WBC - .8 (up 400 from previous day)
Platelets - 43 (up 25 from previous day)
As you can see, my counts are now steadily climbing upward! I feel like a superhero! I'm really looking forward to another jump tomorrow -- I fully expect to be in the 1-somethings with my WBCs...and to some upcoming pain relief accompanying the increased counts as the cells rush first to where repair is most needed.
My abdominal pain has lessened but has not left the building, and my mouth and throat continue to worsen. I'm still running a fever most of the time, which doesn't bode well for an early release, but oh well. Of course I want to go home when they think it safest -- I was just hoping that could be sooner than later.
The "radiation recall" I had before has actually RETURNED! Now does that seem fair? So I have this bright, livid purple-red square which lines up with the outside of my esophagus front and back -- all the surface outside of that vertical line was radiated and is now raw, welty and itchy again. I'm told that it will remain a very dark brown block for at least a few months, until it eventually peels off as all skin does. It's not at all the same color as the other side of my throat and chest, so it's very obvious that some fairly harsh baking has occurred!
In weight loss news, my weight on the scale is holding at the same point it was a week ago (when I stopped eating altogether [again.]) I know that at this point, I must have lost a total of at least 20-25 pounds by the way my clothes are fitting and the feel of my own body. They're loading me up with hydration since I haven't been able to eat OR drink, and I'm just retaining that fluid quite nicely. I'm STARVING and experience so much pain when I try to eat or drink, it's just WONDERFUL to get a nice benefit from this misery! Gotta love the silver lining, no?
I've asked Lorraine to bring down the exercise bike from the bonus room (our home gym) so I don't have to tackle the stairs to get in a little pedaling. I'm really going to try to get in regular exercise (in tiny, gentle doses to begin with) right from the start, and I know that those stairs are going to be too much for me for a while. I seek to remove potential barriers/excuses, not add to them! I told her to ask a friend for some help getting it downstairs -- she doesn't think it's a good idea, so I'm going to have be a hard case about it because I feel very strongly about its benefit. Later on, we can move it back upstairs, but for now, I need it handy.
And on the follicular front, my little stubbies are falling out now. My eyelashes, too, I'm sad to say. Ah well, out with the old and in with the new!
I probably won't be able to see Lorraine tomorrow because she seems to be coming down with something. My nurse and I sent her home today because she kept complaining that her throat hurt her. She's also been sneezing a lot and feeling really run-down -- and she took a 2 1/2 hour nap in my arms this afternoon when I spooned her lovely in my hospital bed. (My nurse got more than a couple of giggles out of her snoring!) She has a doctor's appointment on Monday, so hopefully he'll clear her to come back to me on Monday! I can't stand losing a day with her....
About Me
- Sarah
- I'm a 43 year old, happily partnered lesbo. I was raised in downtown NYC in a commune, and the woman who raised me was the real Auntie Mame. I've lived also in Italy, India, and Ireland. By the time I was 10, I'd already lived with over 4,000 people. When I was 2 1/2, I drank oven cleaner. I didn't know I was gay until I was 26. My partner of over 9 years is one of the finest people I've ever known. She's from Brooklyn. I was treated for Stage IIIB Hodgkins Lymphoma, subtype Mixed Cellularity. First I did 6 months of ABVD chemo, and that secured a 14-month remission. My relapse was caught early and I went right into a stem cell transplant. The cancer had already returned when I had my 3-month post-transplant scans. There's no cure available to me at present, so I'm now entering a period of palliative care. We're hoping a Gemzar/Navelbine chemo combination will keep my cancer at bay for as long as 4 years -- that's the prayer. In the meantime, I am focused on savoring every moment....and maybe even losing a coupla pounds!
2 comments:
Sorry I've been so scarce, doggone it. Loved reading about you and Lorraine spooning. :) She can't snore as badly as my mom does. The nurse would have been running from the room with her hands over her ears! LOL
You sound so upbeat and positive, and that's great to read! May your recovery continue on the steady upward path with nothing more than minor, minor setbacks!
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