Monday, December Thirty-First, Two Thousand and Twelve

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  I enjoyed the day with my family.  It was nice to have other people laying around with me all day :-)  The day after Christmas, my white blood cell count dropped down to 0.3 and I developed a fever again.  I was admitted to the hospital to receive fluids and antibiotics (this is the same thing that happened to me two weeks ago).  The medical term is Neutropenic Fever.  I can seem to expect this fever exactly seven days after my chemotherapy treatment.  When your white count is critically low, you have nothing to ward off infection.  That is why it is so important to get antibiotics right away.  I was released on Saturday, December 29th once my fever was gone and my white blood count was at a decent level.  I have my 4th round of chemo this upcoming Wednesday.  I feel pretty good now and hope to have a few good days this week.  
 
Hard to believe 2012 has come to an end.  This year has been one to remember.  My adorable niece Ella was born, I ran my second marathon, Kristen got engaged, I started a new job and I was diagnosed with Lymphoma.  I learned that you have to take the good with the bad.  Life is a series of ups and downs, good days and bad days.  God will never give you more than you can handle.  So I will continue to be positive, smile and have faith.

I look forward to 2013...and to the many more memorable days ahead.  Happy New Year!! 

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.   Helen Keller

Thursday, December Twentieth, Two Thousand and Twelve

Hello all~

I am very happy to say the doctor is extremely pleased with the outcome of the CAT scan.  The chemotherapy treatments seem to be working and my body is responding very well!  I'm continuing to be optimistic but at the same time realistic (knowing this is a medical issue and changes can happen unexpectedly).  I know there is still a long way to go, so I will continue fighting.

Yesterday I had my third chemotherapy treatment...halfway there!  The doctor confirmed that I will complete all six treatments as planned.  Since I'm young and my body is responding well, he would like to continue the six treatments so that every last cancerous cell is gone.  I completely agree with him and I am 100% on-board.

Thank you all for keeping up on my progress!  I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!  PEACE, LOVE AND JOY

Lauren 

Saturday, December Fifthteen, Two Thousand and Twelve

On Wednesday, December 12th, I arrived at my doctor appointment with low blood pressure.  This made me feel weak and dizzy in the morning hours.  It was exactly seven days since my chemotherapy treatment so my white blood counts were low.  This typically happens one week out.  I received my Rituxan treatment and went home.  I was told that if my temperature bipasses 100.5 (at any time) to call the doctor.
When you have a low white blood count, you are easily susceptible to infection. 

[White blood cells are the body's best defensive weapons in the fight against germs and disease. When white blood cell counts drop as a result of chemotherapy, it puts the patient in a vulnerable position. Without adequate protection from these disease-fighting cells, viruses and bacteria suddenly become much more serious threats.]

Needless to say, getting a fever is a cause for concern.  That night my temperature spiked to 102.5.  I telephoned the doctor on call and was directed to go to the ER.  I spent the night at the ER and was admitted to the hospital in the early morning hours.  I was given fluids, antibiotics and two units of blood on Thursday.  I was released on Friday once my fever disappeared.  My white blood counts were back up.  The doctor notified me that this sometimes happens with patients; that is, treatments constantly wear down the body and lower immunity.  I will stay indoors for the next several days to protect myself from germs.  The common cold can be a risk when the body cannot fight infection.

My chemotherapy treatments will now be every two weeks instead of every three weeks.  I have a CAT scan scheduled for this upcoming Monday.  I am both excited and nervous.  This will be my first CAT scan since starting the chemotherapy treatments.  The scan determines progress in eliminating the cancerous cells.  I hope to have postive news to share with you on the next blog update.  My third chemotherapy treatment will be on Wednesday, December 19th.  I will receive the CAT scan results at that appointment so check-in next week for an update!

Saturday, December Eigth, Two Thousand and Twelve

There was a little change in my chemotherapy schedule.  I went in to have my Rituxan treatment this past Wednesday, December 5th and ended up getting my second chemotherapy treatment instead.  My doctor is going to be out of town this upcoming Monday and Tuesday so instead of waiting for him to return from his conference, he decided to give me my second chemotherapy treatment since  my white and red blood counts looked so great.  I've learned that you must be pretty flexible as a patient because last minute decisions are made a lot!  This time I had the treatment as an outpatient which was nice.  The entire process takes roughly three-four hours. 

Last night we got together as a family to celebrate my mom's birthday, it was very nice to have everyone together!  Please keep up the prayers, I appreciate them all!    

"I know the most difficult moments in life can give you otherwise unattainable clarity, perspective, and purpose."  ~ Adam Kelley (longtime friend)

Sunday, December Second, Two Thousand and Twelve

Hi everyone, this is my first blog post.  Thank you so much for the out poor of love and support.  I definitely feel very blessed and thankful for such amazing friends and family.  I feel pretty good since my first chemotherapy treatment.  Some side effects I experienced were fatigue, long bone pain and loss of appetite but those were all expected.  I am eating pretty well minus my lack of appetite...funny, I have no problem eating ice cream and sweets :-)

Last week, I had a Rituxan treatment on Friday, Nov 30th.  My LDH level slightly increased and the Epstein-barr virus reappeared so the Rituxan will help bring those numbers down.  Since my treatment Friday, my numbers have decreased and the EBV is undetected so that is positive.  I will now be doing one Rituxan treatment on the weeks that I do not have chemotherapy to stay on top of it.  My Rituxan treatment this week will be on Wednesday followed by my second round of chemotherapy next week.  Date is TBD.  Thanks for keeping up with the blog!