Today was to be the first day of the 4th cycle of treatment (cycle = 3 weeks of chemo treatment, 1 week off). I did not receive chemotherapy today because my platelet count was only 55,000. Although I have said that I only need a count of 50,000 to have chemotherapy, it turns out that I need a count of 100,000 or more to start a cycle. So, today was not a therapeutic day. However, it certainly was a thankful day. As you may recall, at the beginning of each cycle they measure CA19-9, a cancer antigen that can be used to indicate the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment. A month ago, my CA19-9 value was 65. Today it was just 37. This represents a significant reduction. Moreover, the normal range is 0-37, so I am now at the upper end of normal! This indicates that the chemotherapy is effective. (For those who might be interested in my history of that number: 192 pre-chemo; 164 after one month; 65 after two months; 37 after 3 months.) We are thrilled with this progress. I even got a hug from two nurses when I shared this good news with them. After we left Piper, Cathy and I went out for lunch to celebrate the good test results!
My physical evaluation today was also something to be thankful for. Everything is looking good (I even gained about a pound). And the nurse practitioner had good explanations for why I am feeling a bit of back pain … none of which were consistent with my concern that it might reflect an increase in tumor size. Indeed, given the CA19-9 results, I feel confident that my pain is definitely not related to an increase in tumor size. Indeed, if anything, the tumor is continuing to shrink! The slight pain is less of an annoyance when I don’t have to worry so much about its origin. What a relief!
Another bit of good news is that my insurance company has, upon appeal, agreed to authorize a patch to help control my nausea. The company has authorized a year’s supply of these patches. Each patch lasts one week. I have tried this patch before (using a sample from Piper) with good success. We are hoping that this patch will eliminate those few days per week when I am nauseous. It will certainly be less work for me than remembering to take a particular pill three times per day. I have enough pills already …
So, all in all, there is much to be thankful for today. I’m going to worry less about my platelets. The chemotherapy drugs are doing their thing, and the low platelet count, in part, simply reflects that. We will not miss a treatment, but instead will consider next Thursday as the first day of cycle 4. All will work out well. I know it.
I want you to know that I shared all the “Th” words and phrases with Lana when I was at Piper this morning. She loved them. She gave me her email address. I will be sending them to her. And she will be using them as she works her way through each week, taking such excellent care of her cancer patients. I am so thankful for her and all the other staff at Piper. They really make a difference in the lives of their patients. Those of us who go there are very fortunate that we are being treated by such wonderful, caring, and competent people.
Thank you all for your concern and support, for your prayers and good thoughts. We are a big team, and obviously an effective team. Thank you for staying in this fight with me. It will be a long haul, but I certainly like the way we have started.