Edward D. McClain retired from the U. S. Department of Commerce in 1995 and has been living in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, since 1996. Ed likes to work for his church, hunt, fish and collect rare firearms. He enjoys professional football, cooking shows and action TV shows/films but will not watch game shows nor talk shows. Ed is a two-time survivor of CLL, by the Grace of God.

Edward McClain

One month has passed since the oncologist declared Ed cancer-free. Now he was back in Dr. Asif’s office for a one-month follow up.  

“Well”, spoke Dr. Asif, “Have you had your aortic valve implant?”  

“Oh,” Dr. Asif responded. “Why not? I cleared you with the cardiologist.”   

Ed began to explain how he spent a week in Washington Med Star undergoing evaluation for the procedure only to be rejected because approval from the FDA was not forthcoming for the experimental implant of an artificial aortic valve by catheterization. Ed’s situation was just not critical enough for the minimally invasive procedure. However, the staff at Washington Med Star agreed that Ed needed aortic valve replacement by open heart surgery and it needed to be done very soon.   

“Have you been scheduled for that surgery?” inquired Dr. Asif.   

“Yes”, Ed replied,” It will be done next week at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland.”   

“All right,” Dr. Asif responded, “I will send my concurrence to Dr. Sunnergren, your cardiologist. Your white cell count has dropped since lasted month, but you are still OK to proceed with the surgery. I do want to see you again one month after surgery. You are mildly anemic and we may need to start you on an iron infusion. I will schedule you for a blood draw and visit with me. The staff will notify you.”   

Ed has been through quite a lot in the past three years, and the closer it got to the date of his open-heart surgery, the more his anxiety started to mount. Ed had requested a prescription for tranquilizers, which was provided by the heart surgeon. Ed had the prescription filled but never took a single pill. That strange emotion, he has felt before, was overwhelming him. Hope was still there and comforting.   

The surgery went very well and when Ed awoke from the anesthesia, all the anxieties were gone.   

Ed’s recovery was rapid and Ed left the hospital after a few days and entered home care nursing. After one week, the visiting nurse released Ed from care because he had recovered so quickly. Ed thought, “It was because of Pattie my wife and caregiver.”  

The past three years had been hard on her too, but she never gave up hope and supported and cared for Ed all the time. Three weeks later, Ed was back in Tunnel Cancer Center for lab work preceding his monthly follow up with Dr. Asif.   

Dr. Asif reviewed the lab results and informed Ed he had become very anemic. His white cell count had dropped by 50 percent since his last visit only one month ago and was down to 2000.  

“We must start the iron infusion right away. I am ordering an injection of Filgrastim today before you leave. Ferric Carboxymaltose will be given next week by infusion to help counter the anemia. We will begin monthly injections of Vitamin B12. These will all help to strengthen your immune system.”   

The following week, Ed arrived for his iron infusion. As he was in the waiting area, Kimberly, one of the nurses from the infusion room, came to escort him back into the infusion room. Once more, Ed’s weight was recorded and he answered the 20 questions, while Nurse Lisa helped hook-up the plumbing for the infusion.   

The infusion began slowly as always but would be increased when the nurses could determine Ed was not going to have an adverse reaction to the ferric carboxymaltose.   

It was almost like “old home week” as Ed renewed acquaintances with the nursing staff in the infusion room. Soon, after about two hours, the infusion was complete and Ed was released.   

There are some possible side effects to taking ferric carboxymaltose but the only thing Ed noticed was spells of vertigo, which were bothersome, but began to subside after two weeks. Ed did not like that feeling of dizziness and would recline is his chair until it passed.   

Only two more ferric carboxymaltose injections to go, one month apart.   

The peace of feeling, the comfort of being well, recovered and in remission was something Ed had not felt for quite some time.   

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”---Philippians 4: 6-7 

Articles

After being declared cancer-free, Ed found himself back in the doctor's office again.

Finally Cleared for Surgery

Two weeks had passed since Ed was discharged from the isolation ward at Beebe Hospital. Ed’s immune system has improved greatly and his white cell count had risen to 6,400.  

Mary, the receptionist, greeted Ed and Pattie as they checked in. Today was the appointment for Ed’s bone marrow biopsy. The bone marrow biopsy was something Ed was apprehensive over, not knowing how it was performed and wondering would hurt and for how long. Well, Ed surmised, “We are going to find out”.  

Soon, Nurse Erica came and escorted Ed and Pattie back to the infusion room where she took Ed’s vitals, then to the procedure room off to one side of the infusion area. There they were met by Dr. Asif, Ed’s oncologist, who would perform the procedure. Dr. Asif began to explain the procedure saying he would penetrate an area to the left of the tip of Ed’s spine. An area of large bone mass known as the “ilium.” It would be there that he hoped to obtain a good core sample of bone marrow. He would give Ed lidocaine to ease the pain but that would only work on the soft tissue and as the biopsy needle penetrated the bone, pain would increase. Dr. Asif would work as fast as possible to help alleviate the pain.  

