Mary's blood test indicates that her bone marrow has fully kicked in and is producing all those really good red and white cells and the platelets too! Good news. And, because she has been off chemo for three weeks, she can go back to eating fresh fruit and veggies that are not peeled. I have a feeling tonight's dinner will be a festival of lettuce.
The doc also said that the trade off of the uncertain benefit of Gemzar versus the certain damage it does to Mary causes him to set aside the chemo for a while. He wants her to be feeling good again, like she was before the chemo started. Hooray! I agree with that.
He was very concerned about the recurring back pain. He ordered a bone scan and an MRI which we expect will be done this week. His concern is straightforward.
In his own words, "Because I am an Oncologist, I am concerned that any long lasting pain is caused by a cancer. I want to rule that out as soon as possible." Once cancer is ruled out, then other diagnosis and therapies can be applied--including a deep tissue massage from Ingrid who is on standby waiting for a green light.
As I have reported previously, I give Mary a back rub as she goes to bed and that benefit will last until 1AM to maybe 4AM then the pain wakes her up. Yesterday, we heated the hot tub and while Mary floated, I also rubbed her back hoping the heat and the weightlessness would have a big impact. She said it did but it also didn't last very long. Within a couple of hours, the pain was back in full force.
The doc also prescribed Dr. House's favorite mint. (If you don't watch House on TV, you probably won't get it.) I am having that prescription filled on my way home.
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