My good news continues to grow, along with my blood counts.
Great news again today. It has now been 17 days since my last platelet transfusion and my platelets jumped from 53 to 70 over the past two days. My WBC also went from 3 back up to 5, and my HgB went from 8.4 to 8.9. I'm dancing.
I was actually bragged about to the Amgen rep who came to find out about another patient who had a bad reaction to Neulasta. The onc doc and nurse and I all swear that the Neulasta gave my body a chance to produce more of all my blood cells, not just the whites. Of course it also helps that the Rituxan + CVP is working well. It all adds up to good news for me.
Since my counts were so good, they did change my cycle from 4 weeks to 3 weeks, and so I got the whole shebang today, and the prednisone is kicking in. I've written some long and funny emails to my online students, but I think they weren't too wacky, just humorous ways of getting them the info they needed. Hope they like my sense of humor. Oh, well. I'm the teacher. They have to put up with it. :-)
It's midnight and I'm still WIDE awake... I'd better lay off the student emails for a day or two though. Don't want them to think I'm too weird... Hmmmm... What other trouble can I get into tonight???
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Tuesday's News -- A Mixed Bag
Good news with my platelets. They have held at 53 since last Thursday. My WBC is dropping as the Neulasta wears off, and is down to 3.5. My HgB is also dropping, and is down to 8.4.
The plan is that if my platelets are holding on Thursday, we will go ahead with the full chemo immediately instead of next week. This will allow me to get another Neulasta shot after Thursday's chemo (probably on Friday), which will bring my flagging WBC back up. The final decision won't be made until Thursday morning, but they told me to prepare as if it were going to happen. They actually have wanted me to be on a 3 week schedule rather than the 4 week schedule I've been on so far. The chemo is more effective that way, and so is the Neulasta.
If I get the full treatment on Thursday, it will prevent me from attending practice choir on Thursday night and probably Friday night's service, as I will be high on prednisone by then. However, I should still be able to participate in the Rosh Hashana service on Saturday morning, as I usually don't get too goofy til later in the afternoon.
There is also a chance that I will be put on an antibiotic soon. A node in my left leg has been increasingly aggravated--red and warm to the touch--over the past week. It may be a sign of cellulitis infection, for which I would need an antibiotic. I may hear about that later this afternoon. It doesn't hurt. It's just weird. But I hear cellulitis can get quite painful if left untreated.
Good news with my platelets. They have held at 53 since last Thursday. My WBC is dropping as the Neulasta wears off, and is down to 3.5. My HgB is also dropping, and is down to 8.4.
The plan is that if my platelets are holding on Thursday, we will go ahead with the full chemo immediately instead of next week. This will allow me to get another Neulasta shot after Thursday's chemo (probably on Friday), which will bring my flagging WBC back up. The final decision won't be made until Thursday morning, but they told me to prepare as if it were going to happen. They actually have wanted me to be on a 3 week schedule rather than the 4 week schedule I've been on so far. The chemo is more effective that way, and so is the Neulasta.
If I get the full treatment on Thursday, it will prevent me from attending practice choir on Thursday night and probably Friday night's service, as I will be high on prednisone by then. However, I should still be able to participate in the Rosh Hashana service on Saturday morning, as I usually don't get too goofy til later in the afternoon.
There is also a chance that I will be put on an antibiotic soon. A node in my left leg has been increasingly aggravated--red and warm to the touch--over the past week. It may be a sign of cellulitis infection, for which I would need an antibiotic. I may hear about that later this afternoon. It doesn't hurt. It's just weird. But I hear cellulitis can get quite painful if left untreated.
Sunday, September 01, 2002
Barely Hobbling Anymore
I'm doing very well with my cast off. No trouble at all driving to and from Peoria or getting around. The cane seems increasingly superfluous. I laugh at myself when I find myself carrying the cane off the ground while I rummage in my purse for my keys...as I'm walking. For now I'm leaving it in my car in case I have to walk a long way when I'm out. I have my hiking stick in the apartment for a backup if I need it. I don't think I will.
It's also been quite interesting watching my leg molt... I feel like a lizard or something. I'm very flaky these days. Or perhaps that's not a new thing. :-)
Other than that, I'm feeling fine, but a little worn out from the trip. I'm having a quiet day today and tomorrow, and then back to reality on Tuesday. I wonder what my counts will look like then???
I'm doing very well with my cast off. No trouble at all driving to and from Peoria or getting around. The cane seems increasingly superfluous. I laugh at myself when I find myself carrying the cane off the ground while I rummage in my purse for my keys...as I'm walking. For now I'm leaving it in my car in case I have to walk a long way when I'm out. I have my hiking stick in the apartment for a backup if I need it. I don't think I will.
It's also been quite interesting watching my leg molt... I feel like a lizard or something. I'm very flaky these days. Or perhaps that's not a new thing. :-)
Other than that, I'm feeling fine, but a little worn out from the trip. I'm having a quiet day today and tomorrow, and then back to reality on Tuesday. I wonder what my counts will look like then???
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