Bryce
MD Anderson is the #1 leukemia hospital in the country, likely the world, and when the transplant doctor at Mayo recommended transplant I opted to stop fooling around and get an opinion from the best. When you’re the best at something you can make people endure pain they normally would not – they need you, you don’t need them. MDA‘s leukemia department knows this. As such, they require all new patient appointments/consultations to be in person. Live out of state… Enjoy the drive, MDA doesn’t care. Actively receiving chemo… eh, you’ll be fine, MDA doesn’t care. Zoom meetings are the new norm… cool, MDA still doesn’t care. MDA is aware of the pandemic so to protect all parties they require new patients arrive two days in advance to get tested for Covid.
My mom has always said, “Bryce, don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.” I’m really good at spiteing (unsure if this a real word) my face, and I was ready to do it again. I felt like it was egregious to go to Houston for 3 days for what could be solved with a 30 minute telehealth call. Fortunately, Mary Beth was a voice of reason. She convinced me a trip to Houston, albeit a giant hassle, was worthwhile, and I’d regret not going. We decided to make a trip of it and I started researching how to maximize our free night vouchers at fun hotels.
Make a Trip of It
We departed on Tuesday which coincided with the worst day of steroid withdrawals. My bones and joints hurt and I literally laid on the floor and cried before we left; I hurt and just didn’t want to go. I rallied and we departed a hour or so behind schedule. We drove to Dallas and surprised MB’s sister, Katie, to wish her a happy birthday and then proceeded to stay a new boutique hotel in Deep Ellum. The hotel was probably pretty cool pre Covid but it was empty and cold. We walked to my once favorite Dallas eatery, Monkey Noodle King, and grabbed some noodles to go. The noodles weren’t as good as they were back in my Dallas days but the spicy cucumbers were a 10/10.
My Covid test at MDA was Wednesday afternoon and afterwards we went to the hotel to quarantine. I’m sure Houston has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment and site seeing but Covid. We lived off UberEats deliveries and one really expensive room service meal for the next day and a half. Instead of site seeing we watched the West Wing and slept… a lot. I was exhausted.
Cancer Mecca
Friday arrived and after 10 hours of driving, three nights in hotels, and a Covid test it was finally time to get some answers. Once I’d paid tribute and agreed to give 15 vials a blood to research, I was able to see the doctor. I had a list of topics/questions and the doctor ran through them without me having to prompt or ask. It was awesome.
The reason for our visit was to decide chemo only or transplant. I learned MDA is moving away from transplanting ALL patients as they feel chemo and new immuno therapies offer a better reward/risk. As such, the doctor felt like my chemo only approach was the right approach and he confirmed my survival odds were better than the ”55%-65% of patients live great lives post transplant” odds provided by the Mayo transplant doctor. Further, I learned MDA is using a combination of chemo and immunotherapy to get the majority of their relapsed patients back in remission at which point transplant becomes an option. We discussed some other cancer stuff that interests me but probably not you all.
Worth It
I’ve said a lot of prayers asking for guidance and peace in deciding between chemo only and transplant. This meeting was the answer to the prayers. I’m 100% at peace with the decision now and have comfort knowing relapse may not be the death sentence it once was. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the appointment, but it was all worth it.
Metrics that Matter
- Physical feels: 8/10 – I’m tired
- Emotional feels: 10/10 – We have a plan and only one cycle left
- Hours of chemo: 1A-67.33, 1B-39, 2A-66.33, 2B-38, 3A-66.33, 3B-38, 4A-66.2
- Butt: it‘s good shape. Cycle 4A treated it well
