Went to see the Oncologist today. He didn't have much to say, but when he dictated his notes into his laptop, I heard him say the word "improving" so I guess that's a good thing. He also ordered a blood test to get my current PSA level.
Apparently the sample has to be sent elsewhere for PSA analysis and will take a couple of days, but they were able to get basic results back while I was there. It showed that my white cell count is low which I'm told means that I'm susceptible to infections and am to call the doctor if I get a fever above 100.5. My wife tells me that it's common for cancer patients undergoing treatment to have a low white cell count so I guess it's nothing to be concerned about.
After that, I got my monthly Xgeva shot. The last time I felt miserable for a couple of days after receiving the shot, but so far there is nothing to report with this one.
The one thing of concern was that I've apparently lost 15 lbs since my last visit a month ago. The doctor told me to stop losing weight and that if I lose another 15 by next time, it will be cause for concern. The problem has been that I just have no appetite and when I do eat, I can't eat very much without getting full, so I guess I'll have to start making a conscious effort to eat more frequently and eat more fattening foods. The nurse suggested that I get whole milk dairy products and/or add protein supplements to my food. They suggested drinking Ensure or Carnation Instant Breakfast or the like. I'll do what I can. The last few days my stomach has been rather unsettled so the idea of eating anything hasn't been very attractive.
My friends visiting from Dallas, dubbed "The Funny Men" by my daughters, returned home today. Even though I spent much of the weekend feeling like crap, I thoroughly enjoyed having them visit. It has been a long time since the 4 of us have spent any time together outside of a meal out with all of the families and it was nice to have a weekend of guy time with them. It was incredibly thoughtful of them to come all the way up here to see me like this and I really appreciate them for it.
The rest of the day was spent with me fighting off drowsiness. I'm not sure where it was coming from, but every time I would try to do something useful, I would just be overcome with sleepiness. As a result, I also didn't eat much today, but when I did, I had to force it.
Lastly, I checked in with the pain specialist today and relayed my current situation and the fact that most of my pain now manifests itself in my legs just above and below the knee. He believes it to be an extension of the pain I was having in my hips and therefore changed my neurontin dosage again as well as the Lactulose due to the complications with my bowels over the weekend. Same as before, make the change and check back in in a few days. At this point, I'm not scheduled to see any more medical personnel for another month unless something arises between now and then which would necessitate an unscheduled visit. I guess I'll just sit tight and see what happens.
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