Blood Work #2 Post Infusion #2 - October 13, 2010

Delays at the GW Bridge, OBX and the Holland Tunnel were mentioned on the news this morning so it naturally followed that there was a bit more traffic than usual on our drive into the city.

Pete went into the lab to have blood drawn, then into the treatment area to have vitals recorded. After that it was just a matter of waiting for the results of the blood work. Dr R said a quick "hello" as he passed by, but he was checking on patients who were in the midst of active treatment. A came in a few minutes later and talked with us, but until the blood results came in there wasn't anything much to say. She did ask Pete if he had gotten a flu shot and mentioned that they would be scheduling a PET scan 2 weeks post-Neulasta shot. The reason for that is Neulasta stimulates the bone marrow to produce white blood cells. If the scan is done too soon after the shot, the bone marrow, particularly near the ends of the bones, glows much like the tumors glow. It's best to wait until things slow down to get a more accurate read on tumor activity and not confuse it with bone marrow activity.

D was in and out several times. She brought Pete an info sheet on flu vaccine and a release to sign for the shot, returned, gave Pete the shot, and was gone again, then was back with the blood report. The news was good; the numbers are all coming up, yay! WBC is 14.0, RBC is 3.20 and hemoglobin is 10.6. Thursday, 10/21, will be 2 weeks since the Neulasta shot so she advised Pete to call L and set up an appointment for the PET scan for either that day or the next. The results of that scan and the numbers they get on the blood work that day will determine what the next treatment will be and when it will be scheduled. Translation: Pete has 8 days of "R & R" before having to return to the city.

On the ride home I mentioned to him that maybe Bruce and I will take a little road trip in the RV to check out the fall colors. He said he thought that was a great idea and that Bruce and I deserve to take a break. He's probably thinking it'll be a break for him, too, to get us out of his hair (oops, he doesn't have any!) for a couple of days.