I wish I logged how I felt everyday when starting my first round of induction chemotherapy. Since that is not the case I am going to try to recollect how I felt and then try to update current events. While writing this I am on day 22 and my ANC (absolute neutrophil count)* has been teetering from 0 to .001 which is not a very significant amount considering they would like to see me at 500.

Today, I attempted to go for a walk but immediately got nauseous so I knew it was going to be a rough day. I had head aches on and off, chills, spiked a fever, my bowel movements were less than ideal, I wasn’t in the mood to eat, and I was exhausted and slept most of the day. The good news is these are all things that can be expected following chemo. I also was able to get my cheek swabbed to try to find a match for a stem cell transplant.

Here is my recollection:

Day 1-7: Chemo ran into IV for 7 continous days. I remember feeling surprised how good I felt. My swollen gums and lymph nodes slowly began to return to a more normal state during this time.

Day 8: First day off chemo and my back was aching. I remember not feeling well but this only lasted a day.

Day 9-19: There were two times that I recall asking for nausea medication. Otherwise my appetite was finally coming back . Day 15 I had my second bone marrow biopsy. The following days my lower back was sore.

Day 20-21: I started noticing a shift I couldn’t pin point why I didn’t feel good. I was starting to get head aches and noticing my hair was beginning to fall out. I started taking nausea medication as precaution.

Day 23: The excitement continues. I woke up and was put in isolation, had a fever, chest x-ray and covid rapid testing. Luckily my first test came out negative as I don’t have an immune system. However my fever continued and I had to get more tests ran . I also vomitted this day.

Day 24: Continued to have fevers and nausea. Appetite was very low. I had a CT scan done on my abdomen and neck.

Day 25: 2nd covid test was negative, continued on my third day of isolation. I had an ultrasound done on my gallbladder. My fever started to lower a little and I started new antibiotics. I noticed that my face would tense up and would not return to normal unless I yawned or massaged it. This day I shaved my head. At night I vomitted again.

Day 26: No infection in gallbladder was detected. Started to feel more upbeat and the fevers were going down.

Day 27: No nausea! Fevers have been turning into lowgrade and sometimes are normal. Generally felt pretty well today. I did not need any transfusions.

Day 28: My stool was tested for infection and came out negative. My ANC today was 30! That is the highest it has been so far. ANC can drop again but the hope is it starts to climb to 500. My platelets rose to 29 which is a sign that ANC will start rising. Had a little nausea but appetite is starting to come back slowly.

Day 29: I was a little nauseous today. My platelets rose to 45 and my ANC to 40. I was tested again for covid and it came out negative. I am still in isolation and there is talk about bumping my 14 isolation days to 20 isolation days. Kind of a bummer but with no immune system I suppose it couldn’t hurt. They took me off one of my antibiotics.

Day 30: My ANC continued to be 40 today but my platelets rose to 87. I had a little sore throat but otherwise have felt well. I’m eating more and had no nausea today! I also have not had fevers. Started getting blood thinner shots in my stomach as they don’t want me to get clots since my platelets are up.

Day 31: No fevers today. My platelets are at 102 and ANC is still at 40, I was bummed but it’s not going down so I have that going for me. I realized that my sore throat was more of an ear pain when I swallow so I started ear drops and Zyrtec. I vomited again today to top it all off.

Day 32: Today I went down to the radiologist and had some spinal fluid removed for testing to see if I have cancer in my spine and brain. While they do the procedure they push chemo into the spine whether or not any is detected. It left my back sore throughout the day. I am happy to announce my ANC went up to 100 and my platelets are in the 120s. I slept most of the day. My skin has been itchy and my ear continues to bring discomfort.

Day 33: All night I was itching and so early in the morning I took a shower. Promptly after exiting the shower I started to vomit. Throughout the day the itching improved but at times feels unbearable. ANC rose to 290 and platelets 145. Continued to get blood thinners. It has been a rough day overall but I am excited to see my numbers rise.

Day 34: I felt relatively well today. I get headaches when I’m up and moving, a side effect from the spinal fluid removal, so today has been very restful. My ANC went down to 230 today. I am hopeful that tomorrow it will rise again. I have yet to throw up today and am thankful.

Day 35: No abnormalities were found in my spinal fluid so praise the Lord! I woke up not feeling very well but was told my ANC rose to 460 so my spirits were lifted. 2 weeks of isolation and today I was able to leave the room, it was a short walk as I got a headache but very much appreciated. I felt absolutely awful later in the day, I was clammy, I knew I was hungry but couldn’t eat, and had a headache. I asked for nausea medication and immediately vomited. A 2 hour nap later and I feel great. Hopeful that tomorrow I’ll be able to go home but I am unsure.

Day 36: I woke up not feeling well, ate some yogurt, took my pills, and threw up. Not a great start to the morning. However, my ANC rose to 740 so I was able to be discharged! I went home and was hesitant to eat and take showers as I had previously had issues with nausea but nothing, maybe home was what I needed.

This is the end of my hospitalization journey for induction chemo. I am unsure how much I will be documenting while at home but I plan on making a new entry when I start consolidation chemo. It will be a lot less intense and I will be hospitalized for less than a week compared to 43 days.

*ANC: From St. Jude, “An estimate of the body’s ability to fight infection. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that kills bacteria.”