Updates from 2/19

Big week with lots of updates!

• When we last left you it was right before the super bowl. The bad guys won. Boo!

• Overall I am still feeling pretty good. My fatigue is definitely a bit worse and for the past 2-3 days I've been a little more down than usual. Just a lot going on in my little pea brain, ya know? I am feeling better now. The Burtness is rebounding

• Monday I went to see Dr. Pegna (my medical oncologist) to get blood work done and have an appointment

  • The good news is that a lot of my blood markers, most notably my hemoglobin and my ferritin (iron) are still trending up, so he told me he no longer considers me anemic! That's a big deal for me!

  • The not-so-great news is that my platelets have dropped to 75. He had a threshold of 100 where below we would be a little concerned. Part of it is expected, as one of my chemo drugs (Tem) causes lower platelets. That being said, it's an indicator that my body might be saying that we are close to being done with chemo. He gave me another two-week break from chemo and we will then test my blood again and see what my platelet counts are doing. Lower platelets could contribute to my increased fatigue too. We are now talking surgery more firmly and it looks like it's going to happen in June (date is TBD)

  • He is also taking me off my ulcer and stomach acid meds and testing a new one for me. He wants to test my gastrin levels and my current ulcer meds inflate the numbers. So by taking me off we will get a cleaner read

  • But, overall, he is still happy with my progress. Surgery was always going to happen and the drop in platelet count was expected, so there are no surprises (which is a good thing).

  • I am doing blood work and seeing him again on 2/27 to test my platelets and my gastrin levels to see how I've done on the new meds and extended chemo break

• My symptoms are mostly fatigue, my stomach issues, and my skin. A few others but those are the main ones. I decided to go see a dermatologist to help with the skin symptoms (they won't be able to treat the cause but can at least help clear up the symptom

  • She was great. Looked me over (I don't have any skin cancer, yay for me!) and gave me a number of ointments to use. So far they seem to be helping which is a big deal. I was pretty self-conscious about being red and blotchy

• Friday I went for my monthly checkup with my retina specialist who said that I am looking great and no longer need monthly appointments! Such a relief!

• So, the three doctors went great this week. Two with stellar news and help and Dr Pegna with good news (not anemic and blood trending well) and expected news (surgery and lower platelets)

• Mentally, it was a really good week. Therapy was great. I did some social media posts for SIO (my integrative oncology group), had a brainstorm call with NCAN (my NETs group), and did some usability work and proposal writing for OHSU. I even started my job which officially starts tomorrow!

• I am SO excited about my job! It's exactly what I would have described I wanted. Part-time (50%), in healthcare, working with patients, making a difference in the world, and working with friends. I couldn't be happier!

• Next week is just the Dr. Pegna follow-up (2/27) and nothing much for this week.

Thanks for reading!