Long awaited update!
Man, I’m glad I’m not famous!
I didn’t think writing this would cause so much pressure! Seriously though it’s good to know that so many people are reading this, I hope it helps in some small way.
First, the blood:
Date Hematocrit WBC Neutrophils Platelets
4/22 37.1 5880 3670 314
4/24 36.8 9920 5840 338
4/25 34.2 7110 4740 271
4/26 32.4 5710 4580 249
4/28 35.1 2900 2480 196
4/29 32 2770 2580 174
5/1 33.9 1050 - 133
5/3 33.5 150 - 82
5/4 32.3 90 - 52
5/5 30.5 <50 (!!) - 33
5/6 29.3 50 - 26
5/7 28.3 260 - 31
So, to explain it in terms even Vicki (my sister) can understand - mission accomplished. The lymphocites/neutrophils (the body’s attack cells) are gone, dead, kaput. As of today, her white blood cells are on the way back with (hopefully) a brand new immune system, not like that other immune system that was wrong, wrong, wrong.
More wrong than breast feeding a seven year old.
I know it’s only today’s results and the numbers can bounce around but it’s good that the platelets are coming back - very interested to see tomorrows results.
The main things to report from the past week are:
1) Hair loss. Mel’s started to come out 12 days after the start of the chemo, bang on schedule. Ladies, don’t get any false hope - your hair is coming out, get prepared. It will happen. Men - well, who cares really? No big deal to us.
After being in denial for a few days Mel’s nurse today told her in no uncertain terms to ‘go shave your head’. There is a place downstairs in the Weinberg Building that does free ‘buzz cuts’ but we’ve never managed to get in, apparently their ‘cosmetologist’ has left and they don’t have one. However there is a salon by the safeway and one of their stylists has experience of working with cancer kids so is very understanding, ask for Lorrie, she’s aces. Their number is 410 558 0047.
Mel’s annoyed ‘cos her head hair is coming out but leg hair very much remains.
2) Butt pain. Mel’s got an internal hemorrhoid as a result of the chemo. Painful. She’s been given some steroid/pain relief foam that seems to have helped, it’ll go of it’s own accord.
3) MS symptoms. Feeling good MS wise, no MS-fatigue (just anemia and her main goal of this was to get rid of that crippling symptom), no double vision. The constant tingling in her left hand is still there, and the muscle pulling on her left eye is still there but early, early days. The fatigue is excellent news though! As soon as she’s no longer anemic I expect her to be back to being a pain in the arse about ‘doing stuff’. Just kidding, can’t wait to be dragged around pointless things all weekend crying ‘can we go to the pub now?’ like an alcoholic four year old! Sure beats 48hrs of sleep every weekend.
4) The dog/car. Took ‘em both to get fixed. Car needed a new tyre, Spanky needed his arse glands squeezing. I dunno, between Spanky and Mel I’m spending a fortune on arse medicine.
Generally though the last week has been very calm and routine.
Our appointments are at HIPOP at 13:30 every day and it runs like clockwork. We arrive, she’s weighed, they take her blood and send it to the lab then inject her with the growth factor.
The growth factor is a sub-cutaneous injection and no big deal. Mel’s starting to get ‘aching bones’ today and that corresponds with the blood coming back and is totally normal. She’s got a bit of a headache too and I’ll be monitoring her tempertaure very carefully tonight and going forward. A neutropenic fever is not unusual especially around day 11 which today is. Fingers crossed that’s all that has happened.
She’s not needed any blood transfusions or platelets as yet, hopefully we can keep it that way.
So to sum up, all is well, this isn’t easy but it’s hasn’t been as hard as we thought it would be either. We’re lucky she’s young and generally healthy.
We bumped into someone from the thisisms website today! Hello Davis! Good luck tomorrow and keep us all posted. It was funny, she was a tiny woman in a wheelchair made for John Candy. The chair was so big it wouldn’t fit through the door.
They seemed very nice and Mr. Davis seems to know his onions about all this.
Carrie Trekker came to HIPOP yesterday to say hello, she’s good people.
They are going to monitor the blood through the weekend and perhaps we can go home the middle of next week. I’m worried about my lawn. Hopefully it’s been raining a bit in Houston. Man, I’m getting old.
I’m trying to persuade Mel to let me take a picture of her shaved head - I think she looks cute, she’s only got a tiny head so it works for her. Oh, and I’ve grown a beard. Not sure why.
