Sunday, Sunday...

It's a beautiful day outside! Shame I don't have the energy to get out there and do some exploring. I might try later and see how far I can manage.. Have to wait till the doctors have done their rounds first.

Everyday they come and visit you in your room and go through what they have to say.
Only problem is I just can't get enough info out of Dr Kopic to be able to completely understand where things are heading. I'm sure he knows, But when I ask he will lock onto one or two key words and assume they are the basis of the question.

Today I have a list of things I will raise with him. First up is my platelet count. Down to 38 or so.
They should have started me on Neumega last week, but I think they held off thinking there would not be such a big drop, despite my warnings that this would be the biggest concern.
Platelet counts have been the single biggest factor in Wgtn hospital avoiding salvage chemo. In NZ Neumega is not available.

I found that during my chemo last year, if I took Goji berry puree, my blood counts held very well and it allowed me to get through all 6 cycles of chemo with modest counts. Sarah will bring me some over with her. It's been shown in clinical tests that the Goji berry can stimulate blood growth factors. It worked for me last year during chemo, so I'll use it again. The nurses could not understand how someone could double their counts while receiving chemo, however when I told the doctor what it was I was taking, he said it was "Snake oil". ..Guess you can't argue with a closed mind. By comparison, I told Dr Kopic about it and he said if something works then you should use it.

... Two hours pass..
A lot can happen in a hurry around here! The doctors came to visit and I asked them about all the things I've mentioned above. I told them that they will need to do something about my platelets before they get much lower. They said that tomorrow they will take a look and see which way they are going and treat accordingly. Dr K has informed me that he is looking to have my stem cells moved to a storage facility, and he said he has been adding liquid nitrogen everyday since they arrived, so that puts my mind at ease a little more.

I then asked about my treatment plan, how long I need to stay and when they want to do the second cycle of chemo. They said that as soon as my platelets start to return I can stay elsewhere and return later for the second cycle. This could be up to three weeks away. After that I would need a week or so to recover again. The dendritic cell vaccine is on a similar time period.
I also mentioned the fatigue and they said that the steroids would be causing it (or the lack of them now) as my red blood cell and hemoglobin counts are ok.

Treatment schedule-wise, What this leaves me with is the option of staying in Munich at a guest house or similar cheaper accommodation saving around $30K on treatment costs. Then returning for a short visit for the second cycle. Staying in Germany is the best bet as doing two long haul flights so close together with a weak immune system would be asking for trouble.

I've been planning to make an escape tomorrow. I've been told by Pam and Angela where to find a grocery store called "Tenenbaums" which sells all manner of goodies! I shall go in search of something yummy to eat! My saliva glands are starting to work again, so it's time to see if I can eat potato chips! :)

Just finished lunch.. shall post this to the blog, wait for my food to settle and go for a slow walk outside.

..Ron