It's Monday afternoon, 21 days after first stepping foot in the door, I've been given the all clear to leave for a short time. My blood counts today are WBC 5.4 and platelets 83.
Dr Kopic has given me my schedule for the rest of my treatment and it certainly doesn't allow me any time to return. This Wednesday I will return for an hour or two for a blood test, Then next week on the 9th I will have my second Dendritic cell vaccine. I've been told by Dr K that they have cultured a new more potent vaccine from my blood, something to do with antigens.. I didn't bother to ask him to give an explanation.
Then on the 12th I will return again and stay for another two weeks. Day one I will be fitted with a port in my chest/collarbone region to allow much easier administration of the infusions and chemo etc. My arms are a mess after all the lines and blood tests, I don't think they could handle another round of chemo, so the port is the best option.
We paid the bill today for the treatment so far. It wasn't as bad as our worst case scenario, but man the price of some of the tests and drugs is staggering. (Just the GCSF was about $600 per injection!) Luckily I won't be needing any more tests for the second round.
The good news is that I'm not expecting to have to return to Germany again for any follow-up treatment as they hope to get the last vaccine into me on the day I leave.
Well we are in the process of packing to move across town to the Oberlander.
I'm looking forward to being able to sleep in a double bed, shower without an IV cannula needing to be kept dry and hopefully a few days of being human again. I don't know if I'll post as much, we hope to get out a little and see some of the sights, but other than that everything will be on hold until round two where I get to go through it all again.
But hey!.. I've made it this far and I'm already feeling better than I have in months.
Should be no trouble to get through a second cycle especially now that we know how my marrow is effected by the chemo, means they won't be caught off guard next time. :)
Cheers for now... Ron (and Sarah)
4 comments:
Hey Ron - Genießen Sie den Anblick, haben Sie lustig, und ich bin froh, dass Sie sich besser fühlen
Take Care - Michal
Hi Ron & Sarah
I hope you enjoy your break from the hospital and manage to get some sightseeing in. You must be very happy that everything is going so well.
Love to you both
Maureen
This is really great news that you are feeling so good and can get out for a while, and I am glad that you are able to get out and about and enjoy the countryside for a while, and feel normal again.
Have fun you guys, love you
Hi Ron and Sarah
Glad you are getting out and about. Loved the pix from your next posting. This non-guru computer teacher can't work out how to leave a first posting for the day as a window appears which asks for email addresses and I don't know yours.
Hope the food situation has sorted - what a bummer!!
It's warm and mild in the Hutt - for the third day in a row. The daffodils are looking glorious on the roundabout at the top of High Street as you go into the road leading to Stokes Valley.
Cheers
Robyn
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