Count Rising

Today was a calm day at the center -- no fire alarms!

My white counts continue to rise, which is great. All the blood cultures have come back negative, so the fever must has been from the mouth sores. Thankfully, they are gone!

Feeling Better

The mouth sores are so much better, so I'm feeling better in general. My white counts were up a bit more today.

We had a bit of excitement at the center this morning right after I sat down in a treatment chair. The fire alarms went off and the building had to be evacuated. We all had to go to the parking garage, but were allowed back in the building after about 30 minutes.

When we returned this afternoon to get my second growth factor injection, fire trucks were all around again. A different building in the complex had been evacuated. Have no idea what was going on.

Loss Of A Friend

Our friend Gwen from Tennessee lost her battle with cancer last night. She's now at home with the Lord and free from pain. Please pray that God will comfort her family.

Better This Afternoon

They think the fever I've had is a result of the mouth sores from the chemo. "Just in case", they have me on two strong IV antibiotics.

However, my mouth seems to be getting better. So, hopefully, mouth problems and fever will both disappear quickly.

It looks like my white counts are beginning to recover, which is a good sign.

Running A Fever

This morning at 8am I went in for an injection and blood work. We decided to wait for the test results "just in case". Turns out I needed 2 units of blood, as my hemoglobin was only 7.5. No wonder I was feeling so tired and out of breath. The advanced practice nurse also ordered more tests, as my temp was a bit elevated. However, she really thinks the temp is the result of my badly irritated mouth. She told me
she think my counts are beginning to turn around and head up, which is good news.

Around 8pm I checked my temp and it was 101. So had to contact the doctor on call. He had us start an IV infusion of an antibiotic they had given us "just in case". We did that, so I hope it will take care of whatever is causing the fever. They'll check me out good at the center in the morning.

No Playing With Knives

My platelets were pretty low yesterday, so George banned me from using any sharp knives in the kitchen. They were even lower today, so I received a bag of platelets late this afternoon.

My mouth is a bit better today, as the medicated rinse is helping. I'm having some bone pain, including my skull. This is a side effect of the growth factor injections used to raise my counts.

I'm not complaining, as it will all be worth it if I can harvest more stem cells for use in the future.

Thanks so much for your comments, emails and prayers.

Feeling Sort Of Yukky

As a result of the chemo, I've developed a very sore mouth and throat. They've given me two mouth rinses to help, and have told me when my counts come back up the mouth problem will disappear.

Also, with my blood counts so low, I just feel "yukky". Hopefully, the counts will start rising tomorrow.

Another 2 Shot Day

I've felt some better today. My counts are going down quickly, which is what they are supposed to do. Maybe today was the "bottom" and they'll start climbing tomorrow.

Wednesday

Oops! Forgot to post to my blog on Wednesday. After a bounce on Tuesday, my counts dropped Wednesday. This is expected. Hopefully, they will bottom out quickly and begin to climb toward the point where the harvest can begin.

In the meantime, I'll be going to the center twice a day for the growth factor injections. Since the growth factor causes your marrow to increase white cell production, it makes your bones ache. It's not too bad, and medicine takes care of the pain.

Another Day

Counts were higher today, so not sure what that means as it's much quicker than before. Will see what tomorrow's numbers bring.

I'm feeling some better, as the effects of the chemo are less as the days go by.