Jeff Day

   A short day at Jeff, only 7 hours.  I did lab tests (giving blood for 5 vials), and then we had a nice long meeting with Littman.  Her plan is for three more bi-weekly Cisplatin/Gemzar infusions, then another CT Scan, and then a decision on how to proceed.  This would probably be the end for Cisplatin for a while, as many of these drugs only work well for a limited time.  There is a chance for a longer chemo vacation without saying how long, but I've heard this before; so I won't get my hopes up too high.  The cancer marker went up significantly, about 50% to around 350, but Littman and Eleanor don't seem concerned as the CT Scan showed a minor reduction.  If the tumor stabilizes, that may be enough for the chemo vacation.
   I tried to get the Octreotide (the monthly shot in my tush for diarrhea control) eliminated, but they thought it was the shot, at least as much as the increase in Immodium, that was reducing my Amos frequency.  Linda came through by suggesting every 6 weeks, since that is what we just did, and they agreed.  I also got the Arinasp shot for low red blood cell count but was able to pass on the Neulasta for white cells that would have caused me to come back on Wednesday, as its within 24 to 48 hours of the chemo infusion.  Also, Neulasta is the likely culprit in my amazing painful jolt phenomena.
   My other counts were good.  My thyroid data is in the normal range, but I will continue with Synthroid.  My glucose count is coming down but still a little high, and I will be continuing with Metformin.  There is a possibility that after three months, I may be able to cut back on my Lovenox shots to once a day with a higher dose.
   Miscellaneous:  I was writing to some classmates about the BRCA2 gene and mentioned Ashkenazi and realized how ironic the last four letters of that word are.  The other night when I mentioned to Linda to turn out the lights, it reminded me of a TV show I doubt anyone of you saw or remember, even if you're my age.  It was a show from the 1950's that had a new mystery each week and had a guy dressed in black with a candle in front of him, and he would say "Lights Out" and blow out the candle.  On Sunday, I went for a walk and stopped at the Gap Outlet.  As I was about to leave, I saw a small rack of baby to toddler clothes that they were practically giving away; so I wound up buying about 9 items for FirstofMay, Rachel's baby to be.
   It usually takes a day or two for the chemo to start really affecting me, but you should enjoy the warm week being forecast.

Elkan - Monday night