05/06/08 - Somethin’ is a workin’

Today we went down to La Jolla for my bi-weekly IVIG infusion, and for the blood test that tells me how I am doing. And the envelope please….my hemoglobin is going UP. I went from 9.3 on Thursday to 11.0 today. So the consensus is that the Prednisone is working. The other theories are that the IVIG also helps and the shot of Aranesp that I got two weeks ago is kicking in. So, even though we really can’t be sure which of the pieces are making a difference, a difference has been made.

So, now the short and sweet readers can stop reading.

The plan is now to have a blood test on Monday to validate the continued rise in the hemoglobin. If it continues to rise, I will probably start tapering off the Prednisone next week. My rough guess is that will take until the end of June. If you remember, this is exactly what happened to me at the beginning of the year. The difference this time is that when I get to a good hemoglobin level, and I have tapered off of the Prednisone, Dr. Kipps will start a Treatment Therapy for the CLL. There is some belief that the AIHA can be triggered by the CLL, so the theory is that if you can control the CLL you can control the AIHA. But in order to treat the CLL your AIHA must be under control. So there may be a small window of opportunity in which to do this. I won’t get into the treatment protocols at this time because even the ‘detail’ readers may glaze over.

So, now that I am back on the mend, we are off to Vegas Baby. We are going with Donna’s parents to visit Donna’s sister Nancy and her son and daughter. We actually just talked about doing this last night if I was on the upswing. But this is how you can operate if you are retired.

05/01/08 - and the Roller Coaster Continues

Today we went down to La Jolla for my blood test and type and cross match. So I just donated 5 tubes of blood, got in the car and drove home. On the way home we stopped in Solana Beach and ate at Milton's Deli. Milton's is the company that makes the good whole grain breads. But I digress. After we got back on the road, I got a call from my case manager. She informed me that my hemoglobin had dropped, (from 9.6 to 9.3), but it was not enough to warrant giving me a transfusion. In conferring with Dr. Kipps, they seem to think that the prednisone is kicking in and the AIHA is beginning to stabilize. So, for right now, I am not in need of any additional treatment. I don't have to go back down on Friday for a transfusion, or next week for a Rituxan treatment. I will stay on the current dose of prednisone until my counts start rising, and then they will start tapering me off again. I will also go down to La Jolla next week for a bi-monthly infusion of IVIG therapy (which will also help control the AIHA).

They do want me to get another shot of Aranesp, which is the protein which induces the production of red blood cells. We are trying to get this scheduled for up here at my alternate doctor on Friday. Otherwise, I will have to drive back down to La Jolla and get the shot tomorrow or Saturday.

I still feel fine, and played 27 holes of golf yeserday, so I am not letting any of this keep me down.

Terry