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Friday, August 7, 1998Hey folks - hope you all haven't felt like I've left you hanging the last two weeks. News comes in a bit more slowly now that I've settled into a treatment groove. Anyway, I've had a couple bumps and a big boost these last two weeks on the chemo highway to Club
Remission (as we call it on our Hodgkins email list). Actually, the highway metaphor isn't such a great one, I think. I'd say if normal life is like a highway, chemo is more like a dirt track with numerous potholes. But I digress....So the latest pothole is that when I went in to get my blood counts this week, prior to a scheduled Thursday pre-vacation chemo treatment, I was disappointed to discover they were not quite up to snuff. They were looking for a white blood cell count of 3.0 or
higher and a neutrophil count of 1.2 or higher. I flunked with a WBC of 2.3 and a neutrophil count of 1.1. Poor George and Mary are apparently just worn out from their mighty efforts of late. So treatment number four has been delayed until next Friday, August 14th, which means I will have to cut my vacation to Provincetown a bit short to attend. Calling in sick is not an option, I'm afraid. The trade off is that I will actually be feeling good during the shorter time I am on the Cape, rather than feeling lousy as I surely would right after getting pumped full of lovely chemo. In fact, right now, on the eve of our annual boondoggle, I am feeling really great.I seem to be following a pretty predictable cycle of feeling lousy for 3 - 4 days after chemo, feeling fair for a few more days after that, and then starting to feel good until by the early part of the second week after chemo, I feel close to totally normal. So it will be nice to go on vacation with a good, nearly normal energy level. I'm even planning on attempting a round or two of golf, which I haven't done since I was diagnosed, so I'm looking forward to that.
The boost I received was last week, and those of you who have read my latest journal entry already know it, but I'll repeat it here for those who haven't. My doc ordered a chest xray for me to see how things were going with Mr. Chest Mass, and it turns out he has
shrunk by about 50% after only three treatments! So really, that news is clearly way more important than the absence of a few white blood cells. Also, I will be going on the wonder drug Neupogen after my delayed treatment next week, which will be like a steroid shot for George and Mary, so my white blood cells will be cranking out on overdrive. This will mean lots of little shots between treatments, but it will also mean staying on schedule (oh so convenient for trouncing cancer cells, not to mention making plans to do things). I'll also be less susceptible to infections since my white counts will remain higher. I've been close to paranoid about being out in public lately so it'll be nice to not freak out anytime someone sneezes within 10 feet of me.My hair continues to grow back, and what's left continues to stay on my head. It's definitely noticeably thinner than normal, but at a whopping half inch in length, who can tell? There is hope I'll look semi-normal yet. The reason I haven't posted pictures yet is that our really nice camera is BROKEN! So we didn't get any pics of me totally bald, but my friend Lisa Baskin did take a pic of me a couple weeks ago with not much more than peach fuzz, so I'll try and get a copy of that from her to post on my web page. Once we get a working camera I can at least post some progress pics.
Well, I must be packing for my trip, so that's all for now. I will be reachable via email while we are away, since I am toting my spiffy new laptop computer with me (you didn't really think I'd leave it at home for vacation, did you?), and I may even conjure up a journal entry, so stay tuned to the web page. As always, thanks to everyone for all your good thoughts, prayers, vibes, visualizations, chants, energy, cards, emails and other healing things you have sent my way. It is all much appreciated and helps tremendously!
Carpe Diem
11:30 PM
