June 17, 2008

I want to hold your hand....not

It's now been a week and things are returning to 'normal'. Over the weekend I experienced what I was warned about... I felt like I had the flu. My body ached, I was tired and spent a lot of time on the couch watching golf.

Yesterday we went in for my monthly Lupron shot and Zometa infusion. What should have been a maximum two hour visit to the lab and treatment room turned into a series of missing lab requests and incorrect orders. We were there for nearly three and a half hours.

We did get a blood test back, no PSA test but it did show a HUGE drop in my white blood cell count. Normal is around 11, last week before treatment I was a little low at 8.9, yesterday I was at 1.9. Ouch! This is normal and the basic intent of the chemotherapy. The WBC should begin to recover before the next treatment on the 30th.

A count this low can make me very susceptible to germs, infections, etc. I am now using more hand sanitizer than I have ever used in my life! No offense intended if I don't shake your hand!!

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