Sunday, 11:50 PM
High-Level Journal Summary: My 54th Hematology Report. Once again, in honor of the 3-week long Tour de France, today's numbers are reported by Phil Liggett's counterpart, Bob Roll. Compared to 7/8/07, the high-level results are as follows:
• White Blood Cell count is up 19 places but is still low.
• Neutrophils count is up 25 places and is normal.
• Platelet count is up 20 places and is normal.
• Overall Hematology Report is up 33 places. It is the 21st best out of 54 reports.
These numbers are strong.
Countdowns:
1.) Day 14 of 28 in my 23rd 5/23 Temodar chemotherapy cycle. Once again, 3 hours of sleep were needed this afternoon. I still woke very tired, even after all that sleep.
2007 Seizure Activity:
1.) Last Simple Partial Seizure, or SPS, was yesterday.
2.) In 2007, I have had 31 SPS's in 203 days. This is an average of 1 SPS every 6.5 days.
Website Updates:
An online journal was added today for 12/22/04. This journal reveals how little I was sleeping because of my perception of all that needed to be done at that time. It shows how I was initially reacting to my new world with brain cancer. This is a transcription of my handwritten journal from that day.
Actual Journal: Every two weeks, there is something fun to anticipate. Hematology Reports. Amidst all the daily challenges of trying to find better treatments, there's gotta be some fun mixed in. This is one of my outlets. And the really cool thing is that I get to choose the "guest host" who narrates this report for us all. So far, every single guest has said yes to this invitation. (As if they had any choice in this virtual invitation.)
My 7/8/07 online journal entry was narrated by the "Voice of Cycling," Phil Liggett, all in honor of the 94th Tour de France. Since Le Tour de France has been such a staple of sports over the last two weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to have another host of this worldwide event as the guest host for today's Hematology Report recap.
Bob Roll
So, imagine the rest of this online journal entry being read by the ever unorthodox Bob Roll. And, if you really know this hall of fame cyclist and popular author, you will understand that he is known just as much for his "articulate hand gestures" as anything else. In that spirit, let Bob's voice (and hands) start right NOW.
Blood numbers
These partial hematology results are compared to data since the start of Cycle 1 of chemo. White Blood Cells (WBC), Neutrophils (NEU), and Platelets (PLT) are the critical counts because they could stop Temodar chemotherapy treatment if they are too low.
The "expected range" for WBC is 4.60 - 10.2 THOUS/MCL. This range is what normal people NOT on chemo would be expected to have if randomly tested. Today, the WBC count was 3.29 THOUS/MCL (LOW), which is up 19 places in two weeks. This reading is still lower than the expected range, though.
The "expected range" for NEU is 2.00 - 6.90 K/uL. This range is what normal people NOT on chemo would be expected to have if randomly tested. Today, the NEU count was 2.37 K/uL (NORMAL), which is up 25 places in two weeks. This reading is now within the normal range.
The "expected range" for PLT is 142 - 424 K/uL. This range is what normal people NOT on chemo would be expected to have if randomly tested. Today, the PLT count was 238 K/uL (NORMAL), which is up 20 places in two weeks. This reading is solidly within the expected range.
Bottom line
These numbers are strong. They are right up there, especially compared to two weeks ago when the Hematology Report was the 10th worst since the start of chemo. That said, here is the bottom line regarding today's test results:
1.) White Blood Cell count is up 19 places but is still low.
2.) Neutrophils count is up 25 places and is normal.
3.) Platelet count is up 20 places and is normal.
4.) Overall Hematology Report is up 33 places. It is the 21st best out of 54 reports.
Last comments from Bob Roll
This is the kind of thing I was hoping for from Welch today. He said that he was feeling strong this morning and anticipated having good numbers. He went in prepared, had excellent feedback coming to him on how to best react to those low numbers two weeks ago, and he executed and just made it happen. So, I would sum it up this way:
White Blood Cell count
The WBC count was a little bit lower than I would like overall, but trending well in a positive direction. A solid performance today. But we have to keep in mind that these numbers are after twenty-three cycles of Temodar chemotherapy. 23! We just have not seen this too often, so this is new territory. We just didn't do this 15-20 years ago, back in my day.
Neutrophils count
These Neutrophils numbers were just rock solid today. They were right there in what I like to call the sweet spot.
Platelet count
I love these Platelet counts. Welch continues to be incredibly consistent here. These are textbook numbers and Welch shows no sign at all of cracking. His numbers almost never go beneath what they should be. Just amazing. A huge thumbs up and tremendous advantage for Welch as he goes into the next stage of the Pyrenees (i.e., future chemo cycles).
While Welch cannot clinically control everything about these blood numbers, he is certainly challenging that notion with his somewhat unorthodox approach to rest, nutrition, and fitness -- which I can certainly relate to and appreciate. When you are down there in the Peloton and wanting that stage win at almost any cost, you end up doing these sorts of things.
