Friday 6 June 2008

Winning Streak (Day - 6)

Day -7 was pretty similar to Day -8 with perhaps a little more fatigue. After bloodwork, clofarabine infusion and a check by Dr. Chaudry, I was on my way home again last night! I even did a long walk last night as it was beautiful outside. I'm soooo grateful for each extra day I get to sleep at home and can hardly imagine it's Friday and I haven't slept here yet. My pass streak will certainly end this weekend, as the next drug on the list (on Sunday) requires me to shower, change linens and clothes every 6 hours. Thiotepa is excreted through the pores and will burn the skin if these precautions are not taken. I'll also be getting more IV hydration when I get to days -4, -3 and -2, so heading home will not be an option. I'm pretty happy with how many days I've gone so far though!

My blood counts yesterday included one slightly elevated liver function test (ALT), one which I have monitored over the past year and a half. While it's not a concern of the treatment team just yet, I will be very curious to see what the counts do today. Clof is hard on the liver, so it's not surprising the ALT is starting to rise - I am simply trying to project how fast and high it may go up...not as easy as financial projections!

For now, we'll see if I can manage one more overnight pass!