Everything is good

Last Wednesday was one week from the chemotherapy #5 and the blood counts were good. The platelets were normal, the white cells were a little low as expected and the hemoglobin was 10. It is encouraging that the hemoglobin has maintained itself in the 9 - 10 range since chemotherapy was begun and no more transfusions have been required. It isn't normal, but the value of 10 this week is the highest it has been--so we are encouraged. Sally is feeling quite well, although a little tired. She is able to get out some and drive herself around.

Chemo #5 was Wednesday

Chemotherapy was last Wednesday and this is the fifth course of Taxotere. The pattern is holding true. Sally feels well on the day of chemotherapy, on the two days after, and then on Saturday sometime around mid morning she starts to feel a little bit unwell. She can still eat but is resting a lot, perhaps not sleeping, but lying down. Sometime on Saturday and on early Sunday she starts having some vague shooting pains in her muscles or joints. Then, if the pattern holds true, on Monday she starts feeling much better and then starts to feel really well up until the time of the next chemotherapy. Each cycle, she has had a pattern like this, but the difference is that with each cycle, the period of feeling good is better than the previous cycle. For instance, in this last cycle she was feeling so well that she was driving around herself, going out with Lorrie, and cruising her favorite stores. She is even considering going up to Marburger, which is a small town in the hill country where there is an antique Festival every year about this time. This festival is at the end of March and we are not certain what the chemotherapy schedule will be at that time. Dr.Conlon wants to reevaluate after the fifth or sixth chemotherapy cycle. The problem is that it is difficult to determine what will be the parameters that will be followed for this reevaluation. I'm sure there will be some scans and some blood work but none of these things have been all that helpful in the past. Anyway, we shall see. As of now the lab results are pretty good. The platelets and white blood cells are normal and the last hemoglobin was 9.9 g/dl. The tumor markers have fallen by about half from their very high values in October. But they are still markedly elevated from normal. Anyway things have been going in the right direction as far as the lab data and Sally's feelings are concerned, and of course the way she is feeling is the most important thing.

Happy Valentine's Day

Well, today has turned out to be much better than predicted. The weather has warmed up the sun has come out and things are drying out. Today is Andrew's 15th birthday and, of course, Valentine's Day. Lorrie and John invited Sally and me to join them for a brunch at a downtown restaurant called Hugo's. This restaurant is new to us but Lorrie and John had been there a couple of times. It is basically an upscale Mexican restaurant that has a brunch buffet every Sunday. The stuff they have is great including just about anything that you can imagine related to Mexican food and also a whole slew of yummy desserts. It was great because Sally felt well, ate well and had a good time. Both Andrew and Stephen were there and, of course, ate as appropriate for growing teenagers. We will not have to eat for another few days, I don't think.

Stronger and stronger

It has been a good week. Sally went to yoga twice this week and went shopping a couple of times to her favorite stores. Today, Sally and Lorrie are going into Houston to see a friend and to go to lunch. So things are improving gradually. The next Chemo dose is on Wednesday.

All OK

This past week has followed the previous pattern. After Monday, Sally began to feel better and better. On Wednesday, the blood counts were good with only the white blood cell count being a little down from the Taxotere (and her hemoglobin still hanging around 9.4). On Thursday, Sally went to a yoga class for an hour--this is the first time she has felt well enough to do that since we returned in October. Saturday we had a walk around the neighborhood, and then on Sunday we went over to Lorrie and John's house to watch the Superbowl game. They are big Saints fans having lived in New Orleans for a few years. Good game! We expect this week to be a good one as well. We do not go back to the doctor until a week from Wednesday for the 5th chemotherapy session.