Not an auspicious start to my day, what with that and the steadily falling rain. However I would rather have been trudging through the fields in my wellies than sitting in a hospital bed at the Marsden, rain or no rain!
Spent all morning at the hospital, long in depth chat with lovely Dr H, reviewing past blood tests and discussing chemo drugs ( like I know what I'm talking about..not!) Blood test as follows
HB 11.0
WBC 4.5
Neutrophils 3.5
Platelets 249
Kidney function 77
CA 125 1,617
Mean anything? Thought not, but generally the gist of the results are all good, except the last bit.. which I have been told not to panic about, me? panic?! The fact that i've reached a new PB as I've never had a reading of CA125 so high before, all apparently due to the lymphatic fluid (chyle, not kyle as in Jeremy..)
Chyle is a bodily fluid with a milky appearance that is a combination of lymphatic fluid, or simply lymph, and lipoproteins called chylomicrons. It originates in the small intestine during the digestion of foods with high fat content, and enters the lymphatic system through lymphatic capillaries called lacteals. Chyle is transported through the lymphatic system and eventually drains into the thoracic duct, a large lymphatic vessel found on the left side of the torso. This fluid is associated with a condition called chyle fistula, in which lymphatic fluid leaks from the lymphatic vessels.
Lymphatic fluid is similar in composition to blood plasma and is one of the main components of chyle. The fluid begins in the circulatory system, then exits the blood vessels and becomes known as interstitial fluid, or the fluid found between cells. Interstitial fluid transports important materials to the body's cells, such as hormones and oxygen, and also bathes the cells, removing foreign materials from them. The majority of this fluid then reenters the circulatory system, but about 10% of it enters the lymphatic vessels instead, where it becomes known as lymphatic fluid. Lymphatic fluid moves upwards through the body via lymphatic vessels, and one of its major functions is to transport fats from the digestive system to other bodily tissues where they can be either metabolized or absorbed.
The other major components of chyle that give the fluid its milky consistency are globules of fat and protein called chylomicrons. Chylomicrons are largely composed of triglycerides, which are fatty acids found in vegetable oils and animal fats. Triglycerides make up a large portion of the average person's fat consumption, and contain large amounts of energy. Within the villi of the small intestine, these fatty acids are combined with proteins and cholesterol, a steroid involved in metabolism, to form chylomicrons. It is important that the fats be packaged in this way because both blood plasma and lymphatic fluid are watery, and fat molecules alone are hydrophobic, meaning that they are repelled by water.
Just an extract explaining a little more about chyle, and you can see why a high protein no fat diet was necessary.
My lovely team on Rayner Ward took time out to see me today and also gave me a quick ultra sound scan, after being told I had 'post baby slack tummy muscles', that hasn't helped the dispersal of fluid ( well, excuse me!) I was reassured that despite still looking four (not five) months pregnant it is in fact finally disappearing, there maybe a chance of trying to help it out with a small 'aspirate' next week, but we'll see. So, I'm sticking to high protein, low fat diet for the time being.
Dr H has requested a CT scan next Wednesday, as the last one was a total blur of fluid, and we need one as a baseline before we start CHEMO NEXT THURSDAY THE NINTH OF OCTOBER at 11am.... the good news (!!!) is that we are going to start with just Carboplatin, as we both know that from past experience if we hit my bone marrow with too much, it will pack its bags, and run away never to return!
Just a reminder, follow the link below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfuAukYTKg
Oh, nearly forgot...
Billy and Bagpuss...
Finally the Macmillan coffee morning at the Jersey Squash Club raised the fantastic sum of £450 !!!
THANK YOU....£££££ :-)
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