Aaron, how's this cycle treating you?

Aaron said:

Other than living in a
Other than living in a bubble it hasn't been too bad. At this point after first infusion my mouth was in horrible shape and this time it's not as bad. The fatigue is a bit more present but bearable. At this point I'm just trying to not get any infections and get my Onc to give me some thing to get my counts up to a less dangerous range. How are you doing? I hope well.

Neulasta

Aaron,

I still do not understand the issue with neulasta. Has your doc explained it any better ?

max

ThisisLife said:

Good news about the mouth
That's great news that you're not having such bad mouth issues! Sorry to hear that you are battling the whole low count thing though. I wonder why they don't want to give you anything to boost them.

I am doing very well thank you. Day 3-5 had me feeling weak and a bit fatigued if I tried to do anything (i.e. grocery shop). But when I hit day 7, it was like someone flipped the switch. I am sleeping right through the night which is a blessing! I went to see my doctor and got something to help me sleep for the first week of the next round. I can get a reasonably decent deep breath these day and there is a definite decrease in the size of my lymph nodes under my armpits! And, I have an appetite these days!!! That's been missing for a while now. Actually, I'm feeling pretty darn good. I have to go for bloodwork tomorrow so that they can check my counts before round 2 on Thursday. Now I'm just getting myself psyched up for Round 2.
Hope your counts come up soon!

Still waiting on an
Still waiting on an explanation, hopefully I'll get one soon.

Aaron said:

My doc said I can go out to
My doc said I can go out to the store or the park with kit if I want but I should wear a mask. I'll find out next Thursday if my counts have come up or if I'll needs shot from time to time. I must say it seems odd to me that they only want to check your counts once a month. For me it's worth it to know where I stand blood count wise as much as possible. Hope the day goes well for you. Aaron

Gloves or frequent hand-washing
In addition to a mask, think about wearing gloves, and always having a bottle or two of hand sanitizer with you. I keep small bottles in jacket pockets and car glove box. If I don't have any, I wash my hands much more frequently. In public restrooms, I dispense some paper towel first, then wash hands, then use that bit of towel to dispense more towel (avoiding touching usually wet handle or lever) the handle to dry my hands, and shut the water off. The point is to avoid physical contact with anything that infection-carrying hands have touched. Its a bit of a change, but it has worked for me. In public, when someone is coughing or sneezing, I detour around them, or leave the area. Kids with runny noses? Yikes! Sadly, the enemy is unseen at this time, so a little paranoia is warranted. Has doctor prescribed the usual anti-biotics, anti-virals and anti-fungal drugs? I was a walking pharmacy when receiving chemo. I still use the alcohol solution after almost four years, since no one can say just how well my immune system is working. What we know for sure is that it was compromised when all of this showed up. All the best,

Jim