Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
Sat Dec 19, 2024
AML 3.0 UCSF stem-cell transplant - Day +119
Blogging tunes: SomaFM: DroneZone
I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it
So… it’s the climb? I guess. But we have a little problem and it’s unclear how to navigate it.
Remember a month or so ago, I felt like my energy was increasing every week? I was pushing myself, increasing my steps commensurately, posting graphs like this, etc. Well, for the last 3 weeks or so, it’s felt different… it’s like I’ve hit a plateau. It’s not that things are backsliding… it’s just… things are not increasing like they were before.
What does this mean and why is it happening? I don’t really know. Here are the data points though.
When I had labs last Thursday 12/12/24 (Day +112), my counts were virtually identical to my previous visit on 11/25/24 (Day +95)
Here’s a snippet from the graph (starting at Day +40) that track the four standard counts.
The purple rectangles show the flat (and even slightly down) counts over the last three weeks. That brings us to the next data point…
Today is my 24th day of taking Ziftomenib as part of the post-transplant maintenance
Is it a coincidence that my energy started to flatline when the Zifto started? Is this just a longer version of the HGB flatline around Day +60 (orange rectangle)? I kinda doubt it.
Granted there are only the two data points for labs recently: 11/25 and 12/12. If I’d been getting labs every few days, maybe we’d see fluctuations… who knows? All I know is that I haven’t been feeling any kind of energy step function since the Zifto (re-)started, and that kinda sucks.
Check out the exercise tracker
Let’s do some analysis. First, the two big “steps” days — Day 96 and Day 117 — as highlighted by the circled yellow stars. Both of these were big hikes in Marin: Day +96 Phoenix Lake (Strava link) crushed me; day +117 China Camp (Strava link) did too. But 19 days later, shouldn’t I have more energy?
Now let’s look at the Peloton output (the blue stars). Sure, there was that one day where I hit 160 (purple circle) but for the most part, it’s a flatline of late, especially compared to the left side of the graph. Remember, those bottom three blue stars don’t really count as they are leisurely weekend rides with ejs. On yesterday’s ride — the right-most blue star (at 150) — I had to push hard for 10-12 seconds at the end (when I was supposed to be cooling down) just to hit 150. Not good.
In addition to the Zifto side-effects, I wonder if I’m also just not getting enough rest. Last night I was so tired, I probably fell asleep around 9:00p and (for the most part) slept through til about 6:30a. That’s more than I’ve slept in a long time. I feel a bit better today, so maybe there’s something to getting more rest.
Anyway, my next appointment is this coming Monday. I’ll post a super quick pre-Xmas/Hanukkah update with the counts (and any supporting info I get from my docs) so we