Happy Thanksgiving

Mary Jo and I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family. This has been a challenging year by any standard but we still have so many things to be thankful of. We are thankful that Mary Jo’s cancer was detected and diagnosis at a treatable stage. We are thankful for all the love and support from our good friends and family. We are so thankful to have been touched by the care and support from people we hardly even knew a year ago. We are thankful for the great strides made in medical research in recent years, many of which were made possible by generous donations of time, talent and money by people like you. We are also thankful for the sacrifices of the men and women who serve this country in the armed forces (thanks Chris) protecting our freedoms today in far away lands so we can enjoy this day and know that there is a much brighter future for us and the world. Take care and God bless you.

Chemo #5

We had an unexpected visitor at the "spa" today. Our good friend and neighbor, Jon Holmes (who is battling cancer himself) stopped by the (Minnesota Oncology or MOPA) doctor’s office to have his lab work done while Mary Jo was in "the chair". It was good to see Jon today. He is always a pillar of strength and such an upbeat person.  Mary Jo's mom, Diane also came today.  Its so good to see her.  She has been so supportive every day and at every appointment.

Mary Jo is feeling ok after receiving her fifth chemo treatment. Today’s lab tests confirmed that MJ's hemoglobin numbers bounced up just to a bit from 10.3 to 10.7 so, although she is still very tired feeling, she is still ineligible for the red cell booster shot. It’s good to be nearing the end of the chemo regiment. It usually takes a few days before the toxic combo of chemo drugs "kicks in" and does its damage so we have are fingers crossed that MJ will be feeling up for company on Thanksgiving. Our plan today is to go to Diane's for the Thanksgiving holiday that is if Mary Jo feels ok. Tomorrow we go back in to MOPA for MJ's post chemo shot of Newlasta which is the white blood cell booster shot.

Good Heart

Mary Jo had a MUGA scan preformed today at the Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. A MUGA scan is a "MUlti Gated Acquisition" of images of Mary Jo's heart, specifically the left ventricle of her heart. The test was prescribed by her oncologist, Dr Gall to confirm that heart is still performing to acceptable standard of above 51%. She did well on her test with a 71% reading so she is able to continue with her same chemo regiment for now. The combination of the chemo drugs Cytoxin and Herceptin have been associated with heart failure so heart function must be monitored closely during treatment. The MUGA scan test is nuclear medicine and it is a painless procedure. The procedure requires a tech to draw a small vile of Mary Jo's blood and then in the lab they inject a radioactive isotopes into her blood sample. The sample is then injected back into the patient. The "radioactive" material passes through the bloodstream and is "read" by the camera. Mary Jo continues to feel pretty good today. It also helps when you hear some "good news" from a doctor after a test.

Another Good Day

Mary Jo continues to feel “pretty good” today. I think she is over the hump for now during this chemo cycle. Mary Jo is scheduled for a second MUGA scan tomorrow morning at Fairview Ridges Hospital. The MUGA scan is then reviewed by a radiologist who is checking MJ’s heart functions. The major negative side effect of the 52 weeks of Herceptin treatments is that it can be hard on a patient’s heart. We expect everything to be normal. She has a strong heart. Next Monday morning Mary Jo is scheduled for chemo treatment #5. Too bad Thanksgiving is not this week while Mary Jo is feeling pretty good.

Spa Day

It's "spa day" Monday. At least that's what Mary Jo and her girl friends call it when MJ comes into the oncology office for her weekly treatments. Mary Jo is feeling much better today. Last week was a tough one. So tired. This week the treatment is Herceptin only so Mary Jo can expect to feel pretty good this week. Next Monday is "the big one" with the typical side effects. Later today Mary Jo will meet with her plastic surgeon, Dr Luong for another follow up visit prior to her reconstruction surgery sometime next spring. Its a long road ahead.

Low Red Counts

Mary Jo has been feeling so extra tired and drained these past nine days that I called Dr Gall's office today to inquire about the possibility of getting Mary Jo in for a red count booster shot. Apparently the drug is "very expensive", so much that insurance companies have changed the threshold basis for when doctors are allowed doses to be covered by patients insurance plans. The new low hemoglobin threshold of 10.0 is now ten points lower than the old threshold of 11.0 and Mary Jo's count numbers tested today at 10.3 so she is still not eligible to get the shot and have it covered by insurance. I can only imagine how much it must cost if the nurses keep saying its really expensive and they dole out Newlasta, which is a white count booster like candy, and that simple shot is $8,000 per dose. We are going to have blood work done again next Monday and hopefully the numbers will bounce up a bit. The doctors say its no surprise that Mary Jo feels so tired with a 10.3 hemoglobin count but it all part of chemotherapy. The T C chemo agents are so toxic and the human body can only handle so much with out taking a toll. We were told the main goal of the red count booster drug is to try to keep hemoglobin numbers above the 8 range, at which point a patient needs to undergo a blood transfusion.

Visitors Today

Chemo #4

Mary Jo starts her chemo cycle #4 of 6 today. Her lab test results on her blood work are good but Dr Gall told us in the consultation today that MJ's hemoglobin numbers are in the low range now. She may soon need red count boosters. He will continue to monitor all her counts and adjust accordingly. Her friends Jamie and Karen stopped by to keep MJ company at chemo today. They always bring a smile to Mary Jo pretty face.