Today is June 29. Today is exactly 2 weeks after June 15 which was the date of my first Chemo treatment for this occurrence of cancer. Today after my labs and being weighed I would have normally been marched in and given a "cozy" chair for treament to settle in for the day with a blanket and a strong "cocktail" to go along with it. However since the last two weeks went so swimmingly well, I was scheduled to see a Nurse Practioner before getting any treatment to talk about changes. We waited a while in a small room just off the main hall of the blue pod room. While waiting, my chemo nurse walked by and we chatted with her for a couple minutes about this treament then continued to wait for the NP. After waiting for what seemed like forever, the NP poked her head in the room and introduced herself and said she was going to talk with my Doctor about my labs and then come back to talk with us.
When the NP came back to the room we began to talk about what my life was like for the last 2 weeks and then quickly shifted to lab result. I'll spare you with many of the details except for two that are very important. The white blood cells (WBC) and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) are two things they watch for to see if they can administer chemo. Those are your infection fighting cells in your blood. So if you are sick (UTI) and have been given chemo, those numbers will go down. WBC should be 4.0 - 11.0, mine was 2.9 today. ANC should be 1.5 - 7.7, mine was 1.0 today. The NP said I was on the tipping point of getting chemo today and normally with a healthy patient they would give it anyway. Due to my rough 14 days, and the fact my numbers were both low, and I am recovering from an UTI They chose to not give me chemo today. My Doctor said they would be doing more damage than help this time and I really needed to build both those numbers back up on my own.
So now what you ask. We talked a while with the NP and what that all boiled down to is I will get 1 more week to recover from my infection and get stronger without the effects of chemo. Next Thursday July 6, I will get chemo, Saturday the 8th I will have my pump disconnected and I will also be getting a shot to help boost my white blood cells. Then I will be scheduled to get hydration on Monday the 10th. Both the shot and the hydration are to help pick me back up from the effects the chemo has. The other important thing I haven't mentioned is I will be getting Emend in with my chemo regimen. This is a drug that is a strong 48 - 72 hour anti nausea med. This med should cover me until Saturday or Sunday in regards to nausea. These are all good things I heard today. It seems to me that all these things will help make the treatment more tolerable next week and into the future.
I want to take this moment to say a huge thank you! to everyone for sending a card, commenting on the blog, making a meal, driving one or both of us somewhere, for a thoughtful phone call(s), and for many things not mentioned!
Today We recieved a card from Lydia "Our best daughter" (her words). She wrote this card on Monday the day she had her 10 girls arrive in her cabin. She knew the speed of mail so in the card she said she hoped chemo was going well since she thought we would get it Thursday or Friday. Perfect timing, something only God could arrange. Earlier this week I got a call from a Pastor who was at Camp Geneva for another reason, while on the phone he was bragging on how well Lydia is doing at camp! That was so great to hear. Keep it up Lydia! Keep sharing Jesus with these girls each week all summer.
Prayer requests for continued health in fighting this UTI, for overall strength and for increased WBC and ANC, for limited side effects next week through treatment, and last for mental peace and calm as we approach the beginning of treatment number 2.
~Kent
Thanks for all your updates, honesty and humor as you go through this. Glad you get a week break
ReplyDeleteI'll be praying!
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that your care team made a wise decision and are allowing your body time to heal before your next chemo treatment. We continue to pray for you both daily. 💙
ReplyDeleteThankful they are watching you so closely and doing what is best for you! Praying you have a good week and are able to build up all your counts!
ReplyDeleteLove and Prayers are coming your way. Thankful for all the kind and caring staff. They are “one of a kind).
ReplyDeleteA break from chemo for a week certainly seems needed after seeing you struggle through the last 2 weeks. The old saying that “sometimes the cure seems worse than the disease” was evident in your ability to function these last 2 weeks. Now I pray for strength and fortitude to be ready for the next round of chemo. You cancer care team have been amazing and working hard to be sure they have done everything possible to alleviate the miserable symptoms you were having. I must say, through it all, you kept pushing yourself to work. I am thankful to your employer for giving you grace and the help you needed. I am also thankful you work from home. As I have said before, Leah is a “rock star care giver!” Lydia is living her “dream job” as a counselor at Camp Geneva. I see her exhaustion after the campers head home. But she renews her strength and carries on for the next group. She is blessing everyone at Camp Geneva with her enthusiasm and love for Jesus. Prayers for continued strengthening for you, Kent, as your body gets ready for the next round of chemo!!!!
ReplyDeleteI will keep on praying.
ReplyDelete