...is a lot clearer this afternoon than it was when the day started.
On each of the last five Mondays, I've gotten a variety of blood tests. The results of some are available almost immediately, some later in the day, and some take a day or so to get evaluated and reported.
One of the immediate-return tests showed that my white blood cell count was recovering nicely and had almost doubled since last Tuesday -- from 1.3 (whatever that means) to 2.4 today. That number was high enough that the radiology doc started up the radiation treatements again. But the chemo doc said a week ago he wants to see 4.0 before resuming chemo.
(This makes a lot of sense. It's the chemo sessions that kill off the white blood cells along with the cancer cells, so the chemo doc wants to make sure I have an adequate reservoir of white blood cells that I can afford to lose a bunch of them to a high-dosage Cisplatin chemo treatment. The radiation sessions don't kill the white blood cells per se, but they do damage the skin and cause the ulcer on my tongue. So his concern is: Does Randy have enough white blood cells to assure that his body can fight off any infection that may occur at the site of damaged tissue?)
Anyway, I got a radiation treatment today, and should be able to finish off the other five sessions wihout interruption. That would mean that the last rad session would be next Monday, August 10.
The chemo doc doesn't want to make any commitments to continuing and/or scheduling the third chemo session until after he sees the results of all the other blood tests -- including the ones for which the results won't be available until later today or tomorrow.
AND the two docs may decide to adjust the schedule and link the chemo and rad sessions to allow each to take advantage of the other. Time will tell -- and soon!
So I've had six days in a row of no treatments whatsoever. And my body deeply appreciated the "time off." The respite gave me a chance to understand what the timing might be like for complete healing after the last chemo and rad sessions are done. Whenever that is.
The first four of these six days-off did not supply any hints of healing. The skin on my neck continued to look horrible and my tongue continued to feel horrible and swallowing continued to be painful. But the last two days gave the promise of alleviated symptoms -- and the rad doc this morning told me how good the neck and tongue looked. So my guess is complete recovery in two to three weeks after the last session.
And given that the radiation treatments are much lighter for the last seven sessions compared to the first thirty sessions, the amount of damage revisited to my neck and tongue should be considerably less in the remaining five rad sessions. So that the timing for full recovery may be even less than a couple of weeks. We will see.
As always, your thoughts and prayers are gratefully acknowledged. Thank you again for sharing this journey with me.
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This is a wonderfully encouraging report. Your good health and fitness are indeed paying off. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteRandy, I am so pleased with the news you have to share with us. I am especially excited that you started to feel a bit better after the 4th day! There is so very much hope!
ReplyDeleteOh, BTW, an aloe vera plant may be useful to you at this time and in the contiuned healing process of your skin. Perhaps you are already using one to aleviate your pain? If you are bleeding I don't know about that, but just use the gell from inside the leaves and put it on the burned area. It can be very soothing for rad. burns, I'm told. As always, I'm sure you'll want to check with your doc. about this.
And I continue to hold you, Deb and Blanche in my heart, thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Diane