December 1, 2003

I had my blood checked this morning, and was quite surprised to be told that my counts were very low. I thought after a $6000 shot of Neulasta last week, they'd be fine, but the nurse said that takes 8-10 days to kick in. I wonder why my counts were so high only one day after the Neulasta shot last time? Who knows. My total white count was only at 1.5 and the Granuloyctes were only at .5. Good thing I'm not scheduled for chemo, because they wouldn't let me with numbers that low. She said that I'm again, highly susceptible to infection, I need to take my temperature 3 times a day and if it gets to 100.5, call them right away. She gave me some more advice to avoid infection: stay away from people who have colds, don't eat off a salad bar, only eat fruit where you have to peel off the peel (oranges or bananas) -- not apples, without washing them. That was an interesting perspective. And of course, get rest, and drink fluids. My hematocrit number (part of the red blood cell count) was just under 36, (35.2)and so they gave me a shot of Aranesp - another 2 grand. But what do I care? I've reached my catastrophic limit. The rest of this year is on my Insurance company! <grin>. I felt a little queasy... had a slight headache, and was feeling just generally "blah" Plus, my mouth felt and tasted weird, and my gums were sore....all a part of the reaction to chemo...nothing to be worried about. . So I heeded their advice and went to bed early tonight.