Full Dose

My appointment was pushed back all the way to Friday...for various reasons. I first had an appointment with the doctor. We always start off with small talk and it lasted longer than usual so I thought I was in the clear. I finally asked...so...my numbers...am I behaving?? He opened my chart and immediately I could see all three of the liver counts were circled and in the "out of range" column. He answered...NO!

So! My liver counts are still out of control and you have to remember that the week before I only received 1/3 of the normal dose because they didn't have a full dose! The week before that they decreased the vinblastine by 50%! I am really beginning to wonder what will happen to me if I truly need high dose, intensive chemo...will I survive???

So the plan...I will see a liver specialist to weigh in on what is going on. Am I suffering long term effects on my liver? Lovely! I move full speed ahead with my chemo appointment and my standing order for the lab will be altered to keep continuous tabs on my liver and blood clotting factors...

I showed him the continuing skin problem that I am having in the tumor area. He reiterated that sometimes when tumors die off, it becomes "itchy" in that area. I said, "yea but it is spreading. I am scratching so much that I now have broken skin and infection is a worry." Remember...I'm not a high flyer in the white blood cell counts! He wrote a prescription for a cream to help. He also gave me another prescription for pain, if it rears its ugly head again, I CAN NOT take the current med's because it can harm my liver even more. The new prescription is without acetaminophen. I am under strict orders to not take anything without first checking with him. Got it!

Then we were off to see my chemo nurse. There were some chatty women (not patients) in there talking about all kinds of food...blah! I was having a very tough time this time around. It was the new delivery of my chemo drugs so it takes a lot longer and makes you gotta go ppeeeeee! I got really, really sick while I was in there. I think a lot of it had to do with the anxiety of maybe actually throwing up in there but it was bad. I am happy to report that I didn't get sick but it was the worst I have ever felt....and I was still hooked up to the IV. Scott was good about helping me find my little zone and tuning out those stupid women talking about making meatloaf! I mean sheesh! Where did they think we were, the taping of Martha Stewart Living???

I was always a little suspicious about the doc telling me to take 2 of my anti-nausea drugs with this combo. The bottle even says just to take 1 and he kept saying just take two. Hmmm! So, he was right and even with the anti-nausea, I got really sick. I came home and Scott spent the rest of the afternoon retrieving our kids scattered about Chino Hills. Thank you dear friends for taking them and giving them normal fun! It sure beats looking at your mom curled up in a ball trying to keep everything down. Friday was rough!

I woke up today feeling pretty good. It looks like it is worse of the first day but better on the second day with this new drug. Yesterday wasn't pretty but I survived and today I feel almost okay. Something to celebrate! I am, of course tired and I have that nasty taste in my mouth BUT I don't have the burnt tongue feel. Yea! So it's a trade off. This treatment also marked the first time EVER that I have received THREE treatments in a row. Yea Me! AND my white counts are FIVE! Yea Me AGAIN! I shouted to the doctor down the hall..."I ROCK!"

That was before Maria made me so sick I wanted to barf! I went back to sucking again :-)
I have my shots for today, Sunday and Monday. Nurse Geno has been the best! I don't have an appointment next week. I can't have it again until at least Wednesday and we leave for baseball on Friday to Arizona. They said take a week off and we will monitor my counts. Hopefully that doesn't mean we will watch your counts to see if you can go to Arizona. So blood work on Wednesday...maybe my blood will be green (St. Patty's Day :-)