Crappy weeks off...

Last Thursday Mike had his 33rd treatment. When we went in for his appointment the doctor informed us that his platelets were low at 67. We never know in that moment his labs are done if the platelet levels are on their way back up or still going down lower. Anything below 50 is an increased risk of having bleeding if you bump yourself or fall. His oncologist doesn't usually treat PC patients with platelets under 75. We had a few options we could hold off treatment for a week in hopes they would rise, we could skip treatments for two weeks then start a new cycle or he could have treatment that day at a 20% lower dose (since he had not reduced his dose in the first two weeks of this cycle). We talked it through... the first option meant we would have to go in for treatment the day before or after thanksgiving which would be a nightmare to fit us in the schedule. The second option meant skipping for two weeks which we were not comfortable with. The last option to treat at a lower dose made the most sense. Since his treatment cycles are 3 weeks on and one week off we were really looking forward to having thanksgiving week off and to stay on schedule to have Christmas week as an off week too. With his doctor telling us he was comfortable to have treatment that day at a lower dose we decided to go with that. However, we had to bring him to have blood work that following Tuesday to find out if he needed to go back in for a blood transfusion or a platelet booster. Luckily his bloodwork came back today and he was at 142 which is a safer range.

For the past month or so Ava has been coming home with a cough/cold and not feeling so well. Some days she looks fine when other she looks miserable. Her mother had taken her to the doctor and she got an inhaler and hoped that would help. Monday morning I had talked with her mom and she said Ava was sounding awful again and was going to get a doctor appointment for the following day. Unfortunately Ava went to the nurse at the end of the day and had passed out at school. We rushed to get her and brought her straight to the doctors. She was very dehydrated from her cough and lack of fluids. Mike had to wear a mask in the doctor office since his immune system is severely compromised. Ava had a rapid flu test which came back negative and she also received the flu shot. Everyone that is around Mike often has to have the flu shot. She was given an antibiotic and we hope she will finally be feeling better.

Since Ava has been so sick the past weeks she has had to keep her distance from Mike. Mike immune system is so weak and its very important for his health to not have him get sick. I can't stress it enough. An illness could take him out... Unfortunately Mike started not to feel well on Tuesday into Wednesday. I got right on the phone with his doctor to find out the next step. He was given medicine and has to stay hydrated or we will be in the hospital for IV fluids.

Of course on his week off he doesn't feel well for other reasons. The last time he had his week off he didn't feel well either. It's been a good 2 months plus of feeling crappy with what seems like no break. During his treatment weeks we push through on auto pilot and when it's his off weeks we slow down to try and enjoy it. Unfortunately cancer doesn't take the holidays off...

On a side note Mike's new anxiety meds have done wonders. He is no longer having his hot flashes or is anxious. However, his rash on his arm is resurfacing, the mouth sores are troublesome, his legs ache and his overall fatigue wipes him out daily. All these things don't help with his depression. He still wishes he could just have a day that he feels good. We all wish that for him...

Yesterday we spent Thanksgiving at my parents house with both my family and Mike's. We had a great time.

Ava's elf on the shelf, Twinkle has returned. She is very excited about it. It's cute to see how excited she gets for the holidays.

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Short but sweet.

Today was Mike's 31st treatment. It may have taken almost a year but we finally figured out the best time to go into Dana Farber so that we miss traffic and long wait times. Things went pretty smoothly. We arrived on time and didn't wait long for labs. Mike's port didn't work today so they had to put TPA in it to clear it up for treatment. Mike hasn't been feeling great over the past few days. He started having a lot of anxiety followed by body hot flashes, sweating, dizziness and light headedness. He struggled to work this week and I was of course worried about him. His rash on his arm ran its course and was defiantly bothersome. Going into this weeks appointment we were both anxious. I had a splitting migraine that I couldn't shake. Thankfully Mike's appointment went well. His oncologist said that all of his bloodwork looked great. His liver counts have been off the past few months due to the effects of chemo for the past year. It was a concern but today it looked great. There are two different types of tumor markers for PC. The blood work tells us what they are. His CEA was in normal range at its lowest count yet and his CA-19 was so low that it wasn't even detected in his blood. He previously had chemo induced anemia which was significantly better and his red/white blood counts and platelets where in great ranges. This was all good news! He hasn't had belly pain which is a good sign and his symptoms are mostly side effects from treatments. Aside from the rash (which he set up an appointment for Mike to see dermatology) his fingernails have been sore and changing shape. He said it was toxicity from being on treatment so long. The great thing about his oncologist is he listens to us gives us information that we can understand and works with us to come up with treatment plans. He asked us what we thought the hot flashes were coming from and I was pretty certain it's from the anxiety he has been battling, which Mike agreed. His oncologist thought it could be a sign the cancer is growing but said since his blood work was great, he doesn't have pain, his stomach isn't distended and he can't feel any tumors through his belly that it's likely it could be an anxiety reaction. So he prescribed Mike some daily anxiety medication. We will see how it works fingers crossed! 

We didn't hit any traffic on the way home either which was great! Once we got home Mike myself and the puppy all crawled into bed for some snuggle time. 

Health update on me. My insurance hit its maximum for physical therapy visits so I had to stop therapy on my sprained ankle. I sprained it back in May and it has never been the same since. I can feel the effects of not being in PT anymore. It aches and is so sore. Some days both of my feet hurt so bad I can't walk at the end of the night or in the morning when I wake up. I'm not really sure what I am going to do. My orthopedic doctor in September mentioned if it didn't get better then I would need an MRI to see if surgery was needed. I know my health is important but I just can't handle the stress of all that right now. I am hoping to go back to PT in January when my new insurance starts. We will see. In regards to the terrible symptoms I have been battling since April 2014, nothing has changed. My doctor is going to treat me for Lyme since my symptoms match Lyme disease to a T. I start that treatment next week. She said I will get better before I get worse so we will see. Finger crossed. I have thought it was Lyme from day 1 but never showed positive on the tests. However Lyme is very difficult to diagnose and not everyone that has it will test positive for the disease.

For those who have been asking about the Bravelets jewelry here's the info! 

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Each Bravelet that is purchased through this site donates $10 to Mike's Fight.
To purchase a Bravelet Click Here