Round 1 Take 2

Matthew's platelet count was 100 (which was the bottom limit) for chemo, so he started this morning.  It went well as far as chemo is concerned.  His other blood counts were up too, which is good.  He took his nausea meds, so hopefully that won't hit him too hard yet. 

He finishes this round on Wednesday...traditionally, Wednesday and Thursday have been the hardest days for him.  Hopefully this round will be relatively easy.

Thanks for the prayers.

Rising to the occasion

So, its been a couple of weeks since I have posted.  The last post said Matthew was starting chemo.  Well...he went in on that Monday, and his platelet count was too low.  I think everybody was surprised because it had been high enough just two weeks earlier.  Apparently this can be caused by a couple of things.  Chemo can, and frequently does, short term damage to the bone marrow.  Damaged bone marrow does not produce platelets as well. Surgery, even without a lot of bleeding, can also cause low platelet counts.  In addition, Matthew has a condition referred to as "platelet clumping."  This means that his platelets clump together, and while it does not affect how well they work, it does make his counts inaccurate (usually lower).  Matthew has been on a drug that helps increase the bone marrow production.  He was checked last week, and it had increased, but not enough.  Hopefully, it is high enough when he goes in tomorrow.

Because of the chance of starting chemo tomorrow, Mom cooked a Thanksgivingish dinner today so that Matthew can enjoy it.  (We have heard that chemo is worse when your platelets are low).  Matthew is not looking forward to chemo, but at the same time, he needs to get through it. 

I will try to make sure I update with the results tomorrow.

More Chemo

Yes, more chemo starts tomorrow following the same schedule as before (in-office treatment on Monday, and he goes home on a pump for two more days.  That's the not so fun part.  Starting tomorrow also means that he has to take chemo the week of Thanksgiving.  :-(  His platelet counts were a bit lower than they would like, but they have decided that they would prefer he start and take a break if his platelet counts get too low. 

However, there is a good news.  Matthew saw the doctor at MD Anderson today.  The doctor came in smiling.  The blood test that checks for cancer markers came back at .9--the doctor said that is usually a really good sign. 

Mom reported that Matthew seems to be doing better.  He has been going to the gym, and the doctor is allowing him to do more, but gave him some strict limits.  Matthew has been up and about more as well.  Here's hoping for minimal side effects from the chemo this go round. 

Cancer Humor: 

What do you call a doctor who is always on the telephone?

An ON-CALLogist.