Hemoglobin Be Damned....

....full steam ahead. :-)

My hemoglobin continues to hover in the 9's (9.4 yesterday, to be precise), so still no aranesp shot. But, all in all, that seems fine at this point.

Dr. Kuan says that a study was done that seems to link use of the shot with recurrence. She also feels that the study was one of those "let's give 900 mg of something to a rat and see what happens" experiments, rather than something that would actually indicate if something helped. (I love how rational she is.) Her point was that the insurance companies are using the questionable findings from the research to avoid giving the shot.

Furthermore, even if my hemoglobin drops below 9 (normal is 12 or above, btw) next week, it's my last infusion. So, while they might consider giving me a transfusion, it's doubtful because my system will start to recover within a few days of the infusion and we won't be throwing anymore toxins its way in the next few months, and my blood counts will start to recover all on their very own.

So, there it is. I'll be a good girl and try to get some iron into my system.

Meanwhile, the hot flashes are driving my tired soul crazy. Between anemia and menopause, I'm tired and cranky and a bit crazy. Please--if you see my family--be kind to them. They are having to exhibit major amounts of patience with me lately.

And honestly? The phrase "hot flashes" is a bit coy. I feel like I'm going to immolate several times a day. I'm so not kidding.

See? Even this entry sounds cranky. <sigh> I'm sorry.

In other news? We're starting on our "office" this week. It's Frank's and my Christmas present to each other. California Closets will be working its magic in the room just off the kitchen and everything should be done around mid-February.

Oh! and we booked hotel and flight for a week in NYC for our 25th anniversary this June. Something to look forward to, after all this nonsense is finished.