Two down, 10 to go!

April 28, 2009

Today was my second of 12 weekly Abraxane appointments. I handled the first one very well and expect that the second will be similar. I did not have the chemical, drugged feeling I had with the AC treatments, but I was more tired than I had been with past treatments. My blood draw indicated that I am anemic, which probably has a lot to do with the fatigue and low energy. My red blood cell numbers are supposed to be between 36 and 45 and mine are 28. My oncologist is “keeping an eye on it” for now and hoping they come back up next week. In the mean time, I will be trying to eat meat, spinach, beans, iron-fortified cereal and other high-iron foods. I don’t usually eat much meat and have continued to stay away from it since I am supposed to follow this low-fat diet. This complicates things, but vegetarians manage to keep their iron up without eating meat, so maybe I can too. If my counts drop further, I will need a blood transfusion. Ugh – I don’t want to even think about that.

My neighbor Andy and I signed up for a six-week meditation class on Monday nights. My first class was last night and I think it will prove to be really helpful. The teacher spoke a lot about living in the moment and experiencing life now, instead of altering the experience with thoughts of the past and future “what ifs”. I am the worst offender: “What if the cancer comes back?” “What if these infusions make me more and more tired every week?” “What if…?” I am trying to learn to do what I can to stay healthy, then stop creating anxiety by thinking about things that are out of my control. Easier said than done!

The trip down south to Vancouver was a great recharge. Oliver had a blast playing with Tami’s kids and I, of course, enjoyed visiting with my former college roommate. We’re planning another trip soon – this time on the train! We went to a fun birthday party Saturday night in Camas where I met some members (Tami’s friends and former co-workers) of my “StompThis” Vancouver Fan Club! A shout out to all my faithful readers!

More appointments and general health-related things this week and next, with a few lunches and get-togethers with friends thrown in. I received three freelance job requests today, so I am starting to ramp up my work a little more. Fingers crossed that I can keep those red cell counts up and stomp the remaining 10 weeks!