Round 6 Results

On Thursday I had my blood test and rang the trials office to get my results. My usual nurse wasn't around so I had to talk to someone else and she told me my red and white blood cell counts were ok and my potassium was in the normal range. My platelet count, however, was low and if it doesn't come up over the weekend, there is the possibility that I may not be given my chemo on Tuesday when I go in to start Round 7. I don't think there is much I can do to make more platelets so it's a matter of prayer. I don't really want to go into the RAH and then not get my treatment. I'll be pushing to start regardless, but I'm not sure how that will go because neither my normal trials nurse nor Dr Giri will be there on Tuesday. I shall be attempting to convince strangers.

I also asked her about the results of my lung function test and CT scan. She told me the lung function test looked fine, which is good. It means the bleomycin hasn't destroyed my lungs up till now so I am glad about that because I need my lungs. She did tell me that the total surface area of the lymphomas is down to around 13 square centimetres. I started with about 120, then after 4 rounds it was about 40 so to be down to 13 now is pretty good. Part of me doesn't want to believe her and is convinced that she has made a mistake because she isn't who I normally deal with and she might have the numbers mixed up. I think it's more I don't want to let myself believe that's it down so low and getting so close to being done. I don't want to get too excited just yet.

Logically and mathematically, it should all go. In two rounds at baseline, 27 square centimetres or so have gone. I have 13 cm left and two more rounds therefore it should go. But I'm not sure it necessarily works that way. What I don't quite understand is how they can say it's all gone. I know they do scans and have a look but I've see those pictures and there are a hell of a lot of different spots all over them. I guess the doctors know what they are looking at more than I do but even so..... I feel like they could say at the end that it's all gone but really there will be a few renegade nasty cells drifting around the place just waiting for an opportunity to set up shop and grow again.