Monday, December 20, 2010

Update & Request for Prayer: December 20, 2010

Radiation was canceled again today due to my low blood counts. I received radiation on last Monday and then the two other fractions were canceled last week. It is time for my marrow to recover and produce some cells! My WBC, hemoglobin and platelets are all low. Please pray that bone marrow failure is not the problem. You might recall after the first couple of weeks of radiation in November, I had a similar problem with all of my counts dropping. We requested prayer and they recovered. I am trusting they will recover again since marrow failure would be a very serious development.

Before having labs drawn, I knew my hemoglobin was down in the 8 or 9 range because I can always hear a whooshing of my heart or blood flow in my ears when my hemoglobin is in that range and that happened all night. And I was correct! Between the whooshing and the cough, I only slept an hour all night. The doctor said he had never treated a patient who knows her body like I know mine.

All we can do is to pray and to be patient. Our plan was to have the 600 cGy cumulative dose completed on New Year's Eve, but that is not going to happen. I am looking at mid-January now before completing radiation. Just going three times weekly for the treatment is very tiring. I believe this week is Week 7.

The cough continues. We have received no new answers from the tests ordered last week. The EKG will be repeated on my heart on Wednesday of this week and I will return to radiation on Wednesday. More Neupogen is ordered and if my platelets recover some, I will receive acupuncture on Wednesday.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

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