Kathy N

Hello Kathy, I just want to say congrats on your upcoming sergury. Who is you doc? How long has your journey taken you? I hope to have mine in Feb I have already got my psych eval and my gallbladder ultrasound and am waiting for the appt with the gastrointologist (I think thats the spelling), on Jan 3. I get more and more nervous the further I get into this but I know I am doing the right thing.

Shelly, I have been at this since June 2003. I researched for a year. May 2004 I started searching for a Surgeon, my first 3 said I had too many health issues. I had arthritis, high blood pressure, sleep apnea. Plus I was wheelchair bound as I was still healing from a broken hip and pelvic. I went out of state and saw one surgeon who had me get registered, psych eval, nutrionist and a date for 3 weeks from the consult for my surgery, that was last March. I was denied 2 days later, the psych said I was unstable. I drove home in a snow storm. In May 04 I found this website and have been here ever since. Last Dec I was told I have diabeties. My sleep apnea went from 13 to 18 with 2 liters of oxygen back up. In June I won my appeal for military service disability. I now had the money to help me, I called Dr. Colquitt's office for a consult. It was to be in mid July. The end of June I was having server pain in my lower back and was sent for an MRI. On July 7th, I was told that I had a bone marrow disease. Anyone with a brain knows that's leukemia. I had to have a bone marrow test done. The first Oncologist gave me no answers and no hope. He was totally against me having this surgery. I rescheduled with Dr. Colquitt twice, in Sept. I saw him. He said if he received approval from my new Oncologist, he would do my surgery. My white blood count was 50,000. Normal is 4000-10,000. I was put on chemo pills at bedtime with medicind for the queasiness. In October my white cell count after just one month was 9000. She faxed him the results with her approval. I saw her again this week, and I'm down to 6000. She faxed Dr. Colquitt my results. My date is Jan. 9, I met with the nutrionist today, I see Dr. Colquitt on the 29th for the last time before surgery. I have gone from 277 in Sept. to 283 in Oct. to 264.5 on Monday at my weigh in. He's just south of Knoxville, in Maryville. I really like him a lot. He's quiet but a positive person. He knows that I will need to take my chemo every nite with Pheneragan for the queasiness and that I will need special care because of my leukemia. He's giving me a life that the first oncologist was taking away from me. I have 26 days left to go. I am nervous to excited on a daily basis. It's okay. If you want information about him he is registered on this site. I just noticed that his patients have started their own forum message board. I need to check that out. Kathy