Tuesday, April 17, 2012 10:55 PM, CDT
Day 7 technically began @ 9:30 tonight! Pull up a chair and get comfortable for this one...
Day 7 is an important milestone at this point in the
battle. This brand of Chemotherapy is done in 14 day increments. Days 1
through 7 the chemo drugs are administered through a pick line (fancy
word for an i.v.) When that's complete the next 7 days are certainty far
from drug free but are chemo free. This is what they call the induction
period (roughly). When day 14 arrives they'll do another bone marrow
biopsy (NASTY procedure!). Roughly two days later we'll know what
percentage of the regenerating cells are cancer cells. Ideally, of
course, a big fat zero is what they'll find. Realistically though it'll
be more. I think the number to beat, which allowed them to diagnose it
as Leukemia in the first place was something like 70%(whatever that
means). By then we'll also have chromosome tests back, which apparently
tell them a lot about some really important stuff. The chromosome tests
coupled with the results from the bone marrow biopsy will determine how
they'll proceed.
If you are one of the noble individuals who chose a profession in oncology, this probably sounds like nails on a chalk board, but get over yourselves. When I hear you talk about building a wall or plumbing a bathroom you sound like a dope to me too.
Anyway, we're clinging to milestones these days; Amanda and I just turned 30, Grace just turned 10, Bella's reading books by herself, and Sophie'll start riding the bus next year with her big sisters and going to all day school. So day 7 is the first in who knows how many milestones ahead. There's probably a long road ahead, but finishing the first round of chemo without any major roadblocks is a victory in our book.
Naturally, Amanda's feeling awful. The treatment has rendered her neutropenic, a fancy-schmantz way of saying she has virtually NO white blood cells and has completely lost the ability fight off infection. Her platelet level has dropped significantly, leaving her vulnerable to extensive bleeding if she were to get a cut. Equally important is the hemoglobin (red blood cell) count, allowing her just enough oxygen in her blood, i.e., energy, to get up and go to the bathroom 3 to 20 times per hour. On that note, of the 20 lbs she gained in the first 5 days, she's managed to pee off 9 of them. The hemoglobin and platelet counts can be increased with blood transfusions, but the white blood cell count has to repopulate on it's own. So in short, she's very tired, has a fair amount of pain, and very little appetite.
This one's long enough. I'll keep going later.
-Z
If you are one of the noble individuals who chose a profession in oncology, this probably sounds like nails on a chalk board, but get over yourselves. When I hear you talk about building a wall or plumbing a bathroom you sound like a dope to me too.
Anyway, we're clinging to milestones these days; Amanda and I just turned 30, Grace just turned 10, Bella's reading books by herself, and Sophie'll start riding the bus next year with her big sisters and going to all day school. So day 7 is the first in who knows how many milestones ahead. There's probably a long road ahead, but finishing the first round of chemo without any major roadblocks is a victory in our book.
Naturally, Amanda's feeling awful. The treatment has rendered her neutropenic, a fancy-schmantz way of saying she has virtually NO white blood cells and has completely lost the ability fight off infection. Her platelet level has dropped significantly, leaving her vulnerable to extensive bleeding if she were to get a cut. Equally important is the hemoglobin (red blood cell) count, allowing her just enough oxygen in her blood, i.e., energy, to get up and go to the bathroom 3 to 20 times per hour. On that note, of the 20 lbs she gained in the first 5 days, she's managed to pee off 9 of them. The hemoglobin and platelet counts can be increased with blood transfusions, but the white blood cell count has to repopulate on it's own. So in short, she's very tired, has a fair amount of pain, and very little appetite.
This one's long enough. I'll keep going later.
-Z
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