April 2, 2024
David had an oncology appointment today with Dr. B. He had labs done and numbers look pretty much the same as they have been. His CEA was down to 5.9. Not very reliable in his particular case but still lower than it was, so we will take it as a good sign. His hemoglobin was good, and I asked about an iron test since one had not been done in a few months. Dr. B said while iron testing is good it isn’t as reliable as Ferritin testing and that is what he looks at each time. He is the Blood Guy and levels are good. He explained iron levels can fluctuate and can be affected by something you ate the night before. If you had something high in iron, it would show in your blood work but wouldn’t necessarily be the most accurate reading. David’s glucose is trending higher than usual, and I am watching his kidney levels. Looking at his labs online, Creatinine has been low. Higher would be more of a concern, but I would still be more comfortable seeing it in range. I have asked about it a few times but it doesn’t seem to be as much of a concern than if it were high. Carbon dioxide is low this time and we have not seen that before. Good to document it and ask about it next time. Some results are available in the office and some are available the next day. We can see them all online so we really like that. Not sure all doctors would appreciate my backseat questioning. Fortunately, we have some great ones that are good drivers and can still manage the anxious children in the backseat. They all entertain whatever we want to ask.
David is experiencing more neuropathy and Dr. B said it could be residual effects from the treatments. Dr. B said effects of radiation continues weeks after treatment ends so he would order an MRI for a month from now and we would check back in with him to see where we are. We discussed wanting to move ahead with surgery and that Dr. C had indicated to Dr. Wa that he was ready to do so. He said to go ahead and make an appointment with Dr. C to discuss removing the tumor. We understand the reasons why we took the treatment path we did and even with risks involved, I know the one thing David has wanted through all of this (aside from not having cancer at all) is to have this tumor removed so he can get on with living. After the appointment, Ms. Daisy and I headed to Piedmont Atlanta to pick up the contrast he has to drink for the CT scan on Thursday. Days like today wear him (and me) out more than they used to.
David starting managing his pain with a different medication and it allowed him to feel like doing more things this week. He even got a few tomato and pepper plants in the ground after Good Friday. He hasn’t felt like doing things like that in a long time. It has been a pretty good start to the week except for having to go to Home Depot. Should husbands and wives be allowed in that store at the same time?In fact, just ban me all together. I can do irritable toddler foot stomping imitations from the car instead of following him around in some chaotic circle asking “can we go nowwww?” Seriously, how many divorces or break ups occur due to joint home improvement store shopping? I bet the number is high. Someone should research that. I would venture to say that people that have no idea what I mean do not shop with their ADHD partner in one of these stores. If you do, then warmest regards and best wishes.
Current activities for me: driving Sheldon…I mean David around, hauling around Gracie the emotional support blanket, going to appointments, working, driving David around, feeding pets, deciding what to eat, researching cancer things, following David around, watching David pick out plants, watching David look at pieces of wood, watching David look at fertilizer, telling David where something is, watching David ignore me, wondering why there are so many types of tape, googling how to get banned from a store, and Big Bang Theory Season 9.