Tracy’s Story

Site created on September 29, 2022

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your prayers and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting!!

A little backstory...I haven't been feeling myself the last 4 to 6 weeks… Nausea, fatigue, headaches, etc. I went and saw several different kinds of doctors and was diagnosed with a lot of different things that were not correct. I finally went back to my primary care and insisted he do bloodwork. We were in Cancun on 9/20 when we got the results that told me my bloodwork was really bad. Doctors suggested I fly home ASAP. We flew home late the next night and went to ER the next morning. I was admitted immediately on 9/23 for MANY, MANY tests. Apparently my blood work was even worse than the week below, I had a fever and could barely walk - I basically had no red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and antibodies. I was at serious risk for infection.

They gave me two units of blood transfusion and antibiotics to get my fever down. They admitted me to the hospital once I was stable that evening.

The next two days I received every kind of MRI, CT & ultrasound and X-ray possible. All came out clear. The infectious disease doctor got involved and tested me for over 50 infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. All came out clear. That left only one thing to check - my bone marrow. On Monday, 9/26 they did a bone marrow biopsy and I had to wait a couple of days for the results. On Thursday morning my hematologist came in and told me I had AML - Acute Myeloid Luekemia and that o was being transferred to UCI medical because they have the right resources for me. So at midnight that night, off I went in an ambulance to UCI.

SINCE THEN...
The next morning (Fri 9/30) we received the call that I was misdiagnosed. They gave me someone else's biopsy results - WHAT?!?! At that point UCI decided they want to redo the bone marrow biopsy themselves and start from scratch with diagnosis. That means I went through two (OUCH) bone marrow biopsies in one week!! They told us we should know the diagnosis the next day but the doctor came by in the afternoon and said the pathologist said my case wasn't straightforward and that he needed more time. He should know by Monday 10/3. So now we sit and wait...

****UPDATE AS OF 4/30/23****
7 months later and I hate to say we still don't have a primary diagnosis. I've had 5 bone marrow biopsies that have been sent to the nations top pathologists and I remain a mystery. What they do know is that my bone marrow completely shut down late summer 2022 and I began to feel the debilitating effects in mid-August, eventually leading me to the ER on 9/23/22. I stayed in the hospital the first time for 3 weeks, was discharged on lots of meds while they researched my diagnosis. Then a few days after Christmas I spiked a 103.8 fever and had to go back to the ER where I was admitted to the hospital for the next 8 weeks. During that time and since then I have had more blood and platelet transfusions than I can count. Because my body is not healing the final determination is that I need a bone marrow transplant for full healing. This is a big and risky process that involves finding a donor match. My information went into the donor registry and the preliminary findings as of 4/24 were no matches in the US or Internationally. This is very uncommon and so they are moving to test my two oldest kids to see if they're a match. Once we have a match the long transplant process will begin.

****UPDATE AS OF 6/10/23****
My kids, brother, and cousins that have been tested have not been matches for me. I have a few potential matches that we are waiting on more information.

****UPDATE AS OF 10/24/23****
Long time since an update! Here's a quick summary:
- Found a donor the last week of July, yay!!! She's a 20-year old in the military - My Hero Donor!
- Since she's in the military and based remotely it took awhile to get her back to the U.S. to donate.
- I was admitted to the hospital 10/2 to titrate off my meds and prepare me for a bone marrow transplant.
- I had 10 days of conditioning and then the transplant on 10/20. Now waiting for the 100 days to come!

[PLEASE DO NOT DONATE $ ON THIS SITE. This site has a section requesting donations. We tried to turn it off but it’s not possible. Money donated goes to CaringBridge. The Bremmer family does not need any financial donations and we just want to make sure that while it is a very sweet gesture, people realize this section of the website is not a request of the family and does not benefit the family]

Newest Update

April 17, 2024

Journal entry by Tracy Bremmer —

Hi Friends!

I had my checkup yesterday, the last one was an month ago! Good news all around - praise Jesus! All my blood counts have improved since my last visit. My WBC, Hemoglobin, and Platelets have all improved but are still not in normal range yet - close though!! He officially took me off the tacrolimus - woo hoo!!! I'm hoping my counts go up some more from this. I can also "officially" drive now (although I've been driving for a month, lol). I have a lot more energy and have been going on 3-mile walks several days a week. My hair is starting to grow back too! I've been enjoying all the kid's events and especially cherishing all the high school "lasts" with Addie before she graduates next month. It's been really nice to slowly get my life back. 

Although I am feeling SO MUCH better than before, the healing process is still a really long one. I've been experiencing a lot of muscle/bone fatigue and feel like an 80-year old lady when I get up from sitting too long or getting out of bed. Everything tightens up and makes it hard to walk until I'm warmed up. When I go to bed each night I feel like I trained for a marathon that day (and I know how that feels!!). But I feel good on my walks and I'm doing physical therapy so I know it'll improve. When I asked my doctor about it he compared me to that of an infant. He said my entire body is rebuilding from the inside out. I could write a book about all the quirky things that change/happen after transplant! I have a completely new internal hard drive! I'm still dealing with the itching, but it has improved a lot! 

I begin my first vaccines next month so that's the next step in my healing process! It'll take over a year to be fully vaccinated, I'm like a newborn baby! 

Overall I'm so thankful for the improvements! I'm so thankful to each one of you who checks in to see how things are going. No news is good news! I'll update again after next month's appointment. 

"And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." James 5:15

With Gratitude,
Tracy 

Read More of the journal titled "April 17, 2024"
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Tracy Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Tracy's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Leave a comment of support for Tracy

Did you know? A quick comment, no matter the situation (positive or negative), can boost morale by 28.2%.

Comments Hide comments

Load more comments
Read More Journal Entries

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

Personal Fundraiser
Support Links
Helpful Requests
Go to Ways to Help
SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top