I was reluctant to take a photo of Bryon this week since he decided to shave off the beard. It isn't that he looks bad, but he does have his father's chin, and it tends to make him look quite juvenile.
In addition to the baby face, he had sores under the facial hair. They were red splotches that did not appear to be infected, but unsightly none the less. The doctor looked at them and explained his skin is probably more sensitive than it used to be and has over reacted to being dry. This also explains why he breaks out so bad when his skin is oily. So, he has to put his modeling career on hold for awhile while his skin regroups, but his blood cell counts are a different story.
We were told Bryon would become immunosupressed (spell check just isn't up on the medical terminology, so I apologize for spelling errors.), but he has done so well that it was kind of a shock when they said his counts were low. What this means is the white and red blood cell counts are low enough to suppress his ability to fight infection and cause severe fatigue. He is supposed to avoid large crowds (basically work), anyone who is potentially sick(or wear a mask instead), and report immediately to the ER if he has a fever of 101 degrees or higher. His numbers are not bad enough to give him a booster shot at this point, but we would like to avoid it anyway. The shot would create panic in his bone marrow, causing it to produce more blood cells. The worst and most common side effect of this drug would cause serve aches in his joints and bones throughout the body. The only time they would give him the booster is if absolutely needed it. For right now, he is still able to be in the medical study, even though he is also having troubles with blood clotting. We will just have to keep a close eye on him and wait to see how this affects his day to day life.
Bryon is considering going on disability while I (the wife) go to work. I am not tremendously excited for him if that is his decision. I do feel that work gives him something to focus on and a reason to get out of bed. I also feel that if he were to stay and run the home, he would be doing his family a great service without putting his health in jeopardy. There are always choices in these matters, and this one is totally up to him.
As for now, life goes on, but much bigger decisions are yet to be made. It is a tense time, but like the seasons, it may be time for a change.
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ReplyDeleteYou guys will make the right decision.
ReplyDeleteChemotherapy is notorious for doing a number on the immune system. Blood cells divide (to put it simply) quickly just as cancer cells do. Since the target in chemo is rapidly dividing cells, the blood cells get whacked too.
Take the warning about the 101F temperature seriously. Febrile neutropenia is very serious and requires immediate attention. Bryon effectively has no immune system and any infection can quickly overwhelm him.
Oh, I wanted to ask about the clotting issue. Bryon's blood is not clotting as it should, correct? That would make sense since platelets are one of the blood cells affected by chemo. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have a puzzle to ponder if his blood was clotting too readily.
Keep up the good work. Keep us up to date on what decision you reach. And post the picture already. We won't laugh and point - much. ;-)