This past Thursday, I had more blood tests to monitor my liver health, most notably my bilirubin levels. Let me first explain why monitoring the bilirubin levels are so important. The liver is ultimately responsible for "cleaning" the excess bilirubin from the blood. When the liver is not properly filtering the bilirubin out the blood, the excess causes people's skin and eyes turn a yellowish hue, and it can be toxic to the liver rather quickly leading to liver failure if left untreated.
I'm relieved to report that my total bilirubin counts continue to go down (now at 7), which is a good thing! The last blood test I had, a week earlier, showed a similar decrease. Two in a row now constitutes a trend. I'm hoping it continues to the point where the counts are at or near normal levels. There is still some yellowish tone to the whites of my eyes, but my skin is looking much less sickly yellow and closer to scaringly pale, a by-product of Seattle winters :).
I continue to hold off on injected chemo treatments in hopes that my liver heals itself and the bilirubin gets down to normal. My oncologist and I are optimistically planning to re-start chemo (Oxaliplatin & Gemzar) at the end of February. In the meantime, I am trying to get as much rest as possible and continue to take Pentoxifylline pills (400mg 3x/day) coupled with high dose Vitamin E (2000 i.u./day) & Vitamin C (2000 mg/day). I am also trying to eat and drink as many calories as possible to get my weight up. Since my stomach has shrunk in the past few months, and let's face it - I was never a big guy to begin with, I have to drink most of my extra calories. I am making shakes out of the drink Ensure plus fruit and ice cream. I can't simply eat a lot of sweets/cakes/etc, since some studies have suggested that excess sugar is bad for cancer patients. I'm hoping to pack on the pounds by eating as much protein, carbs, and fat as possible. I know a lot of you think that I'm "lucky" to have this problem, but it's super frustrating to eat and eat without gaining any weight when you really want to. Yes, if it was possible, I'd take some pounds from any of you, but alas, there is no safe medical way to do that - bummer!
Michelle and I really enjoyed Monterey and Carmel. Monterey (where we stayed) was very touristy, in a charming way that wasn't too obnoxious. The "downtown" Carmel area was impressive with a hint of European small town to it - I can see why Clint Eastwood wanted to be Mayor! The Monterey Aquarium was good, but it wouldn't say it's the best one I've ever been to. Some exhibits are certainly impressive and they have a strong focus on wildlife preservation, but I wasn't blown away. I was definitely blown away by the Pebble Beach Golf Courses. I was able to walk holes 1, 2, 17, and 18 at Pebble Beach, while also driving around the coast holes of Spyglass Hill. Absolutely breathtaking!
I have more blood work scheduled for this Thursday. I can only pray that this trend continues and my bilirubin, along with the rest of my liver functions, return to normal so I can re-start with treating the cancer. Cancer. Such a terrible word. Something is definitely wrong with the world seeing as how so many people are diagnosed with it. Michelle and I just learned this weekend that someone we care about very much was diagnosed with a nasty cancer.
Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming, and let me know if there's anything I can do for you in return.
Stay Well,
Rhone
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