Getting more blood

Well, its really no surprise, as much as I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, my red counts are super low today.  My Hematocrit is 20 - the lowest it has been is 19 so thats pretty stinkin low and explains my extreme fatigue in the last few days. That also means I have to get 2 more units of blood today, which takes forever.  My platelets are also really low - 59 - which is the lowest they have been by far - nothing really to do about those except hope they jump up to above 75 by Friday so I can get chemo next week.  Cross your fingers for that please.

I also saw Dr Holt, my orthopedic oncology surgeon, this morning for a routine follow up.  She said my scar looks good but there is a lot of scar tissue.  Nothing really to do about that.  In some ways it doesn't even seem real that all this started with surgery back in January!  She said the leg swelling & "fat foot" is probably going to continue for a while but eventually should get better.  She said its part of the healing process but has been made worse by the radiation therapy I had.  That also seems like another lifetime - when I had radiation every day for 6 weeks back in the spring. 

We discussed follow up visits and she explained that the chance of either recurrence (the cancer coming back at the original site) or metastasis (the cancer coming back in a different place - most likely my lungs) is highest in the first 2 years, which I knew.  This is why the follow ups every 3 months for 2 years.  After 2 years the chance of recurrence or metastases goes WAY down which is why the follow ups become less frequent at that point.

She explained that the scans I get every 3 months will be a CT of my chest and abdomen and an MRI of my pelvis which includes the original surgery site.  So I'm anxious to ask Dr Keedy when I see her on Friday if we can get the first set of those scheduled for the week after chemo - why wait! 

I told Dr Holt I have no intention of this coming back and that I am not planning to give her another chance to cut on me.  She laughed and said Hell No, its not coming back.  Gotta love that I have doctors with so much personality. 

So kind of a disappointing day with the blood counts but not really surprising.  We are going to Parent Night at Emilia's school tonight.  Here is a picture of Eri at gymnastics last night.  She had a blast and can't wait to go again -

And one of my sweet girls at breakfast yesterday.