TO; Hew Ron:
Thanks for your message to Torie concerning consolidation. I had not heard
of this and felt quite enlightened. Enjoyed your sense of humor, I believe
that is something else cancer survivors have in common, along with strength
and a host of other good things. Just one more friend dropping in to thank
you!
-----Original Message-----
From: HewRon <HewRon@aol.com>
To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com <mol-cancer@lists.meds.com>
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 1997 4:05 PM
Subject: [MOL] Torie's question, first day home ... ah and ouch
>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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