33rd Anniversary Chemo!

 

Nothing like celebrating your anniversary while getting your chemo!  I had mentioned on the way to Dana Farber that today was our 33rd anniversary.  Rick had not realized that today was 5/22 so while I was waiting to be connected to the Gemzar, he went out to the local Hallmark store, bought a balloon, card, and truffles.  He's pretty special!

 

We had a little pre-treatment surprise - while my red blood count was OK, my white count was well below the safe range. So we had to discuss whether we'd delay or skip treatment.  Or I could have treatment and come back tomorrow afternoon for a Neulasta shot.  I did choose this last option as I really didn't want to skip a treatment that has been highly successful.  Having the Neulasta shot means I will need to take Claritin for a few days to ward off the bone pain it causes when it stimulates the bone marrow. 

 

Hope everyone enjoys the Memorial Day weekend.

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Beautiful weather and beautiful results!

The weather here in New Hampshire is fabulous - sunny skies and temps between the mid 60's and low 70's.  And to go along with the gorgeous weather, I have more good news - my tumor markers dropped from 500 on 4/11 to 275 on 5/1!!!  When you find a chemo that works, the results can be dramatic!  And the better news is that this chemo is not too harsh with its side effects.  My blood counts are a little low, but not so low that I couldn't have treatment on Wednesday and I have my week off so now I've got two weeks for blood counts to rebound. 

And did I mention that I went on another little trip...to San Juan with my sister!  We spent six days oceanfront and by a nice pool enjoying the sun and 80 degree weather, and maybe a cocktail or two :>)  We had a really great time despite a few service issues with the hotel (Marriott).  She got really lucky in the casino and came home with all her money...I, on the other hand, was not that lucky.  But it was fun hanging out with her and it's a good thing she has a strong grip - she had to open every single water bottle because I had no chance.  Those caps were ridiculously tight.  And she treated me to a great meal for my birthday in Old San Juan.  We both came home with fabulous tans - we were at the pool in our favorite sun-worshiping position by 8:30 every morning!

And one more piece of good news - I have a new great granddaughter. Katie and Deven (Ron's Christine's son) welcomed to their family Miss Lilyana Regina, 7 lbs 14 oz  this past Tuesday.

Beautiful!!!

Happy Dancing is in Order!!!

My oncologist sent me this message a short time ago:

Hi there,

It looks great. The report says there is a new spot in the liver, but that is compared to December. We don’t know what that looked like before we started the gemzar. The chest looks fantastic, and the adrenal lesion is no longer active.

So, let’s keep going with the gemzar!

 

Actually, I think the liver met was there according to my CAT scan in January.

 

So what we have here is significant regression!  Woohoo!!!! 

 

Gemzar is my miracle drug!

Unbelievable - Gemzar has worked a miracle!

I just got an email from my oncologist - my tumor markers have dropped from 1525 or so to ... 500!!!  Unbelievable - 1000 point drop.  I guess Gemzar is the drug for me! 

I have scans next Wednesday, and I am planning on seeing lots of regression!

Tonight we celebrate!

Carefree was fun and now it's back to business

We had a beautiful six days in Carefree, AZ, with brilliant sunshine and temps in the 70s.  Rick's golf buddies flew in on Friday morning and the three of them played golf every day through Monday.  They chose courses nowhere near the resort, so they had long days and I had lots of time to enjoy the pool.  On Monday I had a hot stone massage, which was heavenly and I won't be waiting years for the next one!

We enjoyed some great dinners and conversation after golf.  I must admit I was lucky that the restaurants I picked were pretty good and I think the guys were happy to let me make the dining decisions.

The Carefree resort was nice and a good value, the suite was big and nicely furnished.  I wouldn't hesitate to go back.  But all good things must come to an end and we flew home on a Jet Blue red eye that arrived at 5:30 or so in Boston. I actually slept on the flight - the beauty of a good sleeping aid - and then took a couple naps during the day. 

Today was chemo day so we showed up at 8:30 but the medical team was running behind so despite my efforts to speed up the process by taking my own pre-meds, we still didn't get out of there until 11:15.  The chemo is a 30 minute infusion and it amazes me how much time we spend in "wait" mode before it can be started. 

After finishing, we picked up my sister and went to lunch at Olive Garden.  I haven't eaten there in years but I must admit the soups are good.  I had pasta fajioli and caesar salad, Mona and Rick had zuppa toscana and the house salad...and the breadsticks.  I ordered the little zeppolis for dessert.

My labs were mostly in the good range...my red blood count and hemoglobin were a litle low but platelets were good and my white blood count is good.  It appears the 50% reduction in the chemo is the right balance to keep my counts in the safe range.

Good News...it's working!!!

I got my CA27.29 score and my tumor markers have dropped from 1826 on 2/20 to 1578 on Wednesday.  That is the first regression I've seen!  And I am feeling better - the cough from the lung mets has completely disappeared.  Of course, a scan will be more definitive and I think that will happen after I finish the 3rd cycle.  Hopefully, my blood counts can hold up to the 50% dose. 

I am feeling a bit better and my appetite seems to be making a comeback so my optimism (and my family's) has been boosted this week. 

There's a little fun in the works - we are flying to Phoenix next Wednesday evening (after my treatment).  Two of Rick's golf buddies are also flying out to play golf with him.  He needs the break and I know the guys will have a great time while I soak up the warm Phoenix sun, sitting by the pool.  And for a change, it looks like the weather is really going to cooperate!

Required a transfusion

This particular chemo - Gemcitabine (gemzar) is notorious for knocking back your blood counts. Really, any chemo can cause low counts, some are worse than others, and we are all different so what knocks mine back may not do the same to someone else.

Last week my counts were low and so they gave me just 50% of the standard chemo dose. My white blood count was 1.76 with the low end of normal at 3.98; my red blood count was 2.4 with the low end of normal at 3.93 and my hemoglobin was 8.2 with the low end being 11.2.

We were pretty sure that even the 50% dose would cause even lower levels, which is why I was scheduled for labs yesterday. And that is what happened - my red blood count went down to 2.21 and my hemoglobin dropped to 7.6. My platelets were down to 51 with the low range at 150. So there was no question that I needed the transfusion - I think hemoglobin below 8.0 is the criteria. And I couldn't walk even a few steps without being out of breath, so it was a no-brainer decision.

They called the blood bank and requested two units and the blood was couriered over to Dana Farber. It arrived about 1 p.m. and it took about 3 hours for the transfusion. I have to say I felt much better after the treatment. When they started the transfusion, my bp was about 102/47 and it was up to 112/65 when it was finished. And my heart rate was 100 when we started but went down to about 78 afterwards.

So that's the story. My next dose (next Wednesday) will probably be at about 80% of the full dose - I'll not be able to have a 100% dose again because it would be dangerous.

The good news is that I think it's working. My cough ( probably from lung mets) is pretty much gone. We were thinking about adding abraxane to the mix but we're going to hold off as it would add to the blood count problem.