The bad news is that my cancer marker, the CA19-9 has gone up, for the first time since last summer, from 32 (normal) to 63. This is not something to worry about-- yet -- for several reasons. First of all, the range for the marker goes up into the hundreds or maybe thousands (there are a couple of ways of computing it), so mine is still low. Second, a random infection could cause it to rise, and while I don't think I've had a random infection in the past couple of weeks, my white blood count has been low, so maybe I did and didn't notice. These things happen.
Then there are are things we'd rather not think about, that the Gemcitabine has stopped working effectively or that the cancer has gathered its forces for another assault; but we're not thinking about those. That's partly because we have to wait and see if the rise in numbers is a trend or a blip, partly because the CA19-9 is just indicative and has to be backed up by a CAT scan or other tests, and partly because I don't wanna think about it. Okay?
However, this has an impact on our plans for next month. We started planning a week's vacation on the Mayan Riviera last fall when it appeared that winter was actually going to come to NH, all with the assumption that my health would make travel possible.
When we checked with Dr. Nickerson, before the marker results came out, he saw no reason we shouldn't go, so we changed my chemo around so that I'd be at the top of my form for March 13-20. I was going to go for a whole month without chemo, but with the marker up, that didn't seem like such a good idea.
The latest plan is that I'll have a week off, two weeks on, and then two weeks off. It seems like a reasonable compromise, but it took a couple of hours (2:30-4:30 am) the other night to work it out. Dr. Nickerson is agreeable, so everything is back on track. Yay!
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4 comments:
Beaches AND great ruins and history? Way to go! Got to get all those little numbers in order to pull this off--best of luck!
This being February 11, one has to assume there are a lot of germs floating around, even if you aren't at the point of sniffles. Your test is fine, and, as long as you follow your doctor's advice, you are doing the right thing. As for trying to figure out when you'll be at your peak, no one ever knows that. Some of us might never reach their peak; we might be struggling with perpetual klutziness. Others, like Grandma Moses, will reach their peak when they are in their 70's. Have you ever had a day that was 100% perfect? When you said to yourself that this is so wonderful and overwhelming, life has to be all downhill from here? If not, there must be room to hope for better things. If you haven't won a Nobel prize or a Hugo or an Oscar, maybe it is fair enough to say that your peak is yet to come.
Good luck Lucie! I hope everything goes well so you can go to your trip!
I don't know if you heard but we're moving to Texas next month. It feels weird!! Yehaw!
Hi Lucie; Good to hear that vacation is still on! I am just back from my first one. A second one soon to Texas, same as another poster here... to look at real estate!
Stay healthy my friend and have a blast in Mexico
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