Erika's Treatment Update -- Week 60

I had a pretty uneventful day at Stanford yesterday. As usual, I went in early to get my blood tests then saw my oncologist and afterwards had chemo. My counts all looked pretty good except for my red count which dropped significantly since two weeks ago. I did stop my Procrit shots for two weeks which probably contributed to the drop, I'll have to start again tonight.

I mentioned to my oncologist how my BMT doctor was considering doing the donor lymphocite infusions (DLI's) and she didn't seem all for it like he had. She thought it might be something to consider in the future, but not now. She's happy with the way my disease is responding to chemo and wouldn't want to stop it. My BMT doctor on the other hand doesn't think that the chemo alone is what is keeping my disease stable, he believes that it's a combination of the chemo and my donor cells. He will be out of town until the end of the month, but once he gets back I'm hoping we can all meet and discuss this further.

I also explained to my oncologist my frustration with all the back, hip, and now knee pain I've been having the past few weeks. My back and hips have been feeling better, however now my knees are really starting to bother me to the point where I can't walk for very long. She suggested that I start on some type of physical therapy program. I have a friend who has recommended some people so I will be contacting them and hopefully I can start doing that soon. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to have to put my marathon training on hold since I seem to be doing more damage everytime I go out and walk.