03/27/08 - Transfusion VIII
My last post mentioned that I had nothing to post about my health. Well, things certainly happen fast. I got my blood counts checked Monday, and my hemoglobin as well as my platelets were low. I got the results Tuesday morning, and my platelets were at 8,000 - the normal low is 143,000. I went for a platelet transfusion that afternoon...
A unit of platelets.
My brother was leaving, so he was able to drop me off at Moffitt (practically on the way) around 1:30. My appointment was at 4:15, so I expected to wait awhile. Moffitt took me around 3:00, to my surprise - I usually have to wait well beyond my appointment time. So, I got my transfusion and an injection of Aranesp to raise my hemoglobin count.
I received Benadryl intravenously before the transfusion, since I have reacted to platelets in the past. I have said it before (see Transfusion VI), and I'll say it again. My immediate reaction to Benadryl is lightheadedness for at least 15 minutes. For example, I was reading a magazine article and it took me an very long time to get through a paragraph. It was hard to go from one line of text to the next one. I didn't care about its immediate effect...
Of course, the euphoric effect is followed by an overwhelming feeling of tiredness that affected me the rest of the day. Laura picked me up about 6:15, and after dinner, I slept a good portion of the evening.
So, this morning my father took me for another blood check. I probably won't get results until tomorrow morning. I spent too much time yesterday updating my blood count plots, which you can see at the link to the right of this blog, or here . After posting this update, I hope to reply to some Emails, and investigate some websites (also known as sitting on my couch with my laptop). That's "busy" for me now, understanding how trivial that would be for most people.
I feel good in general. As I have said before, I usually don't feel my low counts, although I may have to be more cautious or I might have more fatigue. Again, you get used to the low counts, and they become "normal." If everything goes as planned, I only have one chemo cycle to go. By this summer, things may be more normal for me...
My brother was leaving, so he was able to drop me off at Moffitt (practically on the way) around 1:30. My appointment was at 4:15, so I expected to wait awhile. Moffitt took me around 3:00, to my surprise - I usually have to wait well beyond my appointment time. So, I got my transfusion and an injection of Aranesp to raise my hemoglobin count.
I received Benadryl intravenously before the transfusion, since I have reacted to platelets in the past. I have said it before (see Transfusion VI), and I'll say it again. My immediate reaction to Benadryl is lightheadedness for at least 15 minutes. For example, I was reading a magazine article and it took me an very long time to get through a paragraph. It was hard to go from one line of text to the next one. I didn't care about its immediate effect...
Of course, the euphoric effect is followed by an overwhelming feeling of tiredness that affected me the rest of the day. Laura picked me up about 6:15, and after dinner, I slept a good portion of the evening.
So, this morning my father took me for another blood check. I probably won't get results until tomorrow morning. I spent too much time yesterday updating my blood count plots, which you can see at the link to the right of this blog, or here . After posting this update, I hope to reply to some Emails, and investigate some websites (also known as sitting on my couch with my laptop). That's "busy" for me now, understanding how trivial that would be for most people.
I feel good in general. As I have said before, I usually don't feel my low counts, although I may have to be more cautious or I might have more fatigue. Again, you get used to the low counts, and they become "normal." If everything goes as planned, I only have one chemo cycle to go. By this summer, things may be more normal for me...
posted by Mark at 3/27/2008 10:06:00 AM
2 Comments:
Maybe by the time we make it down to FL on our annual summer pilgrmage, you'll be ready to celebrate wrapping up the chemo. We hope to see you guys soon.
Carson
Carson,
Yes, it would be nice to be done by then...
Mark
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