Bone marrow Biopsy and aspiration

It was about as painless as having two big bore needles put into your posterior superior iliac crest could be. Dr Kipps was great and the lidocaine worked its magic. Except for the transient but very weird and quite nasty feeling when my marrow was being sucked up into the syringe (I wish this experience on no-one), it was a non-event.

So nonplussed was I by the absence of the usual pain, I left without remember to get my blood drawn until we were 10 miles down the road in Leucadia enjoying a raw organic vegan lunch (wakame salad and a fantastic raw "burger") at the small but purposed raw eatery, Greenery Cafe .

No results on anything yet, but I should have the blood test back by tomorrow. Actually I should have had them today, so I am slightly put off. They are ready in 30 minutes at the most.'

And in typical Kipps fashion, the simple CBC (only 1 vial of blood he told me) turned into 8 with a retic count, a Coombs, chemistries and as those extras for his research.

He is obviously worried about my anemia. So am I. A little.

Kipps found my nodes in my neck have grown a bit, though most reamian small. Still my CLL may soon be demanding more attention. He did say it was OK to shift to MR to image my gut nodes as to avoid radiation exposure. We give up some accuracy, and may need a CT if Campath is part of the plan, but that is not likely soon.

Hopefully, nothing is likely soon.

The most recent results on the exciting breakthrough treatments such as CAL 101 have been more honest, and thus disappointing, but I remain hopeful that the silver bullet for CLL is being tested as I type.

If not ready when I need it, there is always transplant redux.

Still my CLL has been pretty tender and easy to nudge back, and most of my powder is still dry. Plus my counts, except for my very slight anemia, are super, so I have plenty of time to put my finger to the wind and judiciously choose my next crazy course of action.

I have now also waited a week for the path report on whatever is growing on my scalp (Those of us with CLL are experts at growing skin cancers). That too is overdue, but I am in complete denial that there could be any bad news brewing there. I vote for traumatic inflammation.

Now back to the difficult part, the waiting for all these results.