John received his 3rd IV-chemo yesterday and felt pretty good until this evening. He is already fatigued. Hopefully it's just because he is pushing himself too much. You know him, always moving and doing stuff. His regimen was supposed to be 7weeks of chemo and 1week off. But yesterday when they did his pre-chemo blood work they found his platelets have dropped considerably. Not too low for yesterdays chemo but it will be too low for next Fridays round. So they are going with the traditional 3wks on/1wk off.
If you don't understand platelets heres a brief explanation:
(Virtually all chemotherapeutic regimens can cause depression of the immune system, leading to a decrease of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. )
A low platelet count is of concern because they are what helps the body to form blood clots if he cuts himself or is in an accident. Low counts mean no clotting, therefore bleeding would be difficult to stop. So, to avoid having to have a blood transfusion, they are giving his body a rest to grow the platelets back up to a reasonable level.
On a happier note, he is finding that he can eat more and more things. Last Sunday night he even had some of the Ladies Guild chicken tetrazzini from Tami. He was a very happy camper! Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and love.
9 years ago
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