Teresa was scheduled to start her second cycle of doxorubicin and olaratumab today. Unfortunately, her WBC and Absolute Neutrophils were too low for this to happen.
So, today was just labs and an office visit with Dr. Musgrave, who is going to file with Teresa’s insurance to get the Neulasta shot approved. (It was approved immediately for Gem/Tax, but as most of you know, it’s a very expensive drug – 21K+ per treatment, so this time, insurance said she has to prove she needs it.)
Dr. Musgrave sounded confident that this wouldn’t be a problem, and next week, on the 15th, Teresa would be able to receive doxorubicin, olaratumab, and the Neulasta on-pro body patch. So 2/15 will be the new Cycle 2, Day 1.
Then we will be in Buffalo, NY. Her appointment with Roswell Complete Cancer Institute’s Sarcoma Clinic is on 2/23, and then sometime the following week, she’ll have Cycle 2, Day 8 (olaratumab).
On the upside, her lungs and heart sound good. Her hemoglobin went up again (now it’s 10.2!), and her RBC went up (they’re still low, but getting closer — lowest minimum is 3.79 and she’s at 3.61). Her platelets, which should be between 150 – 400 K/uL jumped from 328 to 525.
Her low WBC and low ABS neutrophils means she has to be extremely careful right now. She cannot be around anyone who is sick or getting over anything (even a cold). Even more hand-washing by her and everyone around her. Monitoring for fevers. She cannot have any raw fruits/veggies for the time being. And so forth.
Dr. Musgrave is hopeful that an extra off-week will give her WBC/neutrophils a chance to come back up so that it will be safe to do her treatment, and then also hopefully have the Neulasta approved so that her numbers don’t drop off again.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Don’t forget about Teresa’s site where she has several posts up (ex: supporting a loved one with cancer, info about visiting when it’s safe, her most recent post from February 2nd, and lots of helpful resources)! http://teresa.grableronline.com