Days since last chemo: 19
Ideal number of days between chemo rounds: 14
Neutrophils: 1.1
Required neutrophil levels for next chemo to begin: .75
Platelets: 42
Required number of platelets for next chemo to begin: 75
We were back in the clinic this morning to check Tom's blood counts. We are waiting for his counts to come up high enough to go ahead with Chemo 10. Round 9 started on Saturday, January 9, and the ideal number of days between rounds is 14 days, according to the protocol for Tom's cancer. So he should have started chemo last Saturday, January 23.
However, his counts really dropped after the last round and have taken awhile to bounce back. He had a blood transfusion before the end of the last round, and his red blood cells (hemoglobin) counts have stayed in an acceptable range since then.
His platelets (that's what makes your blood clot) dropped from 120+ on the day before Chemo 9 to 12 three days after. He had 2 platelet transfusions, and his platelet counts are still only 42 today. They need to be at least 75 before the next chemo, and they don't transfuse when patients are over 20. So we have to wait for these counts to come up on their own.
His white blood cells (neutrophils) are now in acceptable range, after 10 days of GCSF injections, and being down and up and down again over the past few days.
Tom is happy when chemo is delayed, but I know that I am not. Not that I like seeing him go through the unpleasantness of chemo, but that we know how important it is for his long term prognosis to be able to stick to the 14 day rotation. Delays make me uneasy.
The doc says to wait and check his counts again on Monday, but I am thinking I might take him in for blood work on Friday. We need to know if his white cell counts stay up high enough to still allow him to go out in public venues over the weekend, and with his counts jumping around we'd rather be safe than sorry.
Tom's hair had grown out to about a half inch long, but started falling out again this week in response to Chemo 9 (the first full-strength chemo since October). It was itchy and messy, and finally annoyed him so much that he asked for a 'trim', so we took it down to the scalp again! Overall, it seems that he's feeling mentally strong, and that's an important factor.
Tom's hair had grown out to about a half inch long, but started falling out again this week in response to Chemo 9 (the first full-strength chemo since October). It was itchy and messy, and finally annoyed him so much that he asked for a 'trim', so we took it down to the scalp again! Overall, it seems that he's feeling mentally strong, and that's an important factor.
The steak night fundraiser for Lane's family was very successful, final tallies aren't in yet, but I think we should be able to help them quite a bit. The credit goes to Erin and Tanya (fellow Allan Blair clinic moms) who organized us all, and to all who were able to support this worthy cause. I know we cannot give her the one thing we wish we could, but at least we can help lighten the load a little bit. It feels really good to be able to help - thanks for helping us out.
On Wednesday this week one of our fellow clinic families is in Calgary where their daughter Ava is receiving a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, that this gift from a stranger will bring new life back to her weary little body. Our dearest wish for her is that her body could have the same energy and sparkle as her soul does - she is such a little elf!
On the home front, we do have some good news to share: Tom's chest CT scan done last week is clear, and the MRI of the tumors in his hips and legs are showing a "good response" (meaning not gone but less dense than the August scans). We know that the radiation will continue working inside his body and that the tumors should continue to decrease over the next few months. More scans will be taken at the end of the regular protocol so we'll learn more then.
We're still waiting for Sask Cancer Agency to approve the request from Dr. Haq to have Tom go to Calgary for a full body PET scan, so no news on that front just now.
Thanks for checking in on us. We're grateful for you all.
Thomas' Mom
