Merlin1047
Senior Member
After watching the number of views on the original thread go over 600, I somehow got the impression that a couple of folks may be interested in discussing this subject. Don't have much time right now, but I'll edit this later and update periodically.
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I don't mind discussing the situation. I've received a good bit of information from folks on the board and perhaps I can reciprocate should someone find themselves facing a similar situation either personally or by way of friend or family.
A few things have changed for me since the whole process started. First, I've always been a pretty independent and self-reliant SOB, sometimes to the point of arrogance. I've learned that accepting help from your friends isn't a sign of weakness. I've learned some patience and to accept things I cannot change. And I have seen a depth of determination, character and love from my wife which I had not previously appreciated. I've learned to be grateful just to wake up in the morning and enjoy the sunrise, smell the scents from the woods behind the house and to feel my own heartbeat. I'm closer to my family than I have ever been. I've talked to God a lot.
But so much for the philosophy. To recap the treatment protocol, it involves eight rounds of chemo, each lasting about five days. Each requiring hospitalization for about a week. Then it's home for 3 to 4 weeks while the body recovers from having been poisoned by the chemo. The trick is that the body rebounds from the effects of chemo in a sufficiently short time frame to permit another round of chemo before the cancer cells have an opportunity to regenerate to previous levels.
Right now I have completed round one of chemo. The doc was hoping to see the blast (cancerous white cells) cell count go to zero. I had a blast cell ration of 60 percent, the first chemo treatment knocked that down to about eight percent. Not quite the zero we had hoped for, but it will have to do.
Right now we're waiting on the first recovery phase. I've had several blood transfusions and platelet infusions because my antibodies have been killing the platelets almost faster than they can pump them in. During my last consult with the doc, we agreed to suspend platelet transfusions in order to attempt to soothe my antibodies and to allow my body to generate its own.
Blood test today showed that my platelet count has held steady now for the last three days. It's only 8k, which is far below the norm of approx 150k. The danger is that hemorraghe may occur since platelets are a clotting agent. I am on a medication to improve clotting, but it only helps so much and has its own undesireable side effects.
My white cell count has also been steady, but also extremely low. It's level is 0.8 and the minimum should be about 4.5 to 10.
So that's pretty much everything up to date. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
And most importantly, thanks again everyone for your expressions of support. That's another thing you learn at times like these - I can face pretty much anything, but it helps to have friends to share.
====================================================
I don't mind discussing the situation. I've received a good bit of information from folks on the board and perhaps I can reciprocate should someone find themselves facing a similar situation either personally or by way of friend or family.
A few things have changed for me since the whole process started. First, I've always been a pretty independent and self-reliant SOB, sometimes to the point of arrogance. I've learned that accepting help from your friends isn't a sign of weakness. I've learned some patience and to accept things I cannot change. And I have seen a depth of determination, character and love from my wife which I had not previously appreciated. I've learned to be grateful just to wake up in the morning and enjoy the sunrise, smell the scents from the woods behind the house and to feel my own heartbeat. I'm closer to my family than I have ever been. I've talked to God a lot.
But so much for the philosophy. To recap the treatment protocol, it involves eight rounds of chemo, each lasting about five days. Each requiring hospitalization for about a week. Then it's home for 3 to 4 weeks while the body recovers from having been poisoned by the chemo. The trick is that the body rebounds from the effects of chemo in a sufficiently short time frame to permit another round of chemo before the cancer cells have an opportunity to regenerate to previous levels.
Right now I have completed round one of chemo. The doc was hoping to see the blast (cancerous white cells) cell count go to zero. I had a blast cell ration of 60 percent, the first chemo treatment knocked that down to about eight percent. Not quite the zero we had hoped for, but it will have to do.
Right now we're waiting on the first recovery phase. I've had several blood transfusions and platelet infusions because my antibodies have been killing the platelets almost faster than they can pump them in. During my last consult with the doc, we agreed to suspend platelet transfusions in order to attempt to soothe my antibodies and to allow my body to generate its own.
Blood test today showed that my platelet count has held steady now for the last three days. It's only 8k, which is far below the norm of approx 150k. The danger is that hemorraghe may occur since platelets are a clotting agent. I am on a medication to improve clotting, but it only helps so much and has its own undesireable side effects.
My white cell count has also been steady, but also extremely low. It's level is 0.8 and the minimum should be about 4.5 to 10.
So that's pretty much everything up to date. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
And most importantly, thanks again everyone for your expressions of support. That's another thing you learn at times like these - I can face pretty much anything, but it helps to have friends to share.
