1/23/14 CHECK-UP

I was under the impression Dave was seeing Dr. S. today, but instead we saw Rosemary,
the nurse practitioner.  Dave hasn't been to the office for two weeks, and Rosemary said it seemed like forever since we've seen her.  She's right; we've been to the office at least weekly since October!

The counts --
WBC rose from 2.5 to 2.9.  We're shooting for 4.1.
GRA stayed at 1.4.  We'd like to see 2.0
PLT dropped from 164 to 139, just one point below the target 140.

PLT, the platelets, help prevent infection, so as in the past, Dave has to be careful to avoid cuts when he shaves, slices veggies, or does anything with a knife or razor in his hand.

Dave and Rosemary spent most of the visit talking about his fatigue.  Rosemary had several suggestions: Do some walking every day, not just every other day when he feels better.  Limit naps to about 30 minutes; no more than an hour.  Don't lie down in bed unless you plan to sleep - no more lying in bed while on the iPad or watching TV.  Stay hydrated.

When Rosemary did the physical check up, listening to his lungs and heart (sounded good) then palpated the liver, she thought his liver may be slightly swollen.  She asked about Dave's Tylenol intake and suggested he cut back even more.  She asked about any symptoms of liver problems he may have, but he did not seem to have any issues, and his liver area was not tender.

Dave is still losing his hair, but not as rapidly as he was in the last two weeks.  He also seems to be much grayer.  Still a handsome devil, though.

Yipee!  Houston here we come.

We leave for Houston a week from today, and Dave has appointments at MD Anderson on Feb. 2nd and 3rd. We assume they will do a complete work up; we'll know more after that visit.

Between these doctor visits, Dave has still felt like being social, in spite of his fatigue. We made a very short (too short) trip to Amelia Island with Mom to see my cousin Anne and her husband Jeff.  We celebrated my birthday (several times!) and Molly's 40th last night. Molly's birthday is Sunday, but she and her family will be in Costa Rica, so we had an early celebration. We've been to a few movies, getting ready for the Oscars.  We have to have our opinions on the winners, you know.  Now we're looking forward to seeing our brothers and their families next weekend in Houston!

MIXED RESULTS

Dave had his first blood work of 2014 yesterday, with mixed results.
WBC dropped from 3.1 to 2.5
GRA dropped from 1.6 to 1.4
Platelets increased from 133 to 164.

Although his numbers are still bouncing around, and not in the 'normal' range we desire, they are not low enough to sound the alarm.  For the first time, he is going to be able to go two weeks between blood tests!

You may remember I've written Dave has had a rash on his chest.  It is mild, only occasionally itchy and also showed up on one of his temples.  He saw the dermatologist and he's been using a medicinal cream twice a day.  The rash has mostly cleared up, but once in a while a really bright red spot appears (which is why he decided to see a dermatologist).  The doctor took a sample of one bright red spot and it turned out to be an inflamed seborrheic keratosis.  WebMD.com says, "Seborrheic keratoses are noncancerous (benign) skin growths that some people develop as they age. They often appear on the back or chest, but can occur on any part of the body. Seborrheic keratoses grow slowly, in groups or singly. Most people will develop at least one seborrheic keratosis during their lifetime."

The other change we've noticed is Dave is losing his hair.  It has been coming out really quickly.  He had his hair trimmed today and it's amazing how different he looks just in this last week.  This is not a gradual change, it seems as though it has happened just recently.  I wonder if his body is simply saturated with drugs and rebelling.  Thank goodness Dave is not the kind of guy that would worry about hair loss and try a Trump comb-over or an Andre Agassi wig.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2014

Here it is, a brand-spanking new year, and we have high hopes for a healthy and happy 2014. We celebrated New Year's Eve very quietly - we went out for a Chinese dinner (an old tradition) then watched The Perfect Host via Netflix, in bed.  Dave had had a good walk during the day and took a long nap, and was able to make it through the movie without falling asleep. Even if he had fallen asleep, my laughter would awakened him.  (Good movie - if you like David Hyde Pierce.)

Dave had his blood tested yesterday morning.  He had mixed results:
WBC went from 2.8 to 3.1 - good!
GRA went from 1.5 to 1.6 - good!
PLT went down from 162 to 133, not so good, as the trend has been steadily downward for the last several tests.

I haven't mentioned the platelets before, as Dave has always been within the normal range of 140-440, but now he's below where he should be.  Platelets help with blood clotting, so getting a cut would now be of more concern.  Rosemary said he's not in the Danger Zone, but we'll keep checking this number, as well.  Dave will get his blood tested again in a week.

12/29/13 at Libbie's in Hoschton, GA

We had a great trip to Atlanta, stopping to see Steve and Rita, Dale and Gina (and kids), Libbie and Mom, Kathy and Gary, Travis and Karen, and Jimmy and Diane.  Pictures will be posted on Facebook.  Dave managed by napping every day, but the good company and great fun went a long way to ending 2013 with fond memories.

Here's to good cheer for a New Year! Thanks to everyone for all the love and support you've given us in 2013, and we look forward to an even better 2014.