Follow the bouncing ball

BOX SCORE




Element

Current

Std. Range

Trend

Hemoglobin

11.2

13-17

>

Platelets

127

140-375

^

ANC

140

1800-8300

^

We have had a few quiet days without medical stuff going on. The Oregon Ducks football team beat the Arizona Wildcats. Jill made chocolate chip cookies. What more could I guy hope for on a sunny weekend in October? 

The box score today shows improvement in my lab results,  but that pesky ANC, while on the rise, is just too low for chemotherapy. That's because, along with cancer cells, the chemo kills off some of the healthy neutrophils. So, my chemotherapy has been postponed for a week to let the neutrophils get back on their feet, 

When we had our meeting last Monday with Michelle, the NP who does my monthly evaluations, we discussed the possibility of having a port (see diagram below) installed for blood draws. My poor old veins, having been poked 2+ times per week since late June, are crying "Uncle." The have developed so much scar tissue that the phlebotomists have trouble finding the next place to poke. A port will alleviate that problem, but it requires a minor surgery to be installed. 

Port

This morning, I had a call from the radiology department regarding scheduling that surgery. Unfortunately, I hadn't heard from oncology yet about my chemo. So, radiology will call back tomorrow to try again to schedule. I told the poor woman on the phone that I spend half my time scheduling appointments and the other half going to them! It sounds as if I will be able to get the port installed later this week.

After the radiology call, I got a call from Jill, the RN in charge of the infusion center where I get my chemo injections. She was calling to officially cancel my appointments for this week. So, I have another week off from chemo. 

And now, dear reader, for a lesson in patience and self-advocacy. After nurse Jill called, I got on the phone to see if I could get the port installation surgery scheduled. Well, it took about seven, "I'll connect yous," and one call back, but I finally got through to Interventional Radiology Scheduling, and voilá, I am scheduled for tomorrow morning! Sometimes, I think I have spent as much time on the phone advocating and waiting on hold as I have spent in treatment. At any rate, we are moving ever forward. 

With all of these schedule changes we have learned to simply follow the bouncing ball! Welcome to our journey.


 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 10, 2022 at 10:30 PM

    Oh my Tom and Jill!! Press on. Love you both, Donalynn

    ReplyDelete

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