Gemzar Cycle 1, Treatment 3

Thank you for all of your prayers! Yesterday, I went for my third Gemzar treatment (wasn't able to get the second due to low neutrophil counts, but it still counted), and my neutrophil levels were wonderfully high! They were at 2.2! I can't remember the last time they were that high! When I first heard the count, I thought that I had heard wrong. I had to ask the nurse to repeat the number. It went from .7 to 2.2! So thankful!

The treatment wasn't as bad this time. I still got a bit queasy, but not as much as last time. As the nurse pulled out the needle from my port, I could feel a stream of liquid. It turned out to be blood. Glad that I only saw the dried up stuff on the gauze strip.

Today was the day that I was supposed to give myself the Neulasta shot (white blood cell booster), but my counts were so good that my nurse told me that I could hold off on it. This was an answer to prayer! This is Thanksgiving week! No time to be sick! Thank You, Lord!

I had to go to Costco to get some last minute things, and by the end, I was dragging my feet and slurring my speech. We must have been there less than an hour. That is the one aspect about the hormone pills that I liked: I had energy. Chemotherapy: no energy.

Thankful that three years have passed since my "big" surgery (mastectomy/thyroidectomy). Thankful for another Thanksgiving with my family!

No Gemzar

My husband drove me to my chemo treatment. Honey, thank you for giving up your basketball for me! I had my blood drawn and we waited. Started getting queasy just being there! Two hours later, I got the news. My neutrophil levels (white blood cells that fight infection) were too low at 0.7. Disappointing. I need a 1.5 or above to get chemo.

The nurse had to call my oncologist. Dr. K said to skip this dose and try again next week.

Please pray for my neutrophil counts to go up. Also, pray that I don't get sick during that time.

At least I got to spend time with my husband and eat a yummy lunch with him!

Gemzar

Long absence that will be explained later...

I started intravenous again. This time, the chemo drug of choice is Gemzar (Gemcitabine).

Last week, the nausea hit 15 or so minutes into the treatment. The nurse slowed the drip of the drug and that seemed to help... a bit.

I'm going for my second treatment today. I had to ask my husband to skip his stress-relieving-Monday-basketball-game to drive me to my appointment.

Thinking about going again makes my stomach hate me.

Needing more prayers...