Pretty good ... for Neulasta #4 (and NOTHING more!)

Monday - July 30, 2012

Snorkeling scenes and pristine reefs instill calm at Dalton. 

.... pretty, pretty, pretty,  good....  Given yesterday's frozen and painful lower back, I was fully expecting to be stiff and perhaps immobile for today's trip up to Richmond.  We were discussing how I was to get into the clinic from the valet:  no wheelchairs in this journey - yet!  Now I'm up after a luxurious 6 hours of flat-on-my-back sleep and am sore but functional!  Better than yesterday!  Hurray!  So relieved ....

As foreshadowed by an oncologist last week, vivid nightmares roused me more than ever last night.  One of the Hyper-CVAD odd-round chemo agents seems to prompt dreaming and I indeed produced.  Dystopian sequences and separation from my children featured prominently.  Pretty stark imagery.  I do not need a comparative lit PhD to provide some insight into why my dreams surface anxiety and pain about leaving my children.  I may be honestly upbeat about how I'm feeling and where we're going with my treatment but my health does remain a concern. 

Megan will journey west with us for today's post-chemo Neulasta shot.  At this interval (after my first odd round or #2 of 6 protocols), I was deemed to be tachycardic, nailed for lack of hydration, and hooked up for an hour of saline at the clinic.  I am determined not to repeat this unpleasant surprise and am drinking up like a very good girl.

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"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match  ..."

Our Dalton visit was about 2 hours from valet drop-off to scooting back onto the interstate to escape back home.  Two hours!  We still have a full day left in front of us!  Fabulous!  My blood levels are VERY good (for someone undergoing chemo) and my vitals were strong.  Happily, my heart rate remains below 90; no tachycardia (yet).  What a terrific way to start my 2 weeks at home!

Having asked for a week whether my bountiful blood draws were ever channeled toward bone marrow matching, I pushed again today and learned that this process had not yet started.  No worries ... what's another blood draw?  I'm a pro at this point. The process is now officially underway.  Megan had a swab test to begin her match process as well.