Monday, November 12, 2007

Good news, not so good news

The good news is I'm just a week away from ending my chemo and two days away from concluding my radiation. Found out today that Dr. Z needs just a week more of the chemo for it to be considered a full course. Whew! Then, he said, I get to recover from the treatments for a few weeks.

On the downside, my numbers -- specifically my white blood count -- is below what Dr. Z wanted to see when I first met him. But I told him I'm feeling better considering the two infections I'm coming off and he agreed to keep the chemo pump on my for the final week. Whew. I really do want to kick this cancer's ass, and if that means wiping me out for another week, I'm up to the challenge. The doctor's a good man, and he knows I think the world of him.

Also today I learned that I'll have a PET scan Dec. 12 and that I will schedule an endoscopy with Dr. Styne for a day or two after that, so when I see Dr. Z Dec. 18 he'll have all the info he needs to stage and diagnose where I'm at.

My surgeon will be Dr. Boyer, and I'll meet him for the first time this Wednesday. He apparently is up to speed on my situation because I've been discussed at the Wednesday cancer committee meetings of which Dr. Boyer takes part. So it's good to be in the hands of someone familiar with my case specifically even before we meet.

I imagine my surgery will be sometime after that Dec. 18 meeting with Dr. Z and before the end of the year. I'd like to keep the surgery in 2007 so I don't have to start the 10 percent co-pay all over in 2008.

There finally seems to be light at the end of this dismal tunnel.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there!
Good to see your shining face again. I figured you were having a tough week, with the infection and bronchitis, but you sound great in the latest post. Just know we are all reading eagerly, and when you don't post for a week, we get antsy. But I was good and didn't call and whine at you.

love,

Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Glad to see some fresh posts ... and that your spirits are up. Keep fighting and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.
-dc

Anonymous said...

good to hear from you again. hang in there, my friend. you've got lots of loyal readers.

Anonymous said...

We are missing you here at the Sentinel. Just isn't the same at night and on Saturdays.

Glad you like Dr. Z as much as I did. He really is a coat in a storm, as my granny used to say.

Was worried when you didn't post for a week..
Luv Ann

Keith W. Kohn said...

I miss all of you, too. Thanks for the comments. Sorry I was off line for so long, but last week was just pretty miserable. I went online briefly like once and just wasn't up to posting. But I'm glad to be feeling better today. I think it's because Dr. Z prescribed a shot of some anti-nausea drug Monday, which should carry me through much of the week. And Monday the chemo ends. Whew!