elated with the progress that I have made with my physical issues. I can now dance with little pain, bend my toes, bend my knees and bend my hips. While my toes are much improved, they still do not bend like they used to, but I am actually able to send myself from one foot to another, instead of having to lift my leg and put it on the floor. I walk like a normal person again. I am able to bend my knees and squat down about half way to the floor. I still cannot put them completely under myself in order to stand from a sitting position; such as getting out of the bathtub but the overall improvement is grand.

My hips are pretty much back to normal. My ankles and Achilles still give me just a little trouble when I dance. Sometimes after dancing for an hour or so I will have to revert back to my ankle braces for some additional support, just to be on the safe side. The light sensitivity is 80% improved and the overall achiness, muscle joint and tendon pain is relatively gone.

The latest development in my health has been my diagnoses of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. I was diagnosed in February 2011. Seems as though someone thought that since I had survived my Cipro poisoning so well, that I needed another challenge! So forgive me for not keeping you all informed and updated on the poisoning from Cipro, but I have been busy fighting cancer; Go Figure!

Anyway, I know that we are all different and we all deal with pain and illness in different manners; but for me, I pushed myself every day since I was floxed.  After the first three to four weeks, when I literally was bound to my bed or sofa, I pushed myself more and more every day. I started dancing again; knees, ankles and feet braced and taped. I took too much Ibuprofen in order to be able to do what I loved; even if it was just one or two dances at a time. Dancing fed my soul and helped me climb the very large mountain of tackling a poisoning from a drug called Cipro. My best wishes to all of you out there suffering from the side effects of these drugs. I really never thought that the day would come that I would walk normally again and not be in constant pain. I wished the last year of my life away in hopes of feeling better a year down the road. Don’t give up; there is hope for you too.

Not Anemia, But Leukemia!

The saga continues: Unfortunately my Cipro/Anemia theory didn’t pan out, although I was on the right track. There was something definitely wrong with my blood. Terribly wrong in fact! I saw my doctor on Tuesday February 8, 2011. We discussed my Cipro side effects and I told him that my muscles, joints and tendons were very much improved, but I was told by my eye doctor that I had blood in my eyes. He agreed that this was a bit of concern, as was the thickening under my left rib cage. He asked how long it had been there and I said that I had kind of noticed it maybe about a month ago. He ordered blood work and a CAT scan and I went home.

I called for a CAT scan appointment in the morning and called his office to inform him that I had an appointment for 2 pm that afternoon. He promptly told me that he was just going to call me and told me to cancel the appointment and to go directly to the hospital as my white blood cells were astronomically elevated and that I had leukemia. The bleeding in my eyes was from the white blood cells blocking the capillaries and the capillaries bursting. They were concerned that I might have a brain bleed. Lovely, huh?

Of course I reminded him who he was talking to just to make sure that he really meant me! I was stunned, not what I expected and not on my list of things to do. I had a bone marrow biopsy to confirm the diagnosis, don’t let anyone tell you that it does not hurt, because it was excruciating!

Leukapheresis and chemo for three days and my blood count went from 372,000 to 98,000. I am a very lucky girl! Now to begin the medication that cost more than $8,000 per month, they tell me that there is help as my insurance won’t pay for it. Ugh! The goal is to get my white count to 10,000 and maintain it.

The type of leukemia that I have is Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia otherwise known as CML. Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!