My first treatment with FOLFOX two weeks ago not only resulted in a potpourri of relatively mild, expected side effects (as treatments of chemotherapy accumulate, such side effects tend to escalate), but also a couple of unexpected side effects. The more serious of these unexpected side effects is a precipitous drop in my platelet count. This "very rare" reaction coincides with an enlargement of my spleen. My enlarged spleen may or may not be sequestering some or all of the platelets that are absent from my bloodstream. Because of my reduced platelet count, Dr. Saltz, my medical oncologist, reduced by half the amount of Fragmin that I had been injecting into myself each day as a prophylactic measure against blood clots.
I had been scheduled today to have my second treatment with FOLFOX, but my platelet count had not risen sufficiently from its nadir to allow the treatment to proceed. The current plan is for me to return to MSKCC in a week to receive a reduced dosage of FOLFOX, if my platelet count has risen sufficiently. Meanwhile, my platelet count is now high enough both to forego daily testing at MSKCC and to resume injecting myself with full doses of Fragmin.
In summary, rather than being treated at the moment for cancer, I am being given time to recover from chemotherapy.
