Mom had a blood test and visit with Dr Lee today to see how her body is handling the chemo. The great news is that her CA125 count is down to 29. It is a tumor marker, meaning it detects how much cancer is in the body. It was elevated to 330 before her surgery and normally healthy people have a count of 35. So she is in the clear and we are aiming to keep it that way.
The slightly frustrating news is that her kidney, still weak from the surgery, is not doing so great at filtering out the carbo platin, the main chemo medicine. The result has been a delayed reaction of reoccurring hives and a low platelet count. Her count is 50,000 and a normal count should be 150,000-400,000. This may mean another transfusion and some regularly scheduled IV hydration treatment until that count gets up to par. It also means she will not be adding the second chemo medicine, Avastin, to her treatment as planned during the second cycle. Instead, Dr Lee plans to reduce even the amount of carbo platin Mom is getting until her blood count is stronger. Dr Lee reassured Mom that this does not threaten her positive results, nor does it mean she is getting a lower-quality treatment. It is simply a means of treating the whole patient and allowing Mom's body to get stronger before her body battles the cancer that aggressively.
Her Majesty
Her Majesty
2 comments:
thanks Megan and Brad in earlier posts ...have been away from the holidays but you have not been far from our thoughts...the cancer marker reduction is great news and the toleration of chemo issues seem more transient...though they must be hard for youall to deal with ...will write Carla later oxox
We are still praying for you, Carla! Happy about the marker reduction results, and we will continue to pray for the other issues with the kidney, and chemo.
Blessings to you for the New Year!
Ellen Forrester
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