Treatment #4 10-22-08

Rachel had her 4th treatment last Wednesday.... we're halfway through Phase I of her treatments. Had the normal reaction... pretty tired for a few days... then she starts to bounce back a bit. On Thursday she had another Neuprogen shot to boost her white blood cell count which had again gotten quite low. I think the shot does as much to make her tired and sore as anything else. Rachel also had a flu shot... all of the family has to do this now... Kelly and Jan have had theirs... Eric and I get ours this week.

We celebrated Rachels 20th birthday on Friday... she was  a bit down that day... but we went to El Charro for Mexican... her choice!  She perked up quite a bit... later some of her friends came by and they all had a fun evening. On Saturday, she didn't go to Hays to watch Tyler play at Ft. Hays.. she stayed home and rested. That night she went to a wedding reception for a couple of hours. Sunday she and Jan went to exchange a couple of birthday gifts in Joplin. She is resting more, but will be back to normal by Tuesday.....

All in all, she is really handling this like a pro.... upbeat, positive and an inspiration to all. Rachel also wanted me to say how much she appreciates the cards and motivational stuff many of you send her!!!

Update on Eric: Eric's MRI and CT scans were returned. Doctor said he does not need knee surgery... good news!  Also, his collar bone was broken in several places instead of one??? But, all the various pieces have reset themselves in the proper alignment... so no surgery needed there as well!!  He can return to work with limited duty now... full duty in 3 weeks.

Treatment #3 10-8-08

Rachel had her third treatment today... going pretty well... she was up and around this evening with friends. She gets tired on treatment day and for the next 48 hours... then starts to bounce back. She is supposed to work on Thursday, but will probably stay home and rest. She is still going to class daily.

Had a consultation with her oncologist before the treatment and received some encouraging news. As we said in an earlier post, her white cell count was low and the fighter cells, which are a percentage of the overall white blood cell count, were extremely low. Last treatment her cell count was 3.0  (normal range is 5.0 to 10.0) and her fighter cells were .25 (normal range is 2.0 to 5.0). We were told she would not receive chemo with this number below 1.5 and she was given the 2nd treatment anyway. Welllll... last treatment they also gave her a drug that boosts her white cell count... the side affects can be pretty painful and Rach had a tough few days after that shot with some severe body pain. The shot was successful though... this week prior to the 3rd treatment... white cell count is now 14!!! and the fighter count is 7.5!!! really dramatic, positive increase... the doctor says she will receive this booster shot each treatment from her on, but he will decrease the dosage and hopefully some of the painful side affects.

Doctor is encouraged by her progress and so are we!! She's a tough cookie!!

Side Note:  Eric is better.... going to class again and starting to move around again...

10-1-08 Update

For awhile more... it's an Eric and Rachel posting.... Eric is getting better. He went to an orthopedic doctor this week. Eric will need an MRI and CT scan for his shoulder and knee. Doctor thinks his knee has cartilage damage and his shoulder may be separated and possibly not broken. But despite all of this, he's much better and off pain medications... getting out and about.

Rachel's booster shot to increase her white blood cell count has helped. Her weekly blood test showed an improvement in that area and the doctor is much less concerned. She has had a couple of bad moments this week with pretty bad back pain, headaches and body aches from the booster shot. Those are side affects she was told about... but she's better this weekend and is in KC for the Pitt State - NW Missouri game at Arrowhead. She has not slowed down a bit on schedule... but she does rest more in between classes, work and activities.  She also comes in earlier on "party" nights....  

All in all, she's been quite inspiring.... Her 3rd treatment is scheduled for this coming Wednesday....