Home from Germany

I've now been back from Germany for just over 3 weeks.  I completed 5 rounds of whole body hyperthermia and 6 rounds of chemo from March through the first part of August, though there was a bit of a glitch between treatments 4 & 5.  I had trouble getting my WBC and platelets to recover after chemo/WBH #4.  They never did come up high enough for me to get chemo in Germany, so my medical oncologist at Kaiser agreed to do the chemo portion of treatment here, following Dr. Herzog's recommendation to reduce the chemo dosage by 20%.  We also added a week between treatments, allowing a full month for my body to recover before I returned to Germany. It did take all of that time for my body to recover, and my platelets were still slightly below normal.  My final week of treatments was from July 25 til August 3.  My chemo at that point was boosted back up to the full dosage.  In addition to the WBH and chemo, I had local hyperthermia targeted at the lymph nodes, Vitamin C and B infusions, and other supplements during the time I was there.  With the exception of a bit of nausea, my side effects were minimal. A few times, instead of flying back between treatments, I stayed.  I figure all told, I spent over 3 months in Germany this year.  

A mid-treatment scan after treatment #3 showed lymph nodes mostly stable, with some areas of reduced activity, one slightly enlarged node and one new very faint very small area.

I was very tired the first week back, not jet lag, but just general fatigue. (No Jet Lag is a homeopathic jet lag preventative that I highly recommend.)  My blood counts are not yet up to normal range, but they are going in the right direction.  My energy level has come up as well, and I'm back to riding my bike for 40 minutes at a time.

My naturopath ordered a number of blood tests this week and we'll see what they show and what we need to address for the next few months.  I am continuing with mistletoe injections and supplements.

One thing that was a little distressing when I went back to Germany in July was that my CA-125 was slightly elevated as was my LDH.  However, I was still recovering from a bladder infection and that may have contributed to the rise.  My LDH is now back in the normal range which has given me some peace of mind.  I had a physical exam with my doc here last week and all appears good as it can be at this point.  My next scan and CA-125 will be in October, and then we'll see what's what.  

Suffice it to say, I am happy to be home.  The next time I get on a plane, I want it to be for fun.