Today was a day of doctors and rest. I was seen by Dr. Einhorn and by the head of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. They both feel I am progressing fairly well. My symptoms remain minimal. I continue to have the hiccups, but am taking baclofen for those. I did have a slight onset of some nausea this evening, but IV Ativan took care of that in minutes. They keep me well medicated.
My counts today are as follows:
W=2.8
H=8.8
P=48
These numbers will likely drop further the next couple days until I receive the stem cell infusion on Wednesday. We will likely see a spike in numbers then, as there will be mature blood cells in the mix with the stem cells. Then the counts will crash again until the stem cells and Neupogen do their thing. So an up and down week is expected.
Due to the lower blood counts I do feel more fatigue setting in, not to mention that hospitals are not the best places to get a lot of sleep. Although they do a pretty good job leaving me alone here to rest, they still have to do their job and keep an eye on my vital signs.
I did also get an update regarding my HCG levels today. The number this morning was 7220, indicating that it is still climbing. Dr. Einhorn assured me that this is normal. Without the chemo it would easily be over 10,000. He does not expect to see a downward trend in HCG until next week. He expects it will go down over the next few weeks, maybe spike back up right before the next round, and then be down to hopefully double digits after the second round. He says that at that point it may still take several months to drop to normal (0-3 in his book). So while I was a little disconcerted about the rise in the number at first, it sounds like I am tracking along as I should. Everyone seems very pleased with how I am handling treatment thus far.
I did a half an hour on the bike this morning, before sleeping most of the afternoon. But I have been up out of bed for the past 4.5 hours. The hardest part is trying to stay active in such a confined space. I will keep at it though, and look forward to hearing from all of you.
Thanks for keeping in touch, and for all of the support you have given me and my family.
7 comments:
Not to worry, Matt....Sometimes after Derek does a half hour on a bike he wants to sleep all afternoon, too... Myself, I just avoid the bike all together :).
Hang in there, friend!
Love, Amy
Yikes! What Amy said! I can do about 5 minutes on the bike and I'm checking the clock to see if I can stop. The news sounds good. Hold onto that and "live strong."
-Jan Holmes
Matt - thinking of you!! Thanks for posting updates, I check everyday to see how you are doing. Hang in there. I'm impressed with your bike time!!!
Anna
Matt,
Was at the office yesterday and Jackie told me where you were and what you were doing. Guess I know better than most as I spent 8 years working with patients undergoing the same thing you are at HFH and Oakwood. Great news is that Larry is THE best for Testicular CA treatment and we have alot of success with PBSCT for long term goals. I know you will do great and be back home before you know it. One word of caution, even when you feel better, don't rush it. It can and will take at least 6 months if not 1 year before you are back to pre-treatment status. If there is anything I can do, please call, anytime. YUBA!!!
Steve H.
313-801-1509
Hi Matt, You are doing great. I think riding the bike sounds good - seems like it worked for Lance and is good training for the Tour next year. Thanks for posting photos of Ethan. He looks great as do you. Keep on fighting that Cancer and we'll keep on sending you cancer fighting thoughts. You're doing awesome. Anne, Seth, Myra and Sam
I am praying daily for you Matt. Fondly,
Joe Palazzola
I am praying for you daily Matt.
Fondly,
Joe Palazzola
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