Good news

I saw Kipps today. Platelets were 367,000 so they are climbing almost 2 weeks post IVIG and the rest of the lab is also good. Kidney function has been hit a touch by the cyclosporine (CSP), but is still well within the normal range. Blood pressure, also a concern with cyclosporine, was good too. And very importantly, no growth of the palpable nodes.

My last rituximab was July 8, so it has been 5 weeks.

This is the best news I could hope for

The question is what to do next and when to do it.

I will be scheduling a bone marrow biopsy soon that will help determine the plan.

I am planning a busy fall, so I hope to maintain the status quo for a long long time.

Posting less

The Nine Muses

I have been posting less.

This does not mean that trouble is afoot and I am waiting for the tide to turn before I can sanitized the news to safely share it.

There are three common reasons these pages go blank for days.

The first is that nothing worth reporting is happening.

Boring is good when you have cancer, very very good, but boring is also boring. Today my platelets were a wonderful 325,000, slightly higher than it was 2 weeks ago, and the first time since last May that I have gone without a weekly visit to the infusion center. Things are clearly going well.

The second reason is that at times I don't feel much like writing. The muses don't show up. This is most often because I am out of kilter, lost in direction, distracted, overwhelmed, or over tired.

The third is that I am busy writing and editing stuff with due dates.

With the the blog, I have no due dates, but that does not mean I have no responsibilities.

There is much happening when nothing is happening, much to learn when time slows down, when I have no news, good or bad, and no desire to write. It is a time to be most aware.

Thus this is precisely the time I must reconnect. As my favorite novelist, Tom Robbbins says about his writing style, I show up whether the muses do or not.

So expect me to get back to a more robust reporting.

Expect more soon on BP (not the oil company, but blood pressure), on the bats of Austin, the muses, and the considerable risks and downside of "looking good" and being inspirational.

Back to Normal

My platelets were 154,000 this morning so my new treatment is working. And working fast.

I got some time on my side again, but not now, as I have been away from the beach from 7 this morning. It is 9:15 PM now and they lock the gates at 10:00 PM and I am still doing chores at home.

At the infusion center all day, then a workout, then chores.