Update: Chemo Round 3

It’s been a quiet few weeks. Radiation ended last Tuesday and since then Anna has felt really good. The last few radiation treatments were “boosted” so we were bracing for pain, but all she noticed was sensitive teeth, which we did not expect. The chemo from January had worn off and most days were spent laying low and eating well. She even went to church twice (we weren’t too happy about that because of the risk). 

There’s some worry about her white blood cells again. The Radiologist noted the issue on her last day of radiation (they drew her blood that day). Even her pre-chemo blood draw a few days later, on the 11th, was below the acceptable range. Low WBC makes chemo risky because they crash 5-7 days later. If you go in with a deficit the drop can be more dangerous. Luckily, Monday morning (the 14th) she had improved enough to complete the scheduled chemo infusion at 745AM. But not by much.

Not the start to a Valentine's Day you would expect!

Anna's chemo regimen is 2 infusions on day 1 (a long and short infusion), followed by a short infusion on day 2 and 3. The first infusion is alllllll day. The nurses flush the line, give a 90 minute infusion, flush the line again and then add a 4-5 hour infusion. David spent the day with her at the clinic in Concord. It’s cold inside so we make sure we’re prepared with blankets. We also bring books and chargers to help pass the time. The cafe' has a decent selection of hot soup our mom likes. The clinic offers sugary drinks and processed packaged foods to infusion patients which boggles our minds... 

Today, Tuesday the 15th, we are back for the shorter infusion. We scored a corner room that was private so she took a nice nap. We have the third infusion tomorrow then we brace for the weekend when the chemo takes it’s toll and crashes her WBC (white blood count). Prayer this week, please.