Counts are Low Again

Hi all! I went for my weekly blood draw and unfortunately my white blood cell counts are very low again. My absolute neutophil count is 1.3. At a 1.0 I am at high risk for infection so I have been trying to avoid crowds and sick people. I do have a cough right now but it might just be my asthma acting up. Noah finished his basketball season yesterday. His team went undefeated all year! He was a little upset because he did not score but ice cream seemed to make that all better. Next on to soccer. Hopefully it will start to warm up. I don't relish sitting outside in this weather to watch soccer! For those of you interested in watching Regan at a meet she is going to have one in town the third week of March. When I get the details I will let you know. Next Friday Alex turns 16! It is hard to believe she is that old. We have been holding her off with the car as she currently only has a restricted driver's license. The restricted let's her drive to and from school or to and from work. It will be nice to let her finally drive to and from practices and run errands and the like! Have a great week!

OK so it wasn't easier!

James was right I should have waited before declaring it was easier...it wasn't. Although I never did "get sick" I sure didn't feel like eating or doing anything else for that matter. Today is the first day I feel human again. Although I am still shaky I can at least handle the thought of food and was able to eat a pretty good breakfast. A HUGE thank you goes out to Debbie and Amy for stepping in and handling everything around here. I have decided I am not as tough as my mother who was able to work and carry on a normal life throughout her chemo. Yesterday I thought I was doing good to take a shower and get dressed! James has been wonderful throughout this but I know he has to be getting tired of handling all the food around here. Regan made a request for dinner tonight so I am going to give it a try. The kids are great. Cheerleading is coming to a close and soccer is gearing up for both Alex and Noah. Noah is also going out for track this spring and sign ups are this week. Regan has 3 more meets to go this season before State and she is thinking about trying out for cheerleading at Aquinas.

Round 2 done!

My second round of chemotherapy is behind me. Only 2 more bad ones to go. I did pretty good this time. My sister came with me and we tried a new approach. During the pre-medicating stage she brought me a full lunch so I ate a good meal before the bad stuff was infused. I did not get as sick to my stomach. I was achey that night but nothing like the last time. I even managed to run some errands yesterday with Debbie's help. I was able to watch Noah's basketball team manhandle another 3rd grade team. James told me I should wait one more day before declaring this was easier as the Dr. has warned me that the 3rd day tends to be the worst. I guess we will see. I am very shaky today but I am still on high doses of steroids and that could be part of the problem. Alex went to WPA last night with a boy from school. She spent the night at a friends house so I don't have the details yet. All of my hair is gone and Noah thinks I look pretty funny. I have worn my wig a few times but my scalp is still really sore so I have been relying on hats and scarves. Without hair you tend to get cold fast!
I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Happy Monday!

Good morning! I had my check up with the oncologist Friday and unfortunately my white blood cell count as well as my red blood cell count is very low. This means I am grounded. I am very susceptible to infection right now so I have to avoid contact with everyone. Even though I didn't go anywhere I still managed to get a cold and felt pretty lousy all weekend. My hair finally fell out. Saturday it was coming out by the handful so I asked James to just shave it off. I am glad I had already cut it short. I think it would have been very traumatic to shave off long hair. I was upset for a little while but got over it quickly! Today I have about 1/2 inch of hair but that is falling out as well. I am supposed to see the plastic surgeon today but I think I will cancel. With a cold already I don't think it is such a good idea. Regan did great at her gymnastic meet. She said it was huge! She did place in vault and all-around. A big thank you to my cousin Pat and his children Grayson & Morgan for making the trip into the city to cheer her on. Have a great week everyone!

Check up

Yesterday I saw a urologist for the UTI and he suspects the ultrasound is how I contracted the infection. The antibiotics seem to be doing their job so I will just need a follow-up in a few weeks. I saw the nurse practitioner today at the cancer center and everything seems fine. I am neutropenic now as my white blood cell count is very low. That just means I am at risk for infection and need to stay away from people and public places until my white blood cell count goes up. I am still anemic so I get tired easily. I am not supposed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables for a while and they recommend I avoid salads. I guess this has to do with how thoroughly the food is washed and prepared. They even suggested I avoid restaurants as you just can't be sure of food safety unless you do the preparation. Didn't someone tell them I don't cook??? Next week is my next chemo so hopefully my counts go back up by next week. Have a great weekend!

Great Week!

This week has been wonderful. The side effects are beginning to decrease and I still have hair! I told James I try not to brush it much or mess with it. I know it will fall out I am just trying to prolong this. I am on antibiotics for a slight infection but I feel good! The mouth sores are still a pain making eating a little more of a challenge but at least I can look at food this week. Regan and James are heading to Chicago today for a gymnastic meet and Alex is off to Wichita on Saturday for a cheerleading competition. Noah has been busy with basketball and lots of homework this week. A big thank you to all the My Gym families who have so graciously brought us wonderful food. We have been freezing a lot for the week when I don't feel so great. My next chemo treatment is February 13th so I have a feeling James and the kids will be digging in the freezer a lot that week. I am off to another Dr. today to try to figure out why I contracted this infection, believe it or not they think it was caused by e-coli. Thanks again for you wonderful support!