Here I am on Day 16 of Cycle 3, full of mouth sores and still on rescue drug by IV because my blood's methotrexate levels are still too high.
It's taken over five days to get rid of the 9400 mL of methotrexate in my system. (I think I calculated that amount correctly.) The amount of chemo drugs administered depends on a person's "meter squared"
measurement, which is somehow based on a person's height and "ideal
weight." I don't know how a three-dimensional person can be given a
two-dimensional measurement. No one has been able to explain the equation to me yet. The nurses just assure me that they, the doctors, and the pharmacists use computer programs to make these calculations and to determine dosages. At minimum, these dosages are triple-checked for safety. I'm sure you'll be interested to know that I happen to be 1.67 m2.
I'm doing quite well, I think, just easily fatigued. I tolerate mouth
sores pretty well. They'll be gone in a couple days. My blood counts are pretty low. Now the waiting game begins. I suspect it will be about ten more days until I can get out of here (October 17). I am so pleased to be done this cycle's drugs. I just have one spinal tap left to do but must wait until my platelet level comes back up, so as not to add additional risk to the procedure.
I am in good spirits, feeling well enough now to eat (soft foods due to
mouth sores--jarred baby food works well), read, scrapbook, and talk on
the phone again. Yesterday, a sympathetic nurse unhooked me from my IV so that I could escape for an hour to go for a walk outside with Mike and the kids.
As always, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, gifts, frozen meals, babysitting, phone calls and encouraging e-mails. My current phone number is 403 944 8850. With any luck, I'll be able to keep that phone number throughout the remainder of this treatment cycle. Take good care and enjoy the fall weather. Love, Sharon
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