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!