Adding to the Last Post

I just wanted to add a quick note about MaryEllen's last post. She mentioned a bit about blood levels holding steady or even improving. I can't overstate how happy this makes me when we get the results from blood results and most notably the hemoglobin levels are good. A typical adult male has a hemoglobin (or red blood cell) level of 14-18 grams per decileter or blood. Well mine is obviously much lower due to my extreme anemia and is typically half that number at its best.

Well this last week, already exactly two weeks out from having my last transfusion, my hemoglobin level was measured at 7.7. Typically two weeks after a transfusion, this number has already dipped to the low 6's or upper 5's. The normal human being gets a blood transfusion when their levels are no lower than 6 or 7 but I am used to getting as low as the upper 4's, which quite honestly is dangerous territory. At these times, nurses usually look at me in awe and make some kind of comment about how am I still conscious.

Enough of the technical stuff though, the moral of this post is that a hemoglobin level of 7.7 at this point of time is amazing for me. It means the adriamycin is definitely doing something right. Since all this junk has been happening to me, I don't think I have had a level this high, especially while on chemo. To add on to that number, both my white cells and platelets were also at elevated levels.

So anyway I just wanted to share how something this simple, after getting a normal routine blood draw, made my week. Its exciting to know that something is happening through all this misery. There will always be hope, I just need to look hard for where it is coming from. There are times when I look back on the last 3.5 years and just am amazed that I am still alive when at one point I was given 3-6 months to live. Then there are days like Wednesday when I get some good news that actually gives me hope that I have a future.

Link on Blood Levels: http://www.medicinenet.com/hemoglobin/page2.htm

Chemo #7 + week review

The latest chain of doctor’s appointments in themselves have been tiring Garrett out, but we found out a few good things and all of Garrett’s symptoms have been holding steady or improving the last few weeks. Here is a summary of the last week or so:

- Images of Garrett’s eyes did not confirm that vision problems are from radiation damage alone, they only confirmed there is pressure on the optic nerve from an unknown source. A head CT scan last week thankfully showed no large/new growth in the skull, but we still do not have a clear reason for his vision disturbances.

- A follow up eye exam showed bleeding at the back of both eyes (seen at the first eye doctor appointment) has decreased! Garrett has not perceived any change in his vision so far, it seems to be staying about the same with some good days and some bad days. We’ll do another exam again in two weeks just to monitor changes.

- We checked back in with our radiation oncologist who is publishing Garrett’s hyperthermia treatments and took another photo of his skin tumor. He also weighed in on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (recommends it) and the vision problems (radiation damage and tumor created bone changes could be the cause).

- Hyperbaric treatments are still on the table to treat his skin tumor and maybe help his eyes heal, but Garrett has not committed to a start date for the treatment yet. It is a big time commitment, so he is not taking it lightly.

- At our chemo appointment yesterday Garrett had impressive blood counts, almost at normal levels! This is the third chemo round where his blood counts have shown some recovery and it continues to be a sign that the cancer is responding to the Adria chemotherapy.

- No appointments so far next week, which is probably just what we need… a week off!

Chemo #6 + many more events and appointments

Whew, we had an exciting busy week/weekend spending time with good friends and going to a beautiful wedding. But we also finished another dose of chemo, met with a doctor at the hyperbaric medicine department, had another blood transfusion and made the transition to a new insurance plan!

At our chemo appointment we saw Garrett's weight still holding up and some recovery in white blood cell and platelet counts. This may be a sign that the chemo is starting to kill cancer cells in his bone marrow and make room for some healthy bone marrow cells. We will probably keep on this chemo for many more months (maybe six, or more?) as long as Garrett is tolerating it and we keep seeing progress, albeit in small increments, such as this!

Although we had a consultation with the hyperbaric doctor last week, we still have questions to get answered. We have a follow up with our radiation oncologist this week who will likely have insight that will help us make an informed decision. Our main question is if the time intensive hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps heal the skin tumor/radiation damage, will it be a lasting solution or only a temporary one? This is hard to know for sure, but the chances of lasting healing may determine if the four hour travel/treatment every week day is worth it to Garrett.

I had a restful day today to recover from all the fun we had this weekend, but we get back to our normal-busy schedule tomorrow. Eye doctor and radiation oncologist follow ups this week. Hope the transfusion can keep his energy up and his appetite can keep him maintaining/gaining weight!