Before you get chemo they do a full blood panel to examine numbers that chemo therapy typically affects - red blood cell count, platelet count, and white blood cell count. If these numbers get too low they may advise or insist on delaying treatment for a week so that your body recovers while giving the person a medicine that directs the body to make more white blood cells (how awesome is that!). Going into the visit I felt great but it turns out my white blood cell count is lower than they would like - 1500 being the cutoff and mine was 1100. This is common with the treatment. But because I am otherwise healthy the risk of infection is pretty low. The consensus of the doctor, Margie, and me was to proceed with chemo and to go in on Saturday for the white blood cell booster (which must be after pump disconnection). A week's delay would not have been medically significant and having another week of feeling good and strong would have wonderful, but it would have thrown off the bi-weekly schedule we have working our lives around, including Luisa's business travel, and the doctor is very aware of how this schedule change can be disruptive for patients.
Bottom line - I got chemo along with my snazzy take-home pump that gives me small doses for 46 hours, but I need to watch for a fever. I will likely staying away from work part of these next two days to avoid the germ pool that it can be.
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