Day T-4 May the Fourth Be With You

BOX SCORE




Element

Current

Std. Range

Trend

Hemoglobin

7.5

13-17

^

Platelets

89

140-375

^

ANC

1740

1800-8300

^

May the Fourth Be With You. Yes, I know, it's an old joke that every Star Wars fan knows, but it's still fun, and today is our granddaughter Megan's 10th birthday. So we celebrate Megan's birthday and a Star Wars joke on this day every year. And if Megan is 10 today, her older sister will be a teenager in August! Where do the years go? 

Speaking of calendar events: You know that calendar I gave you in the post titled "Don't Kill the Messenger"? Well, it turns out some of the information I included there was slightly off. I learned today that I am finished with Cyclophosphamide, as of now, until  a few days after the transplant. So, Sunday and Monday I will continue to receive Fludarabine, and then I will be finished with that, too. Tuesday is total body irradiation day, which will bring us up to Wednesday,  Day 0, Transplant Day. From there going forward I think the calendar is fairly accurate. (But I'll let you know if I turn out to be mistaken...again.)

Today was a good day. I have felt well, but part of the therapy with Cyclophosphamide includes huge amounts of saline (salt) solution being pumped into my body along with a drug called Mesna. These measures are meant to flush lots of fluid through my body and prevent the bladder damage that is the worst side effect of Cyclophosphamide. A lesser side effect is saturating my tissues with fluid. I gained six pounds overnight on this regimen. 

My feet and lower legs and even my forearms have swollen up. This morning I put on compression socks, and this afternoon, the oncologist put me on Lasix, which causes the kidneys to produce tons of urine. I literally was running for the bathroom ten minutes after I received the Lasix, and about every 10-15 minutes thereafter. I shed several liters (at 2.2 lb. per liter) of excess fluid this afternoon. The treatment really is just an inconvenience, but I'm glad that it is over for now. 

So, the bottom line is that for the next two days, I will only receive the Fludarabine, and then no chemotherapy until Day T+3. I have tolerated the chemotherapy well, and I am feeling good at this point. My appetite is a bit off, but otherwise I'm doing fine. Maybe it's because the Fourth is with me!?!

Or maybe it's because the Lord is continuing to bless me through this whole process!


 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 5, 2024 at 8:17 AM

    Truly, may the fourth be with you Tom. Your current treatment making you have to use the bathroom all the time sounds familiar, like getting ready for a colonoscopy. :-) Donalynn

    ReplyDelete

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