Life Giving Blood

Saw my doc at UCSF last week.  My free light chain numbers have been going up and down rather dramatically depending on what day in the treatment cycle my blood is tested.  I prepared a chart for him showing all the numbers, dates and day in cycle so we could look at the pattern.  His explanation is too technical for me to explain and I am still trying to wrap my head around it.  He indicated that the info the chart provided was helpful in his research.  The bottom line to all this technical stuff and charting lab results, is that you can see a somewhat stable pattern within the parameters of the numbers.  Stability is important because it appears at this time that January is the earliest to hope the next drug will be approved by FDA for early access.  That is the category I fall into.

In the meantime, I am managing with very low blood counts (red, white and platelets).  My week off from treatment is spent with at last 1-2 more trips to Chico for blood tests and usually a transfusion of 1-2 units red blood.  Another full day is spent at the hospital in Redding getting my monthly infusion of gamma-globulin.  This has been an extremely important part of my care that has kept me from serious illness so far.  Speaking of illness, it's that time of year when I will have to start being more careful about exposure to people who might have flu or other illnesses we typically see in the fall and winter.  The winter months are what I call my "hibernation" months.  We stay pretty close to home then and by spring I've got cabin fever and am ready to get out more.

Before the holidays are upon us, we are in the process of helping our daughter, Jen, make their move back to Redding, where Jeff has been transferred.  Baby #3 (a boy!!) is due the end of January and am so glad she will be close to both families who can provide lots of lovin' and help.

So, how am I feeling?  I feel pretty good during my week off chemo after my transfusion and into the first week of treatment.  By day 8 of the cycle, I'm starting to feel the fatigue and weakness which becomes very pronounced during the third week.  Also during the third week, I become very short of breath due to the lack of adequate hemoglobin in the red blood.  The brain requires the most oxygen to function and with the lack of it available to move around my body, thinking and processing information can become challenging.  I move slow and have to lay down after I eat as my body needs the oxygen to digest my food.  I realized this early on as the only time I fainted from low hemoglobin was when I was trying to continue doing too much after a meal, such as climbing the stairs in our house. It continues to be difficult for people to understand and believe that my health is as precarious as it really is cause I look the picture of health on the outside.  It's just another reminder that we can't judge people by their appearance.

I am grateful for the many people who donate blood, some on a regular basis.  I am also grateful that my blood type affords me the designation as a "universal" recipient meaning I can receive all blood types so blood has always been easily available for me.  I always say a quick prayer of gratitude for the unknown person/persons who have so generously donated their life blood that I might continue to have life.  It reminds me, too, of the gift Christ gave to all of us through his shed blood that we might have eternal life.  There are others, too, who go through a much more rigorous screening to donate the gamma-globulin I need.  The kindness and generosity of strangers for whom I also thank the Lord when I receive those infusions.

Please pray that my cancer will respond to the current treatment.  Improvement would be appreciated; stability required.  May the Lord bless you as you intercede for me.