Greetings from Neutropenia

I realized today that it's been quite a while since my last post, so I'm finally making an update after 2+ weeks of dormancy.  The lack of activity is due in large part to the fact that I don't exactly want to remember my last visit to the infusion unit, as it definitely wasn't much fun this time around.  I won't go into details, but apparently I didn't drink enough good old H2O in the days leading up to round 3 on Jan 12.  This led to some problems finding a suitable vein for the IV...at the end of the day, it took 3 nurses, 30+ minutes, and several unpleasant sticks to get me hooked up (sorry for those of you who may get queasy over this stuff).  Other than this one forgettable span of time, everything else pretty well and I was feeling pretty normal post-treatment (I did experience some bouts of mild nausea, but I really think it was due mostly to the unpleasant experience).  

I've been working full-time for the most part and have been trying to stick to the half-marathon schedule as closely as possible.  Made it up to 7.5 miles last Saturday with Andrea; while this kind of mileage was considered kiddie's play back in the fall, I'm definitely starting to feel the toll that successive chemotherapy treatments are taking on my body.  My bloodwork earlier this week revealed that I have officially, for the first time since beginning treatment, entered the realm doctors refer to as "neutropenia."  This means that my neutrophil (white blood cells that fight infection) levels are super low - 500 cells per microliter (a healthy person's count can be anywhere from 1,500 to 7,000).  As a result, my body is extremely susceptible to infection at this point and I'm basically trying to sequester myself from the world...no office, no gym, no fun stuff.  My neutrophils need to be up to at least around 1,300 by next week for my next treatment, so please think good thoughts and keep your fingers crossed!

One last note: I'd like to reiterate again my gratitude to all you who have helped me over the past months with your positive thoughts, support and, of course, donations to TNT...I cannot thank you enough. I'm excited to announce that you've helped raise over $6,000 to help fund the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's mission of fighting for blood cancer patients through advocacy, support, and research!  There's no reason to stop yet though - I still have another month of fundraising left, so if you know of friends/coworkers/businesses/ celebrities (?!) that would be interested in donating, please spread the word. Thank you again and have a great weekend.  Until next time...