Keith and I (and Red) had a great weekend up in redwood country. Trinidad is a gorgeous little town. We hiked almost 12 miles on Saturday!?! I was pretty stiff after that over-achievement.
After a lot of agita and bone soup, I got my 6th round of chemo today. My platelet count was back up in the normal range, but of course there was a hitch. I had a bit of a scare when the nurse said that my white blood cell count was low and he'd paged the doctor. Ugh! I got stressed. In the end my doctor approved chemo. When she came in to talk to me she said, "well your blood counts look really good". Of course I asked her about my WBC count and she said "I'm not worried about it, you're on chemo, its going to get low". That sounds dismissive, but it wasn't; it was reassuring.
In other news, my liver enzymes were all within normal range and my tumor markers are also in the normal range too! Neither is a guarantee, but they are all good signs. I'm nervously excited for my scans in July.
The doctor cleared me for the trip to Michigan! I just need to be careful not to get sick. I have a script for antibiotics just in case and I'll keep an eye on my temperature.
Wonderful news about the good trip and the successful 6th big drip - but how scary to be given the indication that there was yet another hitch. Gosh darn white cells. If it's not one thing, it's another, eh? Given the barrage of toxic stuff, your body has been doing remarkably well - congratulations to you for doing all the right things to keep platlets up and all systems going well, I'd say! Lovely pictures! So how do the pussers feel about Red getting to go vacation and them not...? It's good to get outta town and see different things - do it often. Enjoy the 4th in Michigan and keep healthy! love, S, L & N.
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! I'm glad to hear things are going so well! Great pictures--love the banana slug. :)
ReplyDeleteYEAH!!!!!!! Congrats on getting the 6th treatment done! Hope you can keep good, positive thoughts in mind while you wait for the scans.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a good weekend getaway. Thanks for including the pictures. It looks like beautiful country..... and Red is a handsome devil!
Hope you and Keith have a very relaxing uneventful trip to the UP!
Love,
ann
EXCELLENT!!! I am so happy to hear your good news! That’s wonderful that were able to get your platelets up to a good level; hats off to you! It’s a full time job, I am sure. Here’s hoping your white cell count improves and you have fabulous scans in July!!
ReplyDeleteThat’s great that you guys had good weekend. You were in your old stomping grounds, no? Did you stop in Eureka? Thanks for posting the pictures; they are fabulous. And, I am glad to hear that Red was invited! But was he a few muddy paw prints (or, slobbery chew sessions) away from doggy detention? Or, is the strap part of a fashion statement? That takes a high level of sartorial self confidence; more power to him (ha ha!!). I really did like the picture with his head out the window; yes, he is a handsome devil!
I hope that you and Keith have a great time in Michigan!
Love, Jane
Eileen,
ReplyDeleteGood to get your update on your 6th chemo! Glad you were able to get it done--at last. What an accomplishment - you've lived through the series and kept all of the variables up. Not an easy job.
Great photos! What beautiful countryside & it helps have good photographers. Red looks like he enjoyed the trip. Give my love to Diesel and Hayward.
Have a good trip to MI & bring a good pillow for the Red eye.
Love, Ellen
Thanks for the update. I really appreciate it. You are in my thoughts.
ReplyDelete-Glen
Hi eileen (i'm a coworker of keith's)... my last infusion was about 1.5 years ago and my white count just recovered NOW. I do take more precautions if my neutrophil count is under 1.5 (or worse yet, under 1.0). I use hand sanitizer more, and if someone has a cold I tell them to go away ;)
ReplyDeleteI think the key thing to remember is that your immune system is suppressed but NOT DEAD. You can and will fight off things like the common cold, however it will take you longer to recover, and it may hit you a little harder.
My WBC was around 2.0 for about four-five years; it's not the end of the world. I did a lot of neupogen when it got too low :)