Infusion Take #1

Hey all, I figured I should be better about sharing updates aside from just during chemo weeks so here we go. I was discharged after my second round of chemotherapy on October 15th. Chemo week was pretty uneventful again as far as my reactions to the chemo. A few of the nurses told me I was a boring patient and said that is a very good thing. So, my goal is to keep being a boring patient moving forward. My grandparent's, parents, and Elliott came to visit of of the evenings so it was fun seeing all of them. Elliott, my son, is always an immediate mood lifter which is just what I jeed sometimes. Cliff was able to come spend all of Wednesday with me and then came back on Saturday morning and stayed the night. One of my aunts came to visit on Saturday as well and as usual with her it was a fun visit.

The first week out of the hospital - known as danger week since your white blood cell count drops to 0 meaning your immune system is nonexistent - was uneventful as well. I haven't had a fever at all yet which is your bodies only sign of infection when your immune system is gone so that has been a blessing. I still haven't gotten even a tiny bit nauseated with this kind of chemo so I have been loving that. I've been more tired this time around and have gotten used to taking a nap with Elliott most days so when I don't get a nap in I definitely notice it later on in the day.

I surprisingly still haven't completely lost my hair - my oncologist was surprised I still have as much as I do - so it's hanging in there. I'm hoping to get it cut and shaved this next week before I get admitted for my next round of chemo though since I figure it's only a matter of time when it starts coming out in large chunks. One nice aspect in regards to hair is that I haven't had to shave my legs for over a month now and I have absolutely no complaints about that 😂

This Monday when I had my blood drawn to check all the levels my white blood cell count was 28.4 which is high - normal range is 4.3 to 11.3 - so that was surprising. One of the pharmacists at the Huntsman said it was most likely a reaction to the growth factor shots that they have me doing so they weren't overly concerned about that after confirming that I hadn't had a fever or any other symptoms of an infection. However, my potassium level was very low. It was low enough that there can be a concern of having heart arrhythmia and palpitations. So, after having just barely gotten back to my parents house my dad and I ate a quick lunch and made the drive back into Salt Lake so I could get an infusion of potassium. It only took a couple of hours so it wasn't terrible.

They ran labs again this morning and my potassium level was normal and my white blood cell count has dropped back down into normal range. My oncologist still wants me to take a potassium pill once a day since my potassium level has been low multiple times now. I guess I better start eating a banana everyday or something to see if that helps. We are spending the day in Heber since my grandma and an aunt and uncle are here visiting from Minnesota. I don't have to get labs done anymore since my levels balanced out so now I have more time freedom until I get admitted for round number 3 of chemo on November 2nd and will hopefully get to be discharged on the 7th. As always all of the prayers, texts, and visits are appreciated. I fully expect miracles to keep happening thanks to the prayers being said on my behalf. Here's to hoping I stay a boring patient and keep sneaking through with minor reactions. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!