Not Enough Platelets Came to the Labor Day Party.....

Turnout for the "Platelet Party" over the 3-day weekend was not enough.  On Tuesday my platelets were 90 (need to be 100 to receive chemo) so my Oncologist/Nurse Practitioner team decided to delay chemo this week.  My labs will be re-checked on Friday and if my platelets are at least 100 I will get chemo then.

As a pharmacist, when I would see patient's have their treatment delayed I never really thought about how the patient felt.  I simply thought "one less chemotherapy order we need to verify and make".  But being the patient on the other side, there are so many emotions.  I feel frustration because I know that chemo makes the radiation work better and worry that by delaying chemo - the tumor isn't getting attacked as efficiently as possible.  I feel impatient and helpless as I wait for my body to get my platelet count back up (platelet transfusion is the only quick fix and not medically necessary at this point).  But to be completely honest, I also feel a little bit of relief in getting a few more days before I receive chemo and steroids again because that means I get a few more days without the side effects that come along with them (⌣́_⌣̀).  And I feel a little guilty for feeling that relief - ahhhh to be human!!  Ultimately though, I know the importance of treatment parameters and I understand that my medical team has my safety in mind.

So Week 4 will be filled with radiation appointments each morning and hopefully chemo on Friday.