12.05.2011

The Audible Worked :: 20k Platelet Gain!

So there we were. I was in the big chair, Jayme had already gently set the IV needle in my left arm (thanks Jayme, you're good!), the bag of Rituxan was ready to be connected and infused, then the lab results came in. That's when Dr. Rich called the audible.

Today's Lab. I Must Admit, I Still Hate the Little Pinch

I was anxious all weekend anticipating today's lab results, which are posted below. Bottom line, my platelets got a big jump and my other hemo and hema levels are...OK. It turns out the WinRho and Dexomethasone seemed to have worked.







Next Steps
Switch back to Prednisone for a few days, lower dosage (tapering, remember). We'll do another lab check on Wednesday to see where all the levels are then adjust the game plan as needed.

Dr. Nancy W. Mortensen, Oncology FNP, ANP
Nancy's on the team trying to figure out why my antibodies are destroying my platelets. Today's news brought a smile to both our faces. I like Nancy - she claims she's not from the East Coast but I think deep down inside she has connections. She cuts to the chase. She explains things in ways I can easily understand. And when there's nothing to explain, she doesn't fabricate. Remember, the "I" in ITP means, "We don't know." I'm ok with that. Nancy's another expert. I tell you, I'm surrounded by experts!

Platelets UP, Smiles All Around. Nancy W. Mortensen (Oncology FNP, ANP) and Me.

Last Week's Ride
By the way, last week I mentioned I went on a ride. Rick S, Dan Z, and Kenny took me on a Dry Loop. Oh it felt good to get off the spinner and ride outside. The trail conditions were a tad sloppy but it sure felt good to be outside. I was noticeably slower compared to the last loop I had completed about a month and a half ago. I can see that after we get my ITP conundrum solved, I will have to dig out of a bigger hole than I anticipated. No worries.

The downhill felt exhilarating. For the collective group I ride with, the ascent has always been more important than the descent. Don't get me wrong, we all love the downhill. This downhill was special. It was the first time I had ridden in a long time with an acceptable platelet level. I felt like I didn't have to hold back so I opened it up.

In my efforts to keep Dan Z in trash-talking range, I may have pushed a little too hard. A few yards below the pipe I was too high on the left side of the single track entering the little embedded rock garden, which, by the way for you locals seems to be getting bigger - am I right? This shot me to the right, back across the single track, and into the trees and bigger, non-embedded, rocks. I crashed. Fortunately I did not bump my head or body. I landed softly in a web of branches. My Superfly, however, was not so lucky. She found one of the big rocks and didn't fair well. I ruined my front wheel and had to nurse my bike down to the trail head. On the way down we ran into Aaron, who shot some footage of my front wheel. Watch the front wheel closely.



Platelets: 48k
(up from 28k two days ago)
Meds: 40MG Dexamethasone (Steroid)


3 comments:

Dave said...

ouch. Nice work on the wheel Ricky. Hey, if you need some new wheels (Stans) give me a call, I might be able to help you out...

Ricky said...

thanks, dave. racer was kind enough to drop what he was doing to rebuild me a new Stan's Crest on the American Classic hubs with DTSwiss spokes (one white to maintain the American Classic standard) OVERNIGHT. racer, thank you. and thank you for the offer, dave.

KanyonKris said...

Good to hear the platelets are up.

Nice work on that wheel, save it for parade rides.