Pattie was seated nearby as Ed laid face down on the examining table he received an injection of lidocaine and shortly afterwards the biopsy needle was inserted. Ed had faced greater pain before but this was right up there at the top of the scale from 1 to 10. Quickly it was over, and Dr. Asif paused to examine the specimen in case it was not adequate. Well, guess what, it was not adequate so a second attempt was made. Ed withstood the pain remarkably well and the second sample, upon examination, was determined to be successful. As Ed sat up he could feel residual pain but found it tolerable and it would be almost gone by dinner time.  

Three days later, Ed and Pattie returned for a follow up with Dr. Asif on the results of the bone marrow biopsy. After checking in with the receptionist, Nurse Erica came in promptly and escorted them back to the normal examinations rooms. As they walked down that long corridor that Ed dreaded because of the view it gave inside the wig store, his anxiety gave way to surprise as the windows of the wig store were now frosted. As they continued on down the corridor, Ed felt a sense of pride believing that because he wrote an article in CURE about the discomfort it caused him (and maybe others) he brought about change. The large clear windows were now all frosted.  

Soon after Nurse Erica took Ed’s vitals and left them in an exam room waiting for Dr. Asif to bring in the results of the bone marrow biopsy. As Dr. Asif entered the room he was beaming from ear to ear with a big smile and announced, “As of right now you are CANCER FREE.” The feeling of elation Ed and Pattie both felt as they embraced each other is still within their hearts and they will be eternally grateful for the grace of God and his blessings.  

As the joy of the moment came under control, Dr. Asif continued, “Your immune system is still recovering and your white cell count is 6,400 and I feel that is good enough for you to proceed with you heart surgery to replace your aortic valve. I will contact Dr. Sunnergren, your cardiologist, and update him. I want to see you every 30 days for a few months to be sure we don’t have any regression with your immune system.”  

As Ed and Pattie walked down the long corridor past the wig store, Ed pointed to the frosted windows and said to Pattie, “I did that, I made it happen.” Pattie responded with “I bet you did.” Ed said “Well maybe I did and maybe I didn’t but it is rewarding to think that maybe I did have something to do with it.”  

Two days later, Ed returned to the infusion room to bring the good news to the infusion staff and supply them with his traditional gift of Fairytale Brownies. While there, he “rang the gong” one more time as a cancer survivor. Once more as the infusion staff gathered around to clap and wish Ed congratulations. Happiness crept out of the comers of Ed’s eyes and ran down his cheeks.  

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 

Ed has bone marrow biopsy, and the results are surprising. 

Cancer-Free?

After eight hours on a gurney in the emergency room, Ed’s fever began to drop from 105.3 to 101.5. A temporary room became available and Ed was moved to a room with only one bed. He was given a light supper and fruit juice as the IV continued. Having settled in, it had been a long day for both of them and Ed encouraged Pattie to go home get some dinner and rest. He was receiving good care.  

After Pattie left, Ed faded into a deep sleep only to be awakened at 4 a.m. He was being moved to the next floor up and placed in the isolation ward. His new room was big and contained only one bed. One wall was all glass with sliding doors giving visibility between him and the nursing station. The Nurses, at first were coming and going wearing surgical masks as they prepped and tended to Ed. Now he was getting a second antibiotic orally and a third antibiotic intravenously. More blood samples were taken and Ed was by now wide awake. Finally, he received a light breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with juice and coffee. It was now 7 a.m. and he began to think of Pattie and new she would be coming to check on him soon. The nursing shift just changed and a day nurse came in to introduce herself and asked if he needed anything. Ed requested she call Pattie and give her his new room number, which she was most happy to do.   

Before Pattie arrived, Elizabeth Wilson, the nurse practitioner, came in to check on Ed and said, “The antibiotics would continue until Ed’s white blood cell count came up to a satisfactory level and Dr. Asif’s office would be checking in regularly.”   

Ed was becoming drowsy and began to doze off as Pattie arrived, bright, smiling, cheerful and pretty as ever. She wanted to have an immediate update.  

“My fever is down to 100 degrees now and these antibiotics are giving me diarrhea,” Ed responded.  

“Just the thing I wanted to hear right off the bat this morning” retorted Pattie with a chuckle.  

Ed continued to relate the happenings during the night and this morning. As Ed began to slip into much needed sleep, Pattie stayed with him setting next to his bed. She stayed until late afternoon when Ed encouraged her to go home and get some rest. The last 24 hours had not been easy on her either.   

Ed remained in the hospital for six more days before the oncologist was satisfied his fever was gone and his white cell count had improved to 7,500. During the week, Doctor Nataliya Melnyk, one of the oncologists at Tunnel Cancer Center, visited almost daily and prescribed at least two Neulasta shots to encourage Ed’s bone marrow to produce more white cells. Now, in addition to sore hemorrhoids from the diarrhea induced by the antibiotics, his bones ached. First his thighs, then his pelvis followed by his ribs and shoulders. Ed requested some Advil from the nurses and they checked with the doctor on duty who approved the medication to give Ed some relief from his aching bones.   

Pattie was in during the day or evening depending on her schedule managing a fragrance outlet store in the local factory outlets mall, but was free all day Sunday which would be Ed’s last day in the hospital. He would be released on Monday. Ed’s room had a tiny screen TV on a multiple articulating arm that allowed positioning so Ed and Pattie could watch, together, the Redskins play the Giants.   

Ed’s fever had been down to 98.1 for the last four days and so he was discharged from the hospital. Pattie picked him up and they stopped at Burger King for breakfast sandwiches and took them home. It was good to be back home watching a large screen TV. Although Pattie had to go to work, she called for a report hourly.   

Ed was still concerned about his pending heart surgery and wondered if his immune system would soon bounce back enough for him to go ahead with planning for the surgery. Dr. Asif wanted to wait two more weeks and perform a bone marrow biopsy.   

Dr. Sunnergren, Ed’s cardiologist was talking with Ed about an experimental procedure that would be less invasive than open heart surgery to replace Ed’s leaking aortic heart valve. It would be a transcatheter implant of a mechanical valve basically stuffed into the old valve via a catheter. Since it is experimental, Ed would need to be evaluated at Washington Hospital Center Med Star for approval. Dr. Sunnergren felt Ed was a viable candidate since he presented immune system complications. Dr. Asif liked the idea, but wanted to do the bone marrow biopsy first.   

Faith and hope and Pattie had carried Ed this far and he looked forward to having the bone marrow biopsy completed within two weeks.   

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. Psalm 16:1 

Efforts to boost Ed's immune system begin to work.

Isolation

  Two weeks following the last chemo cycle, Ed had blood drawn at the lab and went immediately to imaging for a follow up CT scan. They still snickered when once more Ed requested chocolate when they were getting his “barium smoothie” and they said that very berry was all they had. Just as with all the other times, nobody in the waiting room wanted any of Ed’s smoothie when he offered to share it with them. Ed had only 15 minutes to down the entire smoothie to stay on schedule for his CT scan, which would come 45 minutes later. Ed was eager to finish this test in preparation for his follow up visit with Dr. Asif early the next week.  

Dr. Asif, the oncologist, greeted Ed as he entered the exam room and announced that Ed’s spleen was normal size as were the lymph nodes, including those putting pressure on the backside of Ed’s liver. However, the white cell count at 1,600 was way too low; the neutrophils were also very low at 1,800 and hemoglobin was also low at 10,700. Dr. Asif felt that Ed’s immune system was rebounding from the chemo and would continue to do so slowly but wanted to give it a chance. So, he was not going to order a Neulasta injection at this time and warned Ed to be cautious by wearing a surgical mask when he went out into the public. If someone in the household contracted something, even a minor cold/sniffles he should wear the mask at home, or the family member should wear a mask. Above all, if Ed’s body temperature were to rise above 99.9 degrees he was to call Dr. Asif immediately.   

Dr. Asif wanted to wait for six weeks to take a bone marrow biopsy and would order another blood sample for evaluation between then.   

Ed took precautions to protect himself and stayed at home most of the time. But six days later around 7 p.m., Sunday evening he began to feel slightly flushed. Ed took his own temperature and it was reading 99.8. Knowing that a couple of Advil should help lower his body temperature, he swallowed two capsules and took his temperature two hours later. It read 101.3.  Recalling Dr. Asif’s warning, he decided to call immediately on Monday morning. He knew the cancer center would be thriving by 8 a.m. and went to bed. Ed awoke at 7 a.m. and took his temperature, which was now reading 104.1. Now, Ed was becoming alarmed and began calling the cancer center and finally was able to reach Elizabeth Wilson, the nurse practitioner associated with Dr. Asif.  She listened as Ed related the past 12 hours of increasing body temperature.  She promised to get right back as soon as she could consult with Dr. Asif.   

Within 10 minutes, Dr. Asif called back and instructed Ed to report to the emergency room at Beebe Hospital and to “tell admitting that you are an active cancer patient and Dr. Asif had instructed you to go to the emergency room” and he would call ahead to order Ed’s admission.   

Pattie drove Ed to the emergency room immediately, and as she parked her car, Ed went inside and sat in a wheel chair at the intake desk and repeated Dr. Asif’s instructions. The intake clerk said, “Yes we have the admitting order.” With that, just as Pattie joined him, a nurse came and whisked Ed down a long hall to a treatment room. All of Ed’s vitals were recorded and an IV of Antibiotics was started. It was to be the first of seven long days.  

Ed has medical emergency. Did the extra chemo cause it?

Edward McClain

Finally Cleared for Surgery

Cancer-Free?

Isolation

Did the Extra Chemo Cycles Go Too Far?

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