Today was my first unplanned day off of work since school began in August. I really hate missing any time at work, but had to call out in order to get a blood transfusion today. I was starting to get short of breath while walking around, and needed a break on the stairs at work on Monday. Struggling going up two flights of stairs was an obvious sign that the chemotherapy effects me more than I like to let on. I also developed a headache over the weekend, so I had plenty of signs of anemia. My hemoglobin count on Friday had been 8.3 and it was down to 7.6 on Monday morning. Those numbers were pretty similar to the last cycle of chemotherapy, so I figure another tranfusion will probably be in the cards for my final round of EPOCH-CR. I'm feeling pretty good after the new blood was put into my system. The headache went away and I can feel the increase in energy as I walk around the house and the yard.
I've been neutropenic the last few days, which is usual during this part of each chemo cycle. However, my white blood cell counts have been lower than I can remember having. My neutrophil count was 154 yesterday, which is as low as I remember being recorded. When my blood was drawn today they were down to 16. My nurse today was worried that I was so low and pulled the curtain around where I sat, and gave me Michael Jackson style masks for covering my face when I left. At one point she asked me, "Aren't you scared?" I told her it wouldn't help anything, and thats the truth. I'm at a point where I'm susceptible to infection, but I've been able to live pretty well and avoid any major problems. As long as I stay smart about exposing myself to potential germs or bacteria, than I feel pretty confident about how I am doing.
Some of the other issues I've been having are a slight cough since the weekend, and some irritating mouth sores. Met with one of the nurse practicioners at NIH today and he set me up with a quick chest X-ray just as a precaution with the cough. I haven't heard anything back yet about the X-ray, so I'm taking no news as good news. So right now I'm getting through things and dealing with the annoyances of chemotherapy. It still sucks, but tommorow is another day. So I'll be ready for it just like usual.
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You are doing a wonderful job in keeping your own spirits up. It makes a difference.
We are going thru similar things. My hubby has Non Hodgkins Lymphoma for 15 years with all the chemo and treatments that go along with battling that, so I know how much a positive attitude can really help. Not only you, but those around you, also.
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