Who will win?

Will it be the Benadryl, steroids or caffeine that wins the sleep battle today? Our betting windows will be open until 3 PM.

Here's a brief update before I (probably...hopefully) take my Benadryl nap which precedes my steroid-induced insomnia.

• We discussed side effects and it was determined that the nuisance side effects were tolerable and no "nasty" side effects so we would move forward with this treatment.  
• Blood work was good but I'm getting close to the "moderate risk" category on my ANC. My count was 1200 today so I just have to be careful and hope that it doesn't drop. The goal is for it to be 1000 or above. We have some wiggle room below 1000 but I could drop again between now and the next visit.  There's a chart below for your viewing pleasure.
  In the event that the numbers do drop, it could mean Neupogen injections or even delayed treatment. Let's pray that I can will my body to make the necessary white blood cells and I can keep on trucking! 

Risk of Infection based on Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)

ANC greater than 1500 No increased risk of infection ANC 1000-1500 Slight increase in risk of infection ANC 500-1000 Moderate increase in risk of infection ANC 100-500 High risk of infection ANC less than 100 Extremely high risk of infection

Source:ChemoCare.com

• It's time for another heart echo. It looks like that will happen prior to my next visit with my oncologist. The chemo can weaken the heart muscle so they like to keep an eye on things. I love a non-invasive test.
• I put my numbing cream on nice and early this morning and did not feel a thing with either the insertion of the needle, nor the removal. Woot woot!

That's all I've got right now. Catch you on the flip side!

Love to all,

Andee