I still haven’t heard from the radiation oncologist about when I’m actually starting treatment. It should be 7-10 days from last Monday, which is, well, any minute now.
I had my pre-chemo blood work done yesterday anyway. I’m a bit anemic and my white blood cells are a tiny bit low, but neither is anything to worry about, and my platelets are lovely. And this? This is the BEST science:
My CEA is down to 42!
Blood counts or no, I continue to feel better and better as I get farther from my last chemo infusion. My brain is working better: though it’s still an incredible slog to get going on anything, once I get some momentum it’s all good. I may even finish this dratted paper that I’ve been poking at for months. And I walked the dog in the morning for the past three days. Happiest dog ever! The lack of regular dog walking was partly fatigue, but hugely cold sensitivity. I hope now that it’s summer and I’m off the oxaliplatin anyway I can keep up the daily walks. I miss my huge amount of walking. (I walked over 1800 miles in 2013. I haven’t tallied up 2014 so far, but my mileage is greatly reduced.) I’ve been cramming in as much kayaking as possible. I even snuck out after work on Tuesday. Lovely! I’m afraid that the new chemo I start with the radiation will affect my hands and prevent me from paddling, so I’m stocking up on kayak time now.
Comments
16 responses to “Science is slow”
I don’t have a kayak any longer, so I envy your kayaking. I’m glad you’re able to stock up on it, and that the cold sensitivity is gone, and that your CEA is dramatically down. Yay!
Very happy reading this and the last update–so glad you are having a respite of feeling good. Yay kayak! One of these days I’ll get brave enough to try it.
Laura, kayaking just another reason you have to come visit! Turtle watching! (Also fish, salamanders, and various other things.)
Yay! That’s great news on the CEA front!!
Salamanders, turtles and fish! I’m there. But not, probably, with my real camera. 😉
I do take my real camera out sometimes, but only after much practice in the kayak. I wouldn’t recommend it for your first time!
We’ll just have to hike the lake trail so you can take photos. With luck, we’ll see the bright orange terrestrial form of the salamanders (really newts, and the larvae are aquatic, the teenagers (efts) are terrestrial, and the adults are aquatic).
Yay, Science! Yes, Laura, come visit and learn to kayak! That’s why we have two boats! (You can borrow my cheap digital for turtle shooting.)
Red efts! I love them! I was lucky enough to find one once, years ago. It stayed motionless…but it was bright orange on a gray rock, so it was not as camouflaged as it anticipated. I’d really love to see an axolotl, but not much hope of that running loose in PA. 😉
No axolotls, but mudpuppies are entirely possible.
Mudpuppies! 🙂
What kind of Mad Scientist answer is that?!?!
Laura, if you come visit, Sarah will MAKE an axolotl for you.
(OK, it might be a robot. Or an autonomous string-based axolotl that moves really slowly.)
A hand-knit axolotl would be fun to see. 🙂
Also, hooray low CEA!
Wahooo on count down 🙂
Could you be the only one a comfortable temperature in the high heat days this summer?
Yay to get in nature time as often as possible 🙂
Mudpuppies are nifty too!
Though now I want to figure out how to knit axolotl gills…
Fractal axolotl gills! Mudpuppies are so cute. There were some placidly living in a murky aquarium in the bio lab at Colgate; I was glad they couldn’t tell we were dissecting their kin. Nick, string would be good for an axolotl (or a mudpuppy) but if I get a choice of robots, I’d request a trilobite. Semi-related, the other day I was contemplating the feasibility of a plush cuttlefish pillow.
ooh, cuttlefish……
I had just been thinking of making the little girls a leather toy; a refillable catnip critter.
I wonder if I could do a cutwork leather axolotl.