Update

I was asked by a Caring Bridge site reader for an update on round 2 and how my response has been. I'll say that its been pretty smooth--I've got some sores in my mouth and throat but they don't interfere in eating really. Yesterday I thought I was starting to get that nauseous sorta feeling in the morning but fought my way through breakfast and took some medicine for that purpose (ew, my modifier is dangling there but I'll leave it in for comedy's sake--I took the medicine for nauseousness, not eating breakfast). As it turns out when I went to Hopkins I learned that my blood counts had dropped. The White Blood Cells are very low--right on schedule--so now I'm at high risk for infection and pretty much stuck at home. Also, my Red Blood Cells were very low. For those that don't have medical training or a reason to otherwise know this, Red Blood Cells carry oxygen from the lungs to your body.

As I look back on the morning I realize now that I was getting very winded running up and down the stairs in our split-level home helping Marla to get the kids ready for school/halloween parties. At any rate, the fix for that is to receive a blood transfusion. I suspect now that my feeling poorly in the morning relates more to the Red Blood Cell counts and not nauseousness. To me the need for a transfusion sounds scary and severe but was assured that this is a common part of cancer treatment and, in my regimen, particularly common for the 'B' treatments (see the link to the Hyper CVAD treatment plan to understand more). So, until someone tells me that needing a transfusion is a cause for concern I will trust my treatment team and remain unconcerned by it.

The spinal tap did not go so well. In fact it was unsuccessful after two attempts. According to the nurses, the spaces between my vertebrae are pretty small and after 3 prior taps (two requiring two attempts) the possible spaces are pretty well riddled with scar tissue. This means that the methodology will be changing on the spinal taps and they will be done under flouroscopy which I understand to mean they will use x-ray technology to determine the correct path/placement of the needles. I'm all for anything that will improve the experience as they are getting progressively worse and I've still got 9 more to get!

I'm home and feeling fine. Eating candy like mad--I've been directed to get plenty of calories and protein (there's protein in the nuts in Snickers, right?--stop laughing). Still have the same amount of energy and feel good. Here's to hoping that I dodge a fever during my neutropenic period, the WBC counts come up in short order, I get a bed at Hopkins and I move this process ahead by a week or so--how cool would that be?!