#2 postponed

Tuesday's chemo was postponed because my counts were too low, so I got a reprieve! It really was a break because it allowed me to enjoy the 4th with some great friends. The low counts made me feel pretty punky, but I still felt better than I had in a couple of weeks. On Tuesday Lorraine and I met with my doc to review how the first treatment had gone, as he'd been out of town, and he was pretty struck by the severity of my response to Round One. We were in agreement that this regimen shouldn't keep me in bed for 10 out of the 14 days between treatments. (Gee, you think?)

He said that normally he'd keep the dose high for the first month or two to do as much damage as possible right out of the gate, but that because of how low my counts went and how badly I reacted, he's going to lower the dosage now, beginning with tomorrow's treatment.

Going forward, my treatments will be on Fridays, and I'll give myself Neupogen shots on every other day for the first five days after each treatment to keep my white blood counts up at a safe level. I sure don't enjoy giving myself shots in my stomach and don't exactly relish the prospect of doing that for the rest of my life, but at the same time I'm very thankful that the shots exist and will allow me to continue to receive my treatment uninterrupted.

As for my spirits, well, they're going to get better with some medicinal support. We're doubling my Wellbutrin dosage to meet the "heavier load" of my terminal status. I'm definitely depressed, so hopefully this will help. I still haven't seen my therapist (Hi, Ali!) in private yet, but Lorraine and I have both benefited from a few talks we've had with her. Maybe the Wellbutrin will warm the waters into which I'll dive whenever we do talk.

In the meantime, I'm really enjoying some canine therapy -- not only my own two, but also a neighbor's big, drooly hound as well. There's not a lot that's better than puppy kisses for making everything right in the world, is there?