Second Cycle

OK, so I'm going to write something more in depth over the next few days (and I actually still have a post from last week I never got a chance to finish--I'll post that too). But here's the big updates:

• I am starting my second cycle today, and will be getting treatment every day until next Wednesday. I'll be doing Saturday and Sunday in the hospital, although I don't exactly when (the appointments haven't posted to Epic yet).
• I will be getting neupogen to help boost my white blood cell counts this cycle (there was some confusion here, but my oncologist and I worked through it). This will hopefully keep me on schedule to start the 3rd cycle three weeks from today.
• They finally checked my tumor markers (I say "finally" because it looks like protocol would have been to check them after 10 days, instead of 31). The news is pretty good -- my beta-HCG has gone from 1700 (pre-surgery) to 610 (post-surgery) to <0.5 (post R1 of chemo).  The means the chemo has certainly done something to my cancer, and maybe even has knocked most of it out.
• My LDH (a measure of cell death, which often goes up with cancer) has gone from 170 (pre-surgery) to 115 (post-surgery) to 220 (post R1 of chemo). The (somewhat) elevated LDH isn't necessarily indicative of cancer spreading, though, especially since the neupogen causes increased cell turnover.  The Beta-HCG is a much more specific measure of TC cells; increased LDH can be caused by many things.
• I'm still coughing up gunk, which might indicate something is still going on near my lungs (though this doesn't necessarily mean actively growing cancer cells). This might also be an effect of the bleomycin, though.

I'll write more later. If you're bored, stop and see me in the Cancer Center (I'll be here today until 5:00 or so).