Post-hospital stay update

After receiving so many texts from friends asking how my second treatment with Eribulin went—the treatment that landed me in the hospital—I realized I’m overdue for an update.

I was originally scheduled to receive my second treatment the Thursday (August 13) after my first treatment. But after spending Saturday through Tuesday in the hospital with neutropenic fever, my doctors wanted to give my body a little more time and check my blood counts before moving forward. The plan was to give me a 20% reduced dose if my counts were high enough.

Unfortunately, even after receiving an injection to stimulate my bone marrow and boost my white blood cells, my counts actually dropped.

So, I received another injection and was sent home with strict instructions to avoid germs as much as possible because my immune system was so compromised that even a simple infection could potentially land me back in the hospital—or worse, lead to sepsis.

That meant going into full lockdown at home. No church. No watching my kids play volleyball. No normal activities. Just staying home and trying to protect my body while it worked to rebuild my immune system.

I went back to the oncology office Thursday last week for more bloodwork, and I honestly couldn’t believe the results. After a second injection, my white blood counts were somehow even lower. My neutrophil count was only 0.07, which meant my immune system was essentially nonexistent.

They gave me yet another injection, and after consulting with my doctors, we made the decision to skip that week’s treatment altogether and start all over with a new treatment cycle beginning the following week. My body clearly needed a break.

And the problem hasn’t just been my white blood cells. My red blood cells have also taken a major hit. I’m anemic, and both my hemoglobin and platelets have been dangerously low. No wonder I’ve felt so incredibly weak!

I went back Monday for more labwork, and thankfully, we finally got some good news: my white blood cell and neutrophil counts were back in the normal range! 🙌

So we scheduled treatment for Wednesday.

On Wednesday, my white counts were still looking good, but my hemoglobin and platelets were still too low. So once again, we decided to wait and recheck everything today—Friday, August 21.

And that brings me to where I am right now. I’m sitting at Texas Oncology as I type this, waiting for my lab results and praying that my numbers have come up enough for me to receive treatment today. If they are high enough, I’ll receive the Eribulin with a 20% dose reduction. If my red blood counts are still too low, we may be looking at an iron infusion or even a blood transfusion.

It has definitely been a frustrating and exhausting few weeks. It’s hard to feel like you’re moving forward when your body keeps saying, “Not yet.”

But there is another piece of good news that I’m choosing to hold onto.

Despite everything my body has been through—including the chemotherapy, multiple injections, and strong IV antibiotics during my hospital stay—my liver enzymes are dropping. ❤️

One of the biggest goals of this treatment is to get the cancer in my liver under control. So while I’ve only been able to receive one treatment so far, I’m choosing to see those falling liver enzymes as a little glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, this treatment is doing what we desperately need it to do.

So today, I’m praying for good lab results, a strong enough blood count to receive treatment, and continued signs that this medicine is working.

One day at a time. One lab result at a time. One treatment at a time.

And through all of it, I’m continuing to choose hope. ❤️🙏

Update: I'm now in the infusion chair and will be receiving an iron infusion as well as a reduced dose of the chemotherapy.