1pm, Sunday, May 17.
HI, me, Michael Bailey here.
I have received some very good news. Although the first chemotherapy treatment I received for my Leukemia didn’t work, the second one did. As of now, I am without any signs of the disease. Wow! Thank you Oregon Health Sciences University! Once again I’m free to go out into the public for another whole week before I begin a round of maintenance chemo. Then, in July, it’ll be a bone marrow transplant, for which I have two perfect match donors lined up. I am very thankful to everyone involved—to my doctors and nurses, the hospital, my donors—everyone. And to all the fine people at K103 who have stretched so I can continue to broadcast from home, and with any luck, from the hospital during my upcoming maintenance chemotherapy. And thanks to you for your emails and thoughts and prayers. I do want to make one thing clear…this chemotherapy business is no walk in the park. I’ve had some very tough times with it and don’t want anyone, especially those who’ve suffered, or are currently suffering through chemotherapy to think I’m some sort of hot-dog whose just breezing through this. No one can just breeze through chemotherapy. I am with you. You have my deepest respect because now I know what kind of impact this treatment has on the body. But low, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light consists of a future with my wife and children, and as your afternoon music accompanist on K103. That’s kind of thrilling. Mike
1pm...Monday, April 20.
Hi, Michael Bailey here. Taking a day or two off because my chemotherapy treatment is “kicking in.” That’s a good thing. I don’t have an infection or anything bad like that, but my energy level’s down, and who wants to listen to a guy on the radio who sounds like he’s about to nod off. Good News….my nurse just took my vitals…and I’m still alive. Heart’s beating. Temperature’s 97.4, oxygen saturation’s 100 percent. Hopefully station management won’t read this….cause if they do, they’ll probably figure I’m actually just playing hooky today.
3am....Monday, April 13)
As some of you may know, in 1992, I had a liver transplant. A daunting procedure I can assure you. Then, on January 11th of this year, after several weeks of unusual exhaustion, I got a regularly scheduled blood test and shortly found out the reason for my shortness of breath. I was diagnosed initially with something called MDS which has led to leukemia. This is not a good thing to have, but I’m approaching it with the same attitude I had years ago with the liver transplant: do what you need to do to get well and have faith in your doctors. I’m currently doing my show from the heights of Portland’s West Hills at Oregon Health Sciences University, the same fine institution that pulled off the miracle of my liver transplant years ago. I have great doctors who I trust, and, by the way, I feel just great for being a sick guy.
Leukemia is the disease which messes with your bone marrow’s ability to produce red cells, platelets and other important blood stuff, so I get regular infusions of both. Odd thing is, as earlier mentioned, at this point, as long as I get those products, I feel good. Thanks to everyone who donates blood! It is greatly appreciated by those of us who find ourselves in need. I had been broadcasting from home from the last several months while taking chemo. Thanks for the cooperation of all the wonderful people at K103. Everybody at the station has been tremendous. Last Friday, I began a more heavy duty regimen of chemotherapy, as the first did not seem to be doing the trick. Thus my move to OHSU from home. They want to keep a close eye on me because this chemo knocks your immune system on its behind. Once again, the station management, though concerned about my health, thought it would be good for me to broadcast while being treated. Thank you, thank you. Here are my thoughts on that: It’s great to be occupied while in the hospital. Having a job to do, if you’re up to it, is a good thing. Better than lying in bed all day staring at the ceiling and counting the holes in the tile. I’ve got books and DVDs and a loving family to support and visit me. Hopefully this chemo treatment will do what it’s supposed to do, basically knock everything in my bone marrow out the door, so that the good stuff can grow back and hopefully not the bad. If it doesn’t work and I maintain my health, which so far is going very well, there are other regimens to try. Then, it’s a bone marrow transplant. More on that later. Why do I have the feeling that sometime soon, I'm going to loose all my hair. Oh well, I've got my Indiana Jones baseball cap sitting on a shelf by my bed, just waiting and ready. In the case that I get an infection during this resistance-lowering process, I may be off the air for days at a time, in which case Gym Edwards is all set to cover for me. Thanks, Gym. It is my full intention to get well and be back working at the station where I can give all my workmates trouble again. I kind of miss that. But of course, there is the Internet. And I correspond on a regular basis. I’ll be updating this webpage quite often, so if you feel like it, drop back and check it out. Talk at you soon, Me, Michael Bailey. |
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