Health Update 1/13/11

Geez, I wanted to get this information posted for you a couple of weeks ago, but life has been hectic. Pleasantly hectic, but hectic nonetheless.

It's about the results of the blood tests that I mentioned back in early December. Well, that and a general "How're things going, Randy?"

So, how are things going? Pretty well, thanks for asking. My strength is probably close to what it was before the treatments started, but my stamina is still lagging. (I often find myself panting after walking up a flight of steps or breathing hard for no reason I can identify...) This stamina thingy may, of course also be related to my age. But either way, I remain deeply grateful for being so wonderfully normal. Normal for a 64-year-old coot, that is.

Oh yes, and the blood test results. Well, the genetic marking came back negative: I'm not carrying any of the genes currently linked to blood clotting. And that's a relief -- and a message I need to get out to people in my immediate family who might be interested in that. Especially people in their child-bearing years.

And all the other tests -- except one -- came back negative as well. Meaning all the numbers --except one -- came back within the normal range.

The exception is something called "Antiphospholipid." As I recall, my chemo doctor told me that the normal range was 3 to 12 and my test came out with a 20. However, he also said that a single test for this was unreliable, and that one should be tested a second time, roughly 12 weeks after the first test. Which, of course, I will do. And (as I further recall), if the second test continues to show a positive result, he will put me on blood thinners for the forseeable future. (He used the term, "for life," but I think I prefer "forseeable future." Somehow, it sounds more hopeful.) But if it comes back negative, I may be able reduce my concern for clots by a major amount.

I Googled a couple of websites about this, including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiphospholipid_syndrome
and, as is so often the case with Googling medical stuff, the information on the sites was frightening and made me feel old, weak, and very vulnerable. So I stopped reading. And started feeling better almost immediately.

I think what the doc is hoping for is something like: The chemo treatments threw Randy's blood way off kilter, and it's been gradually recovering for the last 18 months or so. And once it gets back to normal, it is likely to stay that way.

Nice thought, don't you think?

Oh, and one more thing: there's no indication of cancer recurrence.

Almost forgot to mention that...