Blood issues? Are you kidding?

So it's about time I updated everyone with the latest health news. Ugghh. I went to Chapel Hill September 28th expecting to receive another samarium injection to help with my back pain. Unfortunately, my blood work, which has always been described as "fine" just like I look "fine" [how can you be sick, you look fine! I hear that so often] is no longer fine.

Inexplicably, my platelets, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, etc. has been falling. The platelet count, specifically, is in free fall. It's supposed to be somewhere between 150-440 and was 58, last time they checked. My nuclear medicine doctor was willing to give a smaller samarium dose if the platelet count was somewhere near 100 (it was 89 one week which was low but do-able) but not with it at 58. BTW, your body's platelets help to cause blood clotting when you bleed. If the platelet count gets down in the tens and twenties, my oncologist said, you can start spontaneously bleeding out of your nose and gums and it won't stop. You can bleed to death, essentially.

What caused my platelets to drop? We don't know. I was told on the 28th, when my platelets were down at 58, that I probably have metastases in my bone marrow as well as my bones and my liver. With bone marrow mets, your body has a hard time getting your blood counts up (platelets, WBC, hemoglobin, etc) because there are not enough normal (non-cancerous) cells in your bone marrow making good blood. As a result, you are not eligible for most chemotherapies (which suppress bone marrow so you have to have good blood counts to begin with).

Essentially, we are worried that my platelet counts will keep going down. I am tired these days, and I mean tired. I will do one activity a day, such as walking the dog or maybe going to pilates class, and then I return to bed for the rest of the day. And it is HARD to get through a pilates class because I am exhausted by 15 minutes into the class. But anyone who knows me knows that when I give that up I am in trouble because that is my social life! Yesterday's pilates and dog walk caused me to nap for about 4 hours and spend the rest of the day in my bed! So this makes the tired of 6 months ago seem like a walk in the park.

So, anyway, please pray that my blood counts improve. We cannot even fight these new mets with chemo until my blood recovers. Although I am at peace with my disease and the possibility of going to meet my maker (there is no cancer in heaven :) woo hoo!!!) I know that my children and husband need me here. So please continue to pray -- I know many of you already are.

I go back to Chapel Hill October 12 and will have my blood tested again. Let's hope the numbers go up! I will try and report either way after that appointment.

Love,
Sofie