11/15/2009 - Chemo Rescheduled

I am writing this blog entry from home. I was tentatively scheduled to be admitted for my next round of chemo last Friday, but it did not happen. One reason was that even though my platelets came up quite a bit, it was still low. My white blood cells and neutrophils were much higher. I'm not neutropenic anymore! My hemoglobin was higher, too, so no more blood transfusion. The other reason was to protect my liver. The medication I was taking affects the liver. The doctor wanted me to stop the medication and give my liver a rest before starting the next round of chemo. As you may already know, chemo drugs affect the liver, too. My next round of chemo is now scheduled for Thursday, the 19th. This is really like boxing. Once I am strong enough to get back in the ring, it's time for the next round.

I am happy about the delay, because I was not ready to be admitted last week. I did not get enough sleep a couple of nights last week, so I wanted to get myself stronger first before the next round of chemo. I think we were also not yet ready emotionally for it. Ellie got teary eyed when she heard that I may be going to the hospital in a couple of days. Even though I have been giving them a heads up about it for a while now, she didn't quite realize how soon it was going to be. It broke my heart to see her fighting back her tears. It was good to have a few more days of bonding and cuddling with the kids before going to he hospital. Rob and I were also happy to have more time together.

I got to meet a couple of people this week who made me so thankful of my situation. I often think that as bad as things are, they could be worse. It helps to be reminded how bad things could get, though. One of the people I met told me about her husband having to go through 4 rounds of chemo with lots of side effects before being in remission. He had to have bone marrow transplant right away after that. Since they could not find a match among his 10 siblings (yes, 10!) and they didn't have time to find a donor, he had to be his own donor. From what I know, being the donor to oneself is not recommended unless it is absolutely necessary. He lost his hair three times, once when he had his first chemo, then when his stem cells were being harvested (I think he had to have another high dose of chemo then), and when he had the bone marrow transplant. In the process, they had to go through 3 hospitals and 2 insurance companies. It was a difficult and long-drawn process for them. Thank God he is doing well now.

The other person I met went through a tough time with chemos for a whole year in another hospital. She moved to the City of Hope, where her body responding well to the chemo drug given to her. She has gone through 4 additional rounds of chemo and is now getting her bone marrow transplant. While at the other hospital, she was not given morphine during her biopsies even when she asked for it - poor thing! She had a port surgically implanted to her chest just like mine, but in her case, they had to do it twice because they made a mistake the first time, then her lungs collapsed because of the error. It also got infected, then it got clogged up because of the prolonged use, so they had to implant another port in her arm. As if this was not enough, she also had problems with her lumbar. I didn't even get to hear everything she went through, because she was called in to see her doctor. I really felt so bad for her. Hearing these stories reminded me of how blessed I was that I did not have to go through what they went through. God continues to be gracious and merciful to me.

My doctor at City of Hope is a relatively young doctor, and I initially had my doubts about her. I have been asking for feedback, and so far, I have only heard good things about her from the nurses, from one of her patients, and from my oncologist. I think I will stick with her. My case is pretty simple and straightforward, so I don't think I need the best doctor in the house. It may be an advantage to have a doctor who has more time to answer my questions than an expert who doesn't have time for me. One of my reservations in moving to the City of Hope was the thought of having to deal with different doctors as an inpatient. Apparently, I was misinformed. Although the doctors have been lobbying to have the same doctor(s) do the rounds for all patients each week, it has not yet been approved, so each doctor has to see his/her own patient when they are admitted. This is good news to me.

Please continue to pray that my next round of chemo will be uneventful. I have learned that side effects from chemo can occur a few weeks after the treatment, so please keep praying about it even after I have been discharged. Also please pray that my kids will not miss me too much when I get admitted, because they will not be able to visit me in my room. Lastly, please continue that my family and I will be protected from the flu viruses, and continue to stay happy and positive throughout this journey. Both Robert and Ellie have fully recovered from their colds. Thanks for the prayers.

Once again, thank you for your concern and prayers, and may God bless you all!