Well so much for thinking that Michael would have an extra week to feel better...the injections they give him to boost his white blood cells make him feel terrible. His back is really sore and he can hardly sleep. Today was the last day for the Neulasta so he has 3 days to recover before chemo starts on Tuesday.

The CEA markers were down to 683 from 889 last week. I had hoped that they would be lower but I am satisfied that they are still going down. All the other numbers look better as well with the exception of his WBC (white blood cell). Normal is between 4.2-11. The count was right at 4 last week and it's down to 2.2 this week. So he's got 2 more days of the Neulasta injections which will help raise his WBC and then back to chemo next week. I'm telling myself that this is a blessing in disguise. He was going to have to have chemo the week of Thanksgiving but this hiccup bumps chemo to the week after Thanksgiving.

He's feeling OK right now....the Neulasta injections make his bones hurt but he's eating well. I know that Michael is not very good at communicating how he is feeling to all of us. He sees things as black and white and let's face it, he hasn't felt good in awhile. So when all of you take the time to show concern and ask him "How are you feeling?" and he responds "Shitty!" - please keep in mind that what he means is he's not himself and he doesn't really know how to express how he genuinely feels....all he knows is that he doesn't feel good. I'm trying to to get him to rate how bad he feels on a scale of 1-10 but that's just wishful thinking on my part. Thanks to all of you that continutely ask how he's feeling...he really does appreciate it!

So apparently Michael's white blood cell count is too low to have chemo tomorrow. They gave him a shot again and he has to go back Wednesday and Thursday for a shot. The doctor told him not to go anywhere or be around anyone because he is very susceptible to infection....we're supposed to go to a wake tonite. They plan to start chemo next Tuesday. I hate that this has interrupted his progress!

Michael said today was his worst day to date. He stayed in bed most of the day. All I can say is thank goodness for pain killers. If today was the worst day....tomorrow can only get better.

Michael was able to have chemo today. His white blood cell count was 3.4 yesterday and it was 4.2 this morning (normal is 4.2-11) so whatever they gave him yesterday worked. His tumor markers are down again to 889.5 which is really good news. His liver enzymes are improving as well. They didn't show as much improvement as they have in the past so I'm cracking the whip and making him choke down the Avemar. He hasn't had it very much these last 2 weeks and I told him that if the numbers weren't as good as in the past that he would have to start drinking it again everyday.

Michael is suppose to have chemo today but they ran his blood tests yesterday and his white blood cell count is too low. The doctor gave him a shot in the stomach and sent him home. (Michael couldn't tell me exactly what they shot was.) He is suppose to go back to the hospital today to have his WBC checked again to see if he's OK for chemo. He also had his INR tested and he is at 7 which means his blood is way to thin. (Normal is 2.5) The nurse said that it would contribute to his headaches. He just seems all over the charts today. I'll know more later...I just hope he's cleared for chemo today!

Today is Michael's 53rd Birthday...Happy Birthday, Hon!!

I dragged him to Octoberfest in Lake Geneva yesterday. It was a whopping 43 degrees...burrrr! He survived pretty well. I would have to say that yesterday was his best day since chemo last week. The bad days are starting to outweigh the good days...but it's encouraging to know that bad days are always followed by good days. He ate like crazy and he was up to 160.8 on the scale last night! I'm hoping to persuade him to go out to dinner tonight...so I can fatten him up some more before chemo on Wednesday.