Chemo Treatment #2

Mom and dad came along for the trip today. We arrived early since traffic mostly cooperated so they got to take in the facility and surroundings, and talk about what to expect. It turns out that mom once showed one of her sculptures in an art opening in the outdoor courtyard of the medical facility several years ago.

Our first order of business was the 10am consultation and examination with Dr. Seifter before starting the chemo treatment. This meeting will occur each time I go for treatment. All three of us met with Dr. Seifter and reviewed my latest CBC and then asked questions. My white blood cell count (WBC) is right where it needs to be at 2.4 (x 10³ /µL), so dose #2 (including nausea meds, a steroid, and the ABVD chemo components) will be the same amounts as dose #1. This WBC also validated that the initial prescription amounts were spot on. And that was a good sign given the unusually large volume of chemo (for Dr. Seifter's patients) that was initially prescribed based on my body surface area. Other than WBC, another thing to watch will be HCL (hematocrit) that shouldn't get below 30. RBC most likely won't go down until later in the treatment cycles.

The examination was routine and my BP was steady at 120/80 again. Some additional good news is Dr. Seifter found that the left supraclavicular lymph node is smaller than previously noted and hard to find. And there was no other sign of the few swollen lymph nodes where they once were. We followed up with a few more questions, admiration of Dr. Seifter's fossils, and a quick exchange on a Vinctifer Comptoni fossil that mom and dad have. Also, the odds are I will start to lose my hair right by mid next week. How ironically apropos that the jughead may be in full view in time for Halloween! Lauren also scheduled my next pulmonary function test (PFT) at the JHU Outpatient Center on 07-Nov. Lastly, the group that provides the chemo for me is Pharamquip, part of the Johns Hopkins Home Care Group (not any sketchy compounding labs in the Northeast thankfully)

Dr. Seifter handed me the chemo therapy prescription for the day and we walked down to the chemo treatment facility. Activity today was more bustling than the previous times I remember. My impression remains that, other than an occasional pleasantry and polite attitudes, the chemo patients in Dr. Seifter's facility either sleep or keep to themselves for the most part. Other than talking with Anna, Dawn or Paulette on occasion, it's pretty low key. 

Mom and Dad Along for a field Trip

Unfortunately, when these Brackens are present, low key is rarely the modus operandi. Either mom and dad initially traded off sitting with me while the other sitting on a couch just outside in the hall. Eventually both were in the room for the final couple hours. So we were having one of our usual, low volume conversations that could still wake a person through their headphones. And one patient today, Murray, looked to be in a deep sleep with his headphones on. When he awoke he joined our conversation and we meandered all over the place from fishing, organizational behavior, our diagnoses and treatments, photography, and other topics. It was quite a pleasant an enlightening hour-long (or so) exchange. I was again reminded that I have won the cancer lottery with HL. Murray, a lawyer turned photographer following his passion, is currently on maintenance treatments (every couple months) for Non Hodgkin's Mantel Cell Lymphoma. One of his possible options down the road is a more exotic approach requiring stem cells. He looked great and had an even better attitude. I emailed him the link to this blog and he replied a little later to me on email. It was one of those times where you are left with a smile after an unplanned encounter because the finer side of humanity is ever present, just sometimes hidden from view until it's uncovered.

Dawn was my angel today and Paulette assisted as she tended to others as well. The routine was the same as treatment #1. However, this time we slowed the final drip (Dacarbazine) to avoid any discomfort. It worked even though it took a bit longer. In between work emails and enlightening conversations, I texted Eileen, our dear family friend and my guiding light through much of this. She was getting a chemo treatment at the same time as me at her doctor's facility across town. My treatment ended just past 1:30pm and off we were to lunch.

We were the last to be seated to Petit Louis for lunch just before 2pm. We had a phenomenal lunch of mussels, French onion soup, butternut squash soup, scallops, duck, with a side of mushrooms. The 2010 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussiere was the perfect accompaniment (along with two bottles of water primarily for me). I had an Alsatian apple tart and mom and dad had the pot-au-creme, a dark chocolate ganache-like custard that was rich and silky.

All in all another very good day. I was tired early in this evening, most likely due to needing more sleep last night. And I am now very thirsty like usual. Eileen recommended adding lemo to my electrolyte water because it is an alkalizing fruit - great idea!

Off to sleep, in spite of my steroid infusion.