Chemo Treatment #7 - It's All Downhill From Here

This chemo treatment went as well as can be expected so it looks like I'm back to normal thankfully. Dad accompanied me to this treatment. After the difficulty of #6 we decided it was best to always have someone along in case I can't drive home. Pop packed some sensible food this time – pecan butter and strawberry jam on whole grain sandwiches, organic blueberries, chicken noodle soup and water. Just like when I was growing up when organic food was cheaper (and healthier) than conventional food. My buddy Rob remembers those days in Junior High, when I would look at my lunch and beg or "borrow" a spare Oreo or Pinwheel cookie from him to complement my healthy food. 

We arrived just before 9am only to find out that we were an hour early. I goofed on the appointment time thinking all of my 2013 treatments were at 9am. Lauren and Dr. Seifter were accommodating and I was in for my biweekly consult by 9:15. Dr Seifter was happy to see that I had recovered well after Chemo treatment #6. It was a gut check for both of us given that I was fighting an unknown infection that may have been upper respiratory. In many cases Dr. Seifter would have opted to postpone the treatment but we made the decision to continue and it worked out fine. I also asked about the pain in my left elbow and we'll keep an eye on it. It could be an aggravated vein. Today we're using the right arm for chemo to avoid any further left arm aggravation. All of my vitals (blood pressure, temperature, lungs, etc.) checked out fine.One new thing I learned from Dr. Seifter is that Treatment # 8 is the magic number. The existing medical research indicates that 8 doses of ABVD are the baseline. The remaining 4 rounds will be my insurance (no pun intended for Blue Cross Blue Shield)! 

Anna and her son Chris were working in the Chemo room today. As usual the first order of business was to get a CBC completed. The results were back promptly and my white blood cell counts were right where they should be at 2100/microliter. My red blood cell count was back in the normal range and everything else was fine. It was a quiet day in the chemo room. There was an older gentlemen sitting to my left who I had seen once before. He was smiling the whole time and for good reason. This was his last treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Follicular Lymphoma. His treatments had lasted 5 years. He said there had been no side effects with his treatment, much to my amazement. 5 years…I"m feeling really lucky that, if all goes well, I'll be done in just 6 months – yet another upside!

My next pulmonary function test is scheduled for 16-Jan. at the JHU Outpatient Center We don't want the DLCO/VA value to go under 70% of predicted value because that means the Bleomycin is adversely affecting my lung tissue. DLCO/VA is the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) normalized per liter alveolar volume (VA). In English, this measures the ability of my lungs to transport oxygen, carbon monoxide and other gases into and out of the blood (by way of diffusion through various membranes). My initial measurement was 108% of predicted value and it has steadily declined to 79% at PFT #4 a few weeks back. My lungs feel markedly better now than two weeks ago so I'm hopeful that the worst is behind me. If it does go below 70%, then Dr. Seifter will discontinue the Bleomycin. Fortunately this is the least important of the 4 chemo drugs so ending it should not affect treatment. Personally, I want to get through round 8 with no changes if that's the magic number. 

I'm looking forward to hanging with SeanP who will accompany me to the next treatment. He's volunteered a couple times and it's much appreciated. Among other things, I'm also looking forward to the steak dinner in NYC that we'll be planning when this is all said and done.

Much love to you all!