6 Month Post Transplant Appointment at BMTG


We had a short but sweet visit to the BMTG clinic today. My bone marrow biopsy and my PET/CT are both clean. I continue in remission. Nothing different from what I expected, but we had to get the official word from the PA & MD. With that, I will not have to return to Atlanta until my 1 year post transplant (September). Had things not been as good we would have been back in 3 months. Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and support.

I will share the word with Dr. Negrea’s staff tomorrow. It may be later in the week before they get the info from BMTG. I see him a week from Wednesday (May 9th). My guess is that we will start my maintenance Rituxan therapy the following week or soon after.

It is always good to visit the clinic and see many of the staff that did so much for Karin and I while we were there. We definitely miss the staff, but we don’t miss the daily trips to the clinic. I was able to see Bill G. who was there with me. His transplant was the same week as mine with a matched unrelated donor (MUD). He is doing well, but has had a few non transplant specific setbacks. We were able to meet Tina W. and see Lindsey (sp?) again. She is doing very well. We wish her the best as she prepares for a summer wedding. She was a little jealous of my hair progress. We were able to meet Timothy M. and his wife Lisa. He is wrapping up his chemo now and his transplant is in th next week. We wish and pray for all of them and those that we have not met for continued success and speedy recoveries.

The gang will be shaving our heads next week for Relay for Life. They did it for me to support me during chemo and we will do it again to support all the others going through chemo now. I will post details soon, but we will again sell add space on our bald heads to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We also plan to let others participate in the head shaving for a donation. Keep posted for details.

Thanks for caring,

Mark

More marathon pics

6 ½ months - Country Music Marathon in Nashville









Steve Routh just finished his first marathon at near 6 hours. He is in one piece except for a huge blister and some sunburn. He trained and raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for me. The collective group raised for Team in Training raised over 3 million dollars. I’ll be short here because I forgot the charger for the laptop. There were 10 runners & walkers from Savannah, and 40-50 from Georgia.

Thanks to Steve and all the TNT runners all over the world. I am at a much better place today than I would have been without their fundraising for research for blood cancers.

Take Care,

Mark

6 months, plus 1 week

Things are going pretty well for all of the Bests.

Karin is getting along pretty well following her surgery. She has some pain & discomfort from time to time at the incisions. She played 2 sets of tennis this weekend. She and her partner didn’t win, but they had fun. No major soreness from the surgery, just some from her lack of tennis the last month due to her gall bladder. She has received word that she will return to Coastal Middle School next year. What she will be teaching specifically is yet to be confirmed, but the news is a needed relief. She is studying for a test to qualify her as science certified. She would have qualified last year with her college credits, but the state of Ga made a change that requires a test this year forward.

Bennett (17 ½ months) is growing up fast. He gives us a few new words and few new tricks every couple of day. He is working on some eye teeth that are giving him some discomfort, but they are progressing slowly. We finally saw his first top molars emerged today. They have likely been in a while, but he won’t let us look in the top of his mouth easily.

Mark is doing well. I’m typing this while waiting for a non-cancer related doctor’s appointment. I have a few less than urgent items that have been on hold for the last year plus. I’m here for a fitting to replace my rigid orthotics that I wear in my shoes for my over pronation (flat feet). After I describe my recent past to Dr Spector, he tells me that his sister is preparing to undergo a transplant for Lymphoma in Augusta soon. I did not ask for many details. I will forward my blog to him to share with her.

Next Thursday, after work, we will travel to Atlanta. Paul and Bennett will stay there for the weekend. Friday, Karin and I will travel to Nashville to cheer Steve Routh on Saturday in the Country Music Marathon. He has been training and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in my honor. I am honored.

His link: http://www.active.com/donate/tntga/tntgaSRouth

I had good CBC’s last week during my port flush (monthly). I completed my Pentamadine treatments to prevent pneumonia.

Good news, my nurse coordinator from BMTG called while we were on vacation to let me know that the preliminary results from the Pet-CT and bone marrow biopsy look good. After the Nashville trip, we will return to Atlanta and my visit with My Physician and PA will be on that Monday morning.

I have some fatigue, but I think it is mostly from not getting to bed at a most decent time.


We add Shannon Brett’s sister (Allison) to our list of people to pray for. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mark

6 month Post Transplant Testing Today

We left for the Hospital at 7:30 am. Surprisingly light traffic for that time, likely due to schools on spring break. I get registered and to Radiology early. Then the slower than normal day began to drag. I was through with the Pet-CT at 11:45 and then got to eat some breakfast. We got to see Lindsay W at the BMTG clinic. She will be released soon. Sadly, there are still some patients (Kevin G. and others) still at the clinic due to complications with their recovery. We keep them in our prayers. It was great to see all the staff at the clinic. The nurses at the clinic were swamped, so it took a while for my bone marrow biopsies. They are good, but the lidocaine stung like sin and there was more pain than on previous occasions. It is understandable when they pull out 2 cores 1mm in diameter and over an inch long. I will call later this week for preliminary results. We grab double cheeseburgers from the Hospital, and we are on the road at 2:45. Thankfully, with the help of the HOV lanes on I-85 we make a quick departure from Atlanta, and there was little traffic all the way to Savannah. Karin hauled butt and we were home to relieve the sitter at 6:45. A huge thanks to the faculty, staff, and students at Coastal Middle School for another fundraiser for the Mark Best Fund. It will be put to quick use by us for medical bills for both Karin and I.

Karin has spring break this week and I took a week of vacation. We have a lot of medical appointments to work in and we both hope to have our vision checked this week. We will try to get to the beach on a sunny day.

Thanks for your continued support.

Mark

T + 170

Sunday, April 1, 2007
Karin got to see the surgeon on Monday. Dr Usher wanted to take her gall bladder out the next day, but she had to make arrangements for school. I took Wednesday afternoon off to be with her. Marie has come to help Paul with Bennett. Paul dropped her off at the Lewis Center and she waited with me for my bloodwork at 11:30. We then walked over to Candler Hospital for her surgery scheduled for 2:30. They got started a bit late, but the surgery is quick and she is in recovery by 4:00 pm. Due to the late in the day start, she has to stay overnight for observation. Dr Usher meets me to tell me that things went well. He gives me pictures that Karin requested. There was a stone blocking the duct from the gall bladder. That was the cause of her pain and nausea and daily vomiting. I get to see her just after 5:00 pm. She is out of it cold. She awakes a few times with nausea. The nurses give her two injections in her IV in addition to what she got during surgery. I get some supper at the hospital waiting for her to awake. I leave for home at 7:40. The dogs are very happy that I am home. Bennett is already asleep at the Wilson’s. Thanks Marie and Paul. Karin calls me at home around 9:00. She is finally a bit awake. I never recall her being knocked out so long after a surgery or anesthesia. They had to give her a shot in the butt for the nausea and vomiting.

Thursday morning I go back to Candler to get Karin. Dr Usher is in soon after 8:00 am as he said he would be. Karin has 4 small scars on her right abdomen, the largest above her navel. No stitches only steri-strips. She has to keep them dry for a day, and then she can shower. She is to see the doctor in a week for follow-up. We leave the Hospital after 9:00 and fill her pain med script. We stop at Sonic to get a chocolate malted shake for her on the way home. He throat is a bit sore from the breathing tube during surgery. I hang out with her for a few hours and then I got to work in the afternoon.

I get home a bit late due to road construction on Bay Street that I detour to avoid. When I arrive home, Karin’s shirt is in the garage covered in vomit. That is not good. I assume that she has continued to be nauseous. Actually, Bennett is sick. It just started. Thankfully Marie was there to help Karin out.

So Thursday night, the Bests are a sight for sore eyes. Bennett is throwing up and it won’t quit. Karin just had surgery, and she can’t lift anything. Mark is running around with a surgical mask on, freaking out about getting sick himself, while taking puke covered towels and clothes to the laundry over and over and over. I do lots of sanitizing with the Clorox wipes.

Karin called the nurse line for our pediatrician and gets some tips and what to look out for, etc. Bennett stays sick into the night. We get him to take a bit of pedialyte, but he can’t keep it down long. He goes through multiples of clothes and sheets (and towels during the night). Karin is a trooper. After 2 am she lets me sleep and tends to Bennett for the rest of the night. Only 36 hours out of surgery she is amazing. During the night he drinks half a bottle of pedialyte. By the morning, he is keeping it down. The worst has passed in just 12 hours.

Paul comes by at 7:00 am and I go to work. I felt bad leaving them for work, but with a 5 month old immunity myself, I am very scared of getting a virus. The nurse calls to follow up on Bennett. He eats and drinks fairly normally on Friday. He naps a bit more than normal and Karin is able to get a nap. Thanks again to both of the Wilson’s for their help.

Friday at bedtime, Bennett is a bit more needy than typical, but this is understandable after the previous night. He slept in till 8:15 am. Saturday was a pretty normal day for us. Karin went most of the day without pain meds, but she has some before dinner and for bed. I fixed a steak dinner for the Wilson’s and Best’s with Karin’s help.

Karin and I traveled to Atlanta today. Bennett is with Marie & Paul in Savannah tonight.

Tomorrow I go to Northside Hospital and the BMTG clinic for my 6 months post transplant testing. I have a Pet-CT at the hospital at 9:45. I will have blood work and bone marrow biopsy at the clinic after the scan. We will return at the end of the month for my results and to see the doctor and a PA. They will likely call me with some of the results prior to that. We will return to Savannah Monday afternoon.

I feel quite good.

Mark