The Journey Continues...Houston, platelets, and sexy glasses

This journey over the past 2 years has been nothing if not interesting. Every trip to the doctor may result in twists and turns that we didn't see coming, things speeding up or slowing down, or completely new and uncharted territory. One thing that's been certain, this process has always given us plenty to learn about and keep us intellectually stimulated. 

I got to Houston just before MLK weekend. We spent a few days with Amanda, our longtime friend Jason found in a Lexington federal prison around 2003. Jason and Aidan then went home to Lubbock and I got to spend several days with Cyndi, who I met over a decade ago at Gatton College of Business and Economics when I was in graduate school, which is its own prison of sorts. After that, a friend who was in town for a conference was able to get together for dinner (which was not enough time to hang out but was better than nothing). That was Megan, who was in the same master's program, then the same pregnant yoga class, then baby/mommy yoga, then baby and toddler playgroup. Our kids are 2 days apart in age so we always said they'd get married some day. We'll see how that plan goes now that they are less likely to abide by their parents' wishes. It is always wonderful and amazing to be able to spend time with friends, especially those close friends I haven't seen in years. I love that even though we left Kentucky a decade ago, and that was the last time I saw many of these friends, we are able to pick up our relationship as if we just spent time together last week. Hands down, those are the best types of friends to have! 

I was planning to go home to Lubbock for a week or so before returning for my check up next week. As always, of course, I can plan the plan but not the outcome, as the universe had different plans. There were several issues that needed to be fixed with the Houston house and as I was hosting various workers to get those things done, we had a cold snap and ice storm. Suddenly Texas was closed down and everything got pushed back a week. I didn't complain much because I've seen Texans on Ice, not as graceful as the Disney version. My assessment is that no one has explained to Texans that 4WD helps you get out of mud and snow, but does nothing for you on ice, so driving at a normal speed (which is damn fast in Texas) on ice just doesn't work out. Once all the workers were rescheduled and it was clear I'd be extending my stay, I canceled my flight and moved on to the next right thing. Luckily, Nana and Papa arrived in Lubbock to fill in for me there. I'm also incredibly lucky to have the best job ever with conference call meeting attendance, online teaching, and research!

Once the ice was gone and the house work was complete, there had to be something else to change my plans, right?! Well, yes, of course! Each week I've been going to get blood work done to monitor my red and white blood cells since I'm on this chemo pill every 6 weeks. My platelets fell significantly so they asked me to go for a blood draw every Monday and Thursday. The day the nurse called to tell me this, he said that my platelets were hovering in the 40s and if they got to 20, we'd have to discuss transfusions. I was sure my visual imagery of volcanoes spewing out red blood cells would solve everything, but the following week (which was this past Monday), I went in for a blood draw and the phlebotomist took two vials instead of one.  Being me, I wanted to know what they were going to do with this extra blood so I started interrogating her as if she'd just stolen from me. She read the order and said, "It looks like they are doing a blood match. Maybe for a transfusion." That's when I knew that they were at least getting ready for the possibility of a platelet transfusion. I was sure the next draw would show that this wasn't needed so I waited and I went back on Thursday for my next draw. On Friday I got a call from someone on the care team. She told me that it's looking more and more like platelet transfusions are going to be next. My visual imagery let me down again and my platelets had fallen even more! She said that this chemo tends to hit platelets hard, as does some of my other medications. Basically, the medication goes after cells that are rapidly reproducing. Bone marrow rapidly produces red and white blood cells, so the medication can damage this process in various ways. She said the bone marrow will correct itself with time, but we have to get my platelets up in the meantime because platelets are what help your blood clot and keep you from bleeding to death. I've decided that I'm not interested in bleeding to death. Today (Saturday) I am going over to get another blood test with the possibility that I may have to go back within 24 hours for my first platelet transfusion. How exciting-- I get to learn more stuff about how my body works! I'll be sure to pass on whatever I learn because I'm an educator and I almost can't help but share my knowledge- it's probably quite annoying to those around me. My uber drivers, servers, and repair people have probably heard more about cancer, diet, and MD Anderson than they care to know.

On a final note, my care team referred me to a neuro-opthamologist in Houston to be tested and fitted for prism glasses. My vision does not seem to be improving further and it's time to check out solutions. These people around me still won't let me drive (or ride a bike), I sometimes miss the left part of words when I'm reading. I often only catch it if the sentence doesn't make sense. For example, Jason and I were watching a movie and the name on the screen was "Bassman." I read it as "Assman." When I walk outside by myself, I have to be careful about curbs and broken sidewalks. I keep saying I need curb feelers on my shoes! I also walk into random strangers on my left, miss elevators when they arrive, and continue to lose things placed on the left. It's a total pain in the rear end, so I'm looking forward to finding out if prism glasses will help. Plus I hear that thick, wide rimmed glasses are sexy.