Week 7 Venetoclax: Ramping it up to 300 mg

Dear friends, family, and anyone else out there who wants to know what is going on:

Week 6 to Week 7 I have had a little fatigue and lots of foggy brain, but I worked through it. I listened to my body and slept and rested.

Week 7 I am on a ramp up of 300 mg and I started to take my diabetes medicine. If it causes too much indigestion issues, Dr. Robin said I could take it every other day. I only had a problem the first day I took it.

On Wednesday, March 13th, the second day of Week 7, I woke up with a clear head. The grogginess was gone. It felt so good.

My swelling and redness in my right leg is gone. My calves do look like I have been the survivor of a bar fight. As my future son-in-law Flint would say, “You should have seen the other guy!”

I will have another ultrasound in three months to see the status of my non-occlusive blood clot. Non-occlusive means that there is blood flow around the clot. Then I will have another ultrasound in six months to see if it is gone. In the meantime, I will continue to walk every day, stretch, wear compression socks, and elevate my leg. No marathons for me. LOL. I will also be tested to see if I have a genetic disposition for blood clots.

I will continue to use Eliquis for six months. The drug thins my blood and keeps me safe from an embolism.

I saved the best for last. My bloodwork! My white blood count is 7.7 k/mm3 (normal is 4.0-11.0 k/mm3). My red blood count is 4.05 (normal is 3.70-5.40 m/mm3). My hemoglobin is 13.3 (normal is 11.5-16.0 g/dL). The only readings that are high are the ones that should be high because my body is getting rid of cancer cells. Hurrah! I am headed in the right direction.

P.S.- Thank you, Addie!

Dr. La Verne

Week 4, 5, and 6 Venetoclax

Dear friends and family:

Week 4

Many of you have probably been wondering why I have not checked into my blog for a few weeks. Week 4 Venetoclax ramp up with 200 mg went well. No significant side effects. There was nothing to report.

Week 5

Week 5 Venetoclax ramp up with 400 mg was another story. I had fatigue, brain fog, bruising, and hip and elbow joint issues. My two big toes and the toe next to them often went numb or tingly.

I began to get a blister rash on my right ankle and upper shin. Dr. Robin suspected shingles and I was prescribed Valtrex starting Week 6.

Both ankles showed swelling. The right ankle area was red and warm and the top of my right foot was puffy like a balloon. Dr. Robin suspected a blood clot. She was correct. I ended up with a blood clot in the back of my right knee. Rather than send me to the Emergency Room (She knew I wouldn’t like that), she sent me home with a blood thinner (Eliquis 5 mg) to help thin my blood and dissolve the clot. Blood clots put you at risk for pulmonary embolism, a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems. I certainly don’t need that in my life!

In spite of all the side effects, my blood work was the best it had been since the treatment began. My glucose level was even in the normal range. I have not started on the diabetes medication and FreeStyle Libre 3 (a glucose system), because we want to separate the side effects of the drugs.

Week 6 (beginning Tuesday, March 5th)

Week 6 of the Venetoclax ramp up was reduced to 200 mg instead of 400 mg. The plan is that Week 7 will be 300 mg and then Week 8 will be 400 mg to see if the slower ramp up will help my body adjust to tolerating the cancer drug.

The good news is that I was able to have my Obinutuzumab infusion for the month with two steroids, and my blood work was good. That means I will finish the infusion part of the treatment in June just in time to fly to California to see my daughter get married to the boy next door.

SIDE NOTE: I met a lovely woman in the infusion room and she may be coming to my cancer support group Living Well. We decided to name the support group “Living Well” instead of “NDY” (Not Dead Yet). LOL.

03//06/24 I had some slightly loose bowels. I am sure that is TMI for many of you. LOL. I have been elevating my right leg and the swelling has been coming down. My legs are still tender to the touch.

As of this morning I have noticed that the swelling in my legs has gone down and my calves are less tender. I will get more blood work on Monday. Thank God that I decided to get a port! I will meet with Dr. Robin on Tuesday of Week 7 and see where I am.

I am hanging in there. I have been resting and saying, “No,” to people. I have to focus on getting better. Learning to be a little selfish has been a bit of a struggle for me. There are times when I need to check out and be alone and veg out. Do not be offended. I am not ignoring you. I just like to be alone with my thoughts to heal.

Dr. La Verne