Day 105, Part 2
We met with Dr. K in the afternoon and he was his usual thoughtful self, saying, in essence, that Seattle was an excellent program and the trial well founded. He told John that he needed to decide soon, but he needed to be committed to his decision, whatever it is, trust his doctors and dedicate himself. He said not to let the details of living in a different place get in the way, because if things go well, he can return here for long term care.
He simplified the questions about the trial by discussing the toxicity of the treatments used to treat leukemia and the apparent benefits of being able to focus directly where the treatment is most needed. He explained about how peer review is done on trials and even went into some of the history of bone marrow transplants. He added that Seattle invented most of the techniques for treatment and does more transplants than anywhere else.
I'm thinking John has probably decided Seattle and the trial are the way to go, but he hasn't yet committed himself to the decision. He does need to decide soon though, because of the risk of infection, especially fungal ones, which are so hard to cure, and the possibility of relapse.
The news on his blood counts is good. His white count continues to improve, although he will need a transfusion on his next visit. There is also a formula for calculating the level of various blood components and he has now reached the point where they allowed him to leave the hospital after his initial round of chemo. What took days required two months this time, but he was allowed to eat a salad last night, something I suppose you crave most when you can't have it.
He simplified the questions about the trial by discussing the toxicity of the treatments used to treat leukemia and the apparent benefits of being able to focus directly where the treatment is most needed. He explained about how peer review is done on trials and even went into some of the history of bone marrow transplants. He added that Seattle invented most of the techniques for treatment and does more transplants than anywhere else.
I'm thinking John has probably decided Seattle and the trial are the way to go, but he hasn't yet committed himself to the decision. He does need to decide soon though, because of the risk of infection, especially fungal ones, which are so hard to cure, and the possibility of relapse.
The news on his blood counts is good. His white count continues to improve, although he will need a transfusion on his next visit. There is also a formula for calculating the level of various blood components and he has now reached the point where they allowed him to leave the hospital after his initial round of chemo. What took days required two months this time, but he was allowed to eat a salad last night, something I suppose you crave most when you can't have it.
