I am HOME!

This was my 5th treatment and I have one more round of chemo to go which will take place on June 7th. My platelet count acutally went UP this time after months of nosediving. I was certain they would send me home without the chemo treatment as I was very close to the line of no treatment allowed. Not only did the count go up but it went up by 70 points, all on it's own! Why this happened, I do not know. Also, my CA-125, a tumor marker test, dropped a tiny bit, and any downward motion is a good thing!

Te visit with my Dr. went well. He prescribed B-6 at 100mg a day to help with my extremely tingly and sometimes painful hands.....side effect of BOTH of the drugs I get in my chemo. I asked about the extreme pain in my legs and complained about the fog the meds leave me in. He prescribed something stronger for the pain and warned me that I would still have the fog...no way around it...just plan to be at home or in one place. Ok. I figure I will only need it for 2 days or so. As of right now, I am 24 hours out of my last treatment and my hips are beginning to hurt and I'mtired. Pete is home and has been terrific about carrying in my gear, offering to get my suitcase upstairs (where my pillow is still packed0 and just being here. Food is starting to taste strange and I'm feeling a little nauseous after a partial bag of fruit chews.

I talked to the Dr. about what happens after my next chemo treatment and he says I will be followed up by 3 month intravals by both my surgoen and by him. That means exams and blood work each time. I still have my port and am unsure how long that will be left in. It needs to be flushed out every 30 days. Also the 3 month check ups may be staggered between the two Dr.s so I may be seen like every month and a half. If not, I have requested more frequent bloodwork, specifically the CA-125 to make sure there is no tumor activity...or if there is, it can be addressed immediately. I asked for blood work every month instead of every 3 months. He said he might be able to bump it up to every month and a half. It's strictly a security blanket for me.

I slept through a good deal of my treatment yesterday which is new for me. But you know what? My chemo pal did the same...we are on the same schedule and if we are both doing the same thing, I think we can point to the natural progression on the treatment.