New chemo treatment problems

Gavin,

Thank you for the two links. I just finished reading them.

I’ve been home a couple hours now from getting the 2nd blood transfusion today (Sunday). Thank goodness for those angel nurses who work on their Sundays to provide services like this to patients who need hem.

Right now, I am running a very mild, half -degree temp with slight chill, but they said that wasn’t unusual after a blood transfusion. I think the discharge papers said that a temp increase of two degrees is cause for going back to the ER. Otherwise, this morning, my husband said that I seemed, “Perkier.” I was able to do a little more without breathing hard, but I didn’t know if it was really the transfusion from yesterday helping already, or a sort of placebo effect.

My husband must think I’m doing okay, because he just took off for a bicycle ride. Actually I feel good enough to go out myself….but to a store. Will start by walking to the car to see if I get short of breath.

Have had more than my share of pneumonia over the years. In 2013 alone, I think I had pneumonia at least 2 times and then in Jan this year just before being diagnoses with CC. That little grandson of mine, who I babysat 2 days a week, kept catching bugs at day care (where he was the other 3 days) and infecting me. Sigh. Yes….it was GOOD to hear that there was no pneumonia or anything they could see on an x-ray.

As for the platelets, I believe that my local oncologist will hold off on any chemo next Wednesday, August 13th, due to the numbers being lower than acceptable for chemo. It’s possible that they may rise up to the required 80 mark by then, but if my platelets had been at 80 at the start of this last chemo, I would have been 70 in the hole….as the platelet drop this round has been over 150. Yikes. The on-call oncologist did not want to do a platelet transfusion at this time. Actually, my husband and I have discussed the situation. At the very least, we are going to not do chemo next Wednesday and give my body a rest to see if the numbers (esp the kidney function ones) will rebound to something less scary. We may even opt out for 2 weeks…or at least wait to see what the counts are. At this point, while I hate to feel like I’ve been defeated by not doing the last round, the oncologist reminded me that I have 5 in the bag, and there is nothing magical about the number 6. I know that I, and others, feel that we have to be “perfect” and by not doing that last round, we’re giving less than our best and a failure…wimping out. That’s how I was brought up. Believe me…..I push myself farther than most people do….I’m the first to jump off the high diving board…..terrified, but first. This is a “head game” for me at this point, …to weight the risks and benefits. Right now, the question has to be how much good that last round of chemo would actually be compared to the permanent damage it might do. (kidney numbers). I think my local oncologist has my best interests at heart…..and she may be the one who makes the final decision, though she has as of yet, left the ball in my court. I hate it when there isn’t a clear cut decision. But when there isn’t, we have to decide based on all the facts and risks and then gamble that we’ve done the right thing. Sometimes, we get lucky……in that the end result is good and the same no matter which way we choose. If this chemo was clear cut….that we KNEW it killed off CC cancer cells, it would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on that one.

Well, I see I’ve again used the forum to think things through…..for me, this does help. Alas, this time, I have to say that I still don’t have an answer. For now….I just want the red blood cell transfusions to make me feel better and then see where we go from here.

Julie T