Hello Torie and all you lovely others.
In a state of near total exhaustion, I have just scanned part of the list of
e-mail that awaited me this afternoon. I want to test my mettle by responding
to a question right away. You have asked me about consolidation. Perhaps some
others too have been wondering what I've been talking about.
As I understand it (and I ought to understand it, since I am receiving it, but
that doesn't mean I do), consolidations are attempts to totally eliminate the
elements that create distorted white cells. After I had ended my five-week
hospital stay for what they militaristically call induction, my
oncologist/hematologist did a bone-marrow biopsy and found my marrow "clear".
Of course we all rejoiced. It turned out later that what my doctor called
"clones" had stayed tucked away somewhere and evaded detection.
My doctor told me the medical profession had agreed upon a "protocol" of four
periods of post-induction consolidation, on a more or less monthly basis, to
ensure that all bugs were removed from the marrow/blood system, or nipped in
the bud. Each consolidation normally consists of a five-day hospital stay for
chemo. Complications can of course arise -- such as I experienced in my second
consolidation, when I developed bacteria, necessitating a two-week stay. After
these consolidations your white-cell count takes an alarming dive, but of
course the same is true for whatever bad guys remain in your system. The hope
is that
a 10-day period of self-injection at home with neupogen will boost the good
guys, and indeed that has been the case so far. On one occasion I jumped from
less than a 100-count to a count of 6,000-plus -- in a matter of days. After
my second consolidation my white-cell count jumped up to 9,800. But by the
time I was ready for my third consolidation, it had dropped to 5,000-plus, and
now, following consolidation, it is 1,900-plus and no doubt dropping by leaps
and bounds. I'll get a new reading when I visit my doctor on Thursday, when,
if my guess is right, I'll be sent to the big house for a transfusion of
platelets or red cells. Though I might be wrong. Platelets and reds have been
rather respectable lately. Tonight (God and the delivery system willing) I
will receive a box containing 10 tiny bottles of neuopogen and 10 syringes and
post-haste will commence my self-injection. And so on ...
That's the best I can do at the stage, Torie! I hope all is well with you and
with my other friends on this list. I realize my problems are not unusual in
this group, many of whom have had much greater demands made of them than I
have. Nevertheless I have to say I don't think you can feel much more pooped
than I do right now, and it's a poopedness for which caffeine does precious
little.
Everyone says I am doing marvelously, but today I just feel like a good sleep.
I mean a sleep that lasts a couple of days! Let's face it -- you can't really
sleep in hospital, day or night. But I'll be dropping you all a note about
that. I think I have quite a lot to say about hospitals, so be warned! You
have loudspeaker messages all day, with the desk calling for nurse so-and-so
to do such and such, from a loudspeaker about 6 inches from your head, when
all you want to do is sleep because of all the interruptions for temperature
readings etc. the night before. I am bellyaching. Sorry.
More later.
All the best, hello again friends ...
-- Ron
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