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My Progress Report: Steven Schmidt
2002

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January 18 - I've had a painful lump in my chest recently. My primary did some blood tests and they were fine. I am scheduled to see a surgeon next week to see if it should be removed. My primary is not concerned but we will wait to see what the surgeon has to say. Everything else is fine including the pain in my foot which I do believe are bone spurs now. There will be more updating next week as I believe I have 4 appointments with my doctors.
January 25 - This week I saw a surgeon about the lump on my chest, my hematologist and my primary physician. The lump has gotten smaller but I am having some more x-rays on Monday just to check everything out. Everything went fine with the other two. I have been feeling very good lately and definitely feel that the worst is behind although I know I still need to be careful with my health. So far 2002 has been a great year for me. Thanks to all my supporters. Counts: WBC - 4,100; HCT - 41.9; Platelets - 147,000; ANC - 2,500
January 28 - The x-rays show that everything is fine. Just some tissue build up. If it continues to bother me, I can get it removed but I don't see myself going down that path.
February 8 - Nothing new to report. Everything is going pretty well.
February 28 - Well, my boring life couldn't stay boring for too long. Over the weekend, I was a little nauseous and had a headache. When the headache didn't go away with drugs or sleep and I vomited on Tuesday, I knew something was up. I saw my primary today and he knew right away what was wrong. Shingles. Happens to most cancer patients but usually within a year after treatment, not this long. The pain in my head has been nonstop since Monday (4 days) and I am told that it will likely get worse and possibly last for months. Joy. The shingles have been limited to my head. My left eye is bothering me so I am seeing my ophthalmologist tomorrow to find out if the nerves there have been affected also. Right now I am on 7 days of Valtrex and hydrocodone (which doesn't have much effect on the pain). I will likely miss the next week of work and school since this is contagious. I did call the Hutch today (It's been so long!) and am waiting for them to call back. I will update again tomorrow after I see the ophthalmologist.
March 1 - My ophthalmologist had pretty good news for me. The nerves inflamed by the shingles have not reached my eye. I will have to keep an eye out (no pun intended) for symptoms in case it progresses. For now, I am taking some ordinary eye drops. The pain is still top notch but the pain medication has had some effect as long as I keep it up. I woke up at 4:00 this morning and the meds had worn off. The pain was absolutely torturous. The rash appears to be healing although there are a few new small, red spots today.
March 2 - I haven't noticed any new spots on my forehead and the first ones to appear are healing. I've been told that the rash can last for 4-5 weeks and the pain can last for months. The rash appears to be healing pretty quickly so 4-5 weeks sounds quite extreme. The pain medications have kept my pain down to a bad headache which is much better than it was without the medications. To quote the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, the pain is "among the most devastating known to mankind" and is characterized as the kind of pain that leads to "that total preoccupation with unrelenting torment". I can attest to that!
March 4 - I woke up today to find my left eye swollen shut. Saw my primary and ophthalmologist about it. It appears that the rash spread to the eyelid but not the eye itself. I have a prescription for antibiotic drops just in case my eye does start looking reddish. I have not eaten anything but did throw up (water) once today. On a good note, the rash on my forehead has dried up so if the part that has spread last night just stays red and does not blister then I am in good shape.
March 6 - Yesterday, my eye did start to get red so I filled the prescription for the antibiotic drops and have been taking them. The eye is much improved today but still noticeably swollen. I still have a whopper of a headache but have been able to minimize the dosage of pain medication I am taking. The blistery rash has dried up and appears to have stopped spreading.
March 15 - Update time. The rash is healing nicely but the infection did eventually reach my eye. The cornea ended up getting scratched and my vision has been affected. This happened earlier this week. The eye is better today, but sill waters regularly, the vision is not great and my eye is extremely sensitive to light. On top of that, my right eye has turned in a little from fatigue. I am using antibiotic drops on the eye with the scratched cornea. While the rash is healing, it is still pretty itchy and dry. I have been using a lotion on it. The headache is almost nonexistent but I get these flashes of pain that last about 2-3 minutes that are just unbearable. I've never felt pain like that and each of the three times it has happened, I though I was going to pass out. I will see my ophthalmologist next week and hopefully things will be much improved by then.
March 19 - Just a quick update. The rash is practically gone but the skin is still sore. My vision is still not where it should be and I am seeing my ophthalmologist tomorrow. I've had a couple of more incidents of intense pain and notified my doctor who prescribed a new pain management drug (amitriptyline) for me. Just what I need...another drug.
April 7 - I think I am just about done with the shingles. Just the slightest bit of pain and blurry vision. Last visit with the ophthalmologist, I was told that I have an astigmatism but that it should resolve with time. If not, I will need a new prescription for my eyeglasses. I have lots of appointments over the next few weeks so I will be updating more frequently.
April 23 - I saw my ophthalmologist and hematologist this week. My eye is getting better but I may need to change my eyeglass prescription to a weaker one since my eyes are straining a little more than usual, causing my right eye to turn in. I've only been wearing my glasses when I drive because they get tired from working too hard. My appointment with the hematologist was (happily) uneventful. I received my last Hep B immunization shot but will have to wait until my next appointment in three months to see if it took. My weight was 142, not bad considering I lost quite a bit during my bout with shingles. Counts: WBC - 3,400; HCT - 40.1; Platelets - 157,000; ANC - 1,900
April 26 - I saw my primary just as a general follow up. My blood pressure was high on Tuesday when I saw my hematologist and again on Friday so he wants me to start monitoring twice a week, so I bought one of those small home devices. The only other time I have ever had high blood pressure was when I was on high dose prednisone. This time, I suspect it is my job, as I have been under a lot of stress there. I have stopped the amitriptyline and hopefully the shingles pains will stay away.
May 20 - Happy to report that things are well. I was on vacation from work last week and my blood pressure was normal. Now I am back at work so we will see what happens and the week progresses. I will see my ophthalmologist tomorrow and may have more to report on my eye then. The spot on my forehead where the shingles broke out has been tender lately but unless it gets worse, I will wait until my next appointment with my primary in July to address it. My weight is still rising which is a good thing since I still have a ways to go.
June 2 - Happy National Cancer Survivors Day! This was a busy weekend for me. I participated in a 24 walk for the American Cancer Society. Three hours on Friday and three more on Saturday. Sunday, I spent the day at an event sponsored by my local hospital and their cancer center. It was all quite emotional and uplifting. On another note, my vision is a little worse and I will see my ophthalmologist tomorrow morning. My blood pressure has been practically perfect.
June 22 - Not much to report. No change in my eyes. I will see my ophthalmologist next month. I saw my gastroenterologist and he is happy with things. Next Saturday will be THREE YEARS! Two more and I can say I am cured.
July 18 - A bit more to report this time. I saw my gastroenterologist and hematologist. I have some acid reflux which I am familiar with thanks to prednisone. I still have pain in my head from the shingles but it is not unbearable. I had my hematologist check for Hepatitis antibodies to see if the immune shots worked. My weight is up 4 pounds from April. I'd like to see it climb a bit quicker but at least it is not dropping. The best news of all is that a coworker and I are planning a trip to Germany in January so I can meet my donor! I emailed her about it and she is looking forward to it also. Counts: WBC - 3,500; HCT - 41.0; Platelets - 140,000; ANC - 2,400
July 25 - I saw my ophthalmologist this week. No changes in my eyes. As long as they don't get worse, I am fine. If they do, I may talk to a surgeon who specializes in the eye muscles. On a happy note, I am finally off of all post transplant medications. I now only take calcium, a daily vitamin without iron and folic acid.
September 22 - I guess you can say no news is good news. I have been exercising more and building my physical strength up. I have been feeling quite well and will see my hematologist in the middle of October. I will report back after that.
October 23 - Everything has been great as of late. My doctors want me to start eating more but at least my weight is maintaining around 140. I have been exercising with weights for about a month now and the results are showing. I feel really good and have a lot (probably too much) of energy. It's been a long battle and I am only just over three years out from my transplant but I feel (I think) better than I did before I was diagnosed and have a great outlook now. Thanks to everyone for their support. I will continue to update my site and things happen but I expect that to be much less frequent than it has been. Counts: WBC - 4,200; HCT - 38.6; Platelets - 136,000; ANC - 3,100
December 30 - Happy holidays to everyone! Everything is still going very well for me. I lost some weight have gained it back and am at 142. I still feel really great and have lots of energy. The only new news I have to report is that my thumb has been bothering me for a few weeks. My doctor thinks it is a form of arthritis and I had an x-ray done today along with some anti-inflammatory medications. That's all I have to report. Happy New Year!

This page last updated on December 30, 2002