Sunday, October 14, 2012

Continued hints of progress and one more weekly Arzerra infusion

My last blood count, 2 days ago, showed a total WBC of 3.0K and again platelets of only 14K so got some platelets to hold me over the weekend. My onco decided to go for that last weekly Arzerra so would get the whole course of 7 full doses. I hope the low WBC represents continuing death of bad lymphocytes but of course no doubt also includes significant neutropenia.....

On another note the biopsy of the skin lesion on my scalp showed basal cell cancer so now I have to have my third Mohs surgery in 5 years (see this explanation on MayoClinic.com). One squamous and two basal cell skin cancers. I guess I should have worn hats more when younger...but of course CLL is a risk factor for skin cancer and then my mother suffered horribly from multiple skin cancers. Oh well the CLL in relapse is the real beast I have to deal with.

Going to try to reach out to my brother again re: possible stem cell transplant.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Maybe some progress

So its a quiet sunny warm Saturday morning and as I sit at our kitchen island eating a mid-morning snack after a walk in the Wharton State Forest behind our house with our 4 dogs and Cynthia,  I decided to go online and update this blog.

My total WBC count was up a bit this week, around 10 but this week I only needed platelets as my hemoglobin stayed above 8. On Monday I got my 6th dose of ofatumumab as an outpatient without any reaction and so this coming Monday (Columbus Day, an actual holiday at work!) I get my last (#7) of weekly doses of ofa.  I did bring up the fact I had a two week hiatus due to the leg infection and only about a quarter of the first (because of wheezing and shakes during attempted outpatient infusion)  full 2000 mg of ofa so if my onco thinks it is worth it and the insurance company approves perhaps I could get an 8th weekly infusion of ofa; we shall see. ...

I see Porter again in mid November, after I get my first of monthly ofa, most likely.  One can hope that by that time there will be some evidence of marrow recovery.