Onward and Upward

I had a blood test early this morning and then a phone conference with my doctor this afternoon.

The platelets tumbled from 73,000 to 44,000 in 3 days! Eeek. But the doctor said it is to be expected because the IVIG treatment is only a temporary band-aid.

First I'll tell you some great news! Guess what? I get to fully taper off of Prednisone! It will take a few weeks, but I'm starting the tapering journey today. YIPPEE. I said to my doctor, "Dr. Hook, I think that Prednisone might be making me a little crazy." He said, "Well let's get you off of that right away." So thankful for that! It's been about 5 months of steroid fun. And I'm ready to GET OFF OF THIS particular fun wagon.

Since it appears the IVIG effects are wearing off quickly, Dr. Hook recommends that I start with 4 more rounds of Rituxan beginning next week. Back to a once a week visit to the Infusion Therapy Center (aka Home Away from Home). And blood tests 2 or 3 times a week. Dr. Hook feels confident that 4 more doses of Rituxan will be enough to destroy the confused antibody that is attaching itself to all of my beloved platelets.

I am not "excited" about 4 more rounds of Rituxan. I'm also not excited about all the trips back and forth for blood tests. And to be honest, I did have a mini-breakdown today. Every time my count is good, I convince myself that I am fully cured. And then when the count is down, I feel so sad. So I'm going to work on slowing this emotional roller coaster down a bit. I like being upbeat, but sometimes I accidentally end up setting myself up for disappointment.

One thing I am SUPER thankful for: I had two weeks of a normal life, and it felt great! I got to go on vacation and not think about blood or tests or needles. It was beautiful. I'm glad I was able to use my temporary platelet boost to travel, eat shrimp, laugh, and walk on the beach.

Thank you for caring and for reading. As my wise mother says, "Onward and upward, forward - never backward."



Here's my response to the Reverb 10 prompt for today:

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

Responding to this prompt makes me all the more aware of my severe lack of an exciting social life! (NOTE TO SELF...in 2011, develop an exciting social life). By and large, my social life centers around the church & local community, so I go to a lot of dinners at homes and at church. In May I made dinner for the quilters at church, and it was quite a fun social gathering! I wore my favorite black dress, cute black heels, and a vintage 1960s apron. We ate special cucumber sandwiches and a spinach salad. I wish I would've thought about providing background music; maybe next year!


P.S. - How do you feel about egg nog?