21. Chemo Treatment # 9

Thursday December 3rd, 2009

So, Matt has had chemo treatment # 9 and the reason I'm not writing about it until today is because Matt's last treatment (# 9) was delayed from Nov. 24th until just this past Tuesday (December 1st).

Yes, Matt did not have to have treatment the Tuesday before Thanksgiving nor before his Birthday (Friday, November 27th) nor before our annual X-mas tree hunt following the day after Thanksgiving.
Yes, he was able to delay treatment for one week - bringing his treatment schedule back to where it was before it was delayed due to his low white blood count before treatment # 8.

That means X-mas, too will now land on Matt's good week. We are excited.

Of course you wonder if delaying treatment for a week is a smart thing to do. Yes. So did we. But we asked Dr. Gribbins what he thought. We told him if it was at all a concern we didn't want to delay. He said it was absolutely no problem. When they were running the studies on ABVD they didn't have the white blood count boosters and had to delay treatment due to low white blood counts often and treatment outcomes were good. Besides, Matt's last PET scann was clean!
So, we decided that the Holidays and Matt's birthday were important to us and we delayed treatment.

He is doing o.k. after treatment # 9. As usual he is nauseous, taking his anti nausea meds to prevent getting sick and is tired and sleeping all day and exhausted and does not want to do this EVER AGAIN!!!! NEVER AGAIN!!!! EVER!!!!

But, in my mind he has only 3, I repeat 3 treatments left and then will be done with this gruesome ordeal and then will back to growing his eyebrows and eyelashes and manly chest hair back! Yes! ONLY 3 more treatments and our life can get back to normal!

By the way, I'm sick again, this time on antibiotics for two weeks for a sinus infection. Ugh, I'm glad it's me and not Matt, but seriously, my immune system seems more off than his. Thank goodness he hasn't caught any of my illnesses.
At this point, they found me to be slightly B12 deficient yet in the normal range. Apparently enough to receive Vitamin B12 shots once a week for the next 4 weeks and then once a month for the next year. What I want to know is why I am B12 deficient. (They are also running a Vitamin D blood test, but I won't get results back until next week).

Matt did get the H1N1 shot last week Tuesday, after seeing Dr. Gribbins (instead of chemo). The girls and I received our H1N1 shots on Tuesday December 1st. Matt had no side effects at all. Sylvia and me neither. (I was already sick as of last Friday night, so my sinus problems have nothing to do with the H1N1 shot). Hailey got a big read spot about 4 inches in diameter around the injection site which was sore the day after, but is fine now.

Our Christmas tree is up and Matt got all the x-mas lights up outside. We are excited about the Holidays!

Hailey did such a great job in the Nutcracker and we are looking forward to seeing Hailey and Sylvia perform in the winter recital at Saugatuck  High School at 6:30pm on Friday, December 18th. Tickets are available at the door for $5. Come and join us for a spectacular show put on by the Dance Asylumn. Get there about a half hour early for good seats.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!!!