T-PLL update
Yesterday was my first full day off from any form of treatment. My sister Marietta and her husband Al came to visit. I received a call from the doctor indicating that I should start taking the antibiotic due to my neutrophil level nearing the 500 mark. Last night I experience side effects from the treatment for the first time. It felt like a hot rush in my head.


Today I had a visit with Dr. Epner to review my progress and get his release to go home. The doctor told us that he will be in constant contact with Dr. Castro in Titusville to monitor what is going on. I had been experiencing nausea so Dr. Epner prescribed Zofran. During the exam the doctor noted that my spleen has reduced in size nicely and there is an enlarged lymph node in my left arm pit that needs to be watched. My blood work results from today showed a WBC of 3,600 and an absolute neutrophil count of 400. Since the level is so low I was given a shot of Neulasta.

What is Neulasta®?

Neulasta® is a prescription medication called a white cell booster that helps your body produce more white blood cells to reduce your risk of infection. A sufficient white blood cell count may enable your doctors to administer chemotherapy according to their treatment schedule.

With the help of a white cell booster, you can maintain a sufficient white blood cell count. Most doctors agree that sticking to the planned chemotherapy schedule may be the first step to success. Studies have proven the effectiveness of Neulasta® in helping to protect chemotherapy patients against the complications of a low white blood cell count.


Today I received my last dose of Campath (30mg) in Hershey, PA. All of the staff at Penn State Hershey Medical Center has been great. I will be heading home to Florida and will be starting treatment in my home town. Mike spoke with Dr. Castro in Titusville today and confirmed that he is ready to start treatment on Monday. He provided us his cell phone number if we ever need to get in touch with him directly.

I was so happy that my father, who is 86, made it down to Hershey, PA to see me before I left for Florida. It was a great visit. I have to thank Louie, my father’s son in law, for driving. Louie can make anyone laugh, so it was nice to have him here as well.

I have not felt much better than I did yesterday. I have been feeling like I have a flu that is not really there. I will have to take it as it comes.

In the morning we will start our trip back to Florida. To be continued…..