Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dangerously tired but all is well with me and my ibrutinib

Just like you shouldn't text when driving or call your boss when drinking, I shouldn't blog on three hours sleep.

My trip home stated with a 3AM wake up to get to the Cloumbus airport around 4:20AM for my 5:50 AM flight to Chicago as the first leg of my trip home.

Yesterday I got good news. Went for a beautiful walk in Inniswood Garden to celebrate. Pictures to follow.

More good news.

Hgb is back up to a low normal 13.8. No downward trend.

My reticulocytes are just fine at 1.8 (some unproven but possible concerns that BTK inhibition might effect retics which are baby red cells and therefore eventually lead to anemia).

My WBC climbed from 9.8 to 12.1, which was mostly from my ALC going from 2.9 to 4.1. This are very small changes, but could represent more shifting of cancer cells from my nodes to the blood stream. One of the pleasant ironies of ibrutinib treatment is that, at lead in the early phases of treatment, no matter what your lymphocytes do, go, up down or stay stable, it is possible and logical to have a positive interpretation. Nice that is virtually impossible to get any bad news.

Eosinophils are high again following a weekly saw tooth pattern. Absolute count is 1.3 which would normally get my attention.  Seeing it is not trending up, I am not worrying.

Platelets are still super at well over 400,000, partially reflecting the reality that  a spleen less, so they enjoy a longer life span with much less filtering

Neuts are 5. That's nice.

No change in my nodes on exam, but seeing as most are gone or have shrunken in just three weeks of therapy to less than 1x 1 cm, it is hard to detect meaningful change.

I still some gut issues- heartburn, cramps, mild nausea. Nothing dramatic.

Next week, after flying across the country yet again, I get will two CT scans, more extensive lab work, my next 28 days' worth of inbrutinib and the associated diary, and  IV ofatumumab, all on the same day.

From there, the next day I fly to Orlando to lecture before I get to rest at home.

Also, as my follow-up visit is on day 30 and I only get 28 days of pills, I will have been of my magic pills for two full days, something I am not looking forward to.

More on this subject in another post. This may not be an insignificant issue.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous jcleri said...

Not insightfull? I don't think so. Now we just keep praying that the numbers keep going in the proper direction.

AND to top it off your beloved KINGS......what in the heck......talk is they will take it all the way, maybe even a sweep. Is it rude of me to say I want my Duck to hold the only cup in SO. CA?

Keep up the good work.

Judy

May 31, 2012 at 8:31 AM  

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