Week 14

Hello all - hope everyone is staying warm and safe!! Only half way thru winter.

I've had a busy couple of weeks lots going on.

Good News: Cold is finally gone!!!, Blood counts have stayed good, I've been off treatment for 2 weeks this time around instead of 1 so I've been awake for 2 weekends in a row and got to take Kyla to tumbling this past Saturday - yeahhhh!

Best News: My tumor markers for this month have gone down again - from 86 last month to 49 this month. Normal according to Rockford is 0-38 so I'm going for zero. Different hospitals use a different number scale apparently - Loyola for example is 0 - 32 ( I think).

Bad News: The reason I've had two weeks off instead of one is my newest issue is my gums, teeth and throat are hurting so badly I couldn't eat solid or spicy foods at all. Since being off two weeks in a row I do feel better and can eat more but I just had another treatment today so it will likely get worse again. In reaction to this my doctor has changed my schedule from 3 weeks on/1 week off to 2 weeks on/1 week off and lowered my medicine by about 15%.

I'm also having trouble with my PICC line because my skin is so sensitive and now he wants me to have a PORT put in my chest instead to avoid any possibility of infection. This will be a surgery I am not looking forward to but in the long run it will probably be better. The PICC is in my arm and a pain - I was just hoping to stick it out and take it OUT!

That's the bulk of my two weeks - really starting to feel good but I know that is going to change now that I'm starting my 4 month. Have to keep remembering how lucky I am and keep plowing ahead.

Love to all - have a great weekend!

Lynn