Platelet Update and other craziness

Amigos:

It’s about 0500 and a wild gang of puppies has attacked me, otherwise I’d still be in bed. The four judges – doggies of the a-pack-of-licks – jumped on the bed a little bit ago demanding breakfast.

The got their chow and now they’re asleep and I am wide awake getting ready for what I believe will end up being an admission to the hospital for chemotherapy. The reason I think so is last Saturday this unexplained nasty bruise showed up on my right hand. This can be a sign of a platelet problem. Well the bruise is now rapidly healing and that probably means my platelet count is on the mend. Whether it is mended enough to begin this block of chemo is for a blood draw to decided later this morning.

Those of you who have taken the Myers – Briggs personality profile will not be surprised to discover I am mostly an Extroverted Intuitive Feeler Perceiver (ENFP). This group has a lot of traits all pretty much played for great comic effect by Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison in the “Odd Couple.” Anyway one of the traits that doesn’t get much notice is that ENFP’s can see patterns developing and often come to the right conclusion with a lot less information than other people need. This combined with my 21 years of military experience and the attendant obsession with being on time, has me a little on edge as I look over the chemo horizon.

There is an old saying Army saying, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” I bring all this up because we are now four days behind chemo schedule and since this chemo is so meticulously timed I am hoping we are still within whatever variances the doctors have built in to the prescribed pattern of treatment. I hate chemo, but I hate being late more.

BTW my personality profile is the exact opposite of the majority of Army officers; they tend to be Introverted Sensing Thinker Judgers (ISTJ). Over the years that difference has helped me, because most leaders I’ve had have put me in “people jobs” or “big picture” jobs. Just a side note.

That was a weird tangent.

Back to today. At about 0800 or 0830 I am headed over to the Cancer Center for the blood draw; then I’ll know something.

I’ve purposely gained about 12 pounds. I weighed in at 230 the other day, up form 218 a month ago. MY doctors were worried I lost too much weight too quickly and I was worried that I need to put some blubber on in case the cumulative effects of the chemo begin causing me to lose weight. Simply I wanted some fat in the tank in case I need it later. I won’t tell you how much total weight I’ve lost in the past 90 days because it would reveal what a roly-poly fat boy I really was. Yikes!

Love to all and talk to you soon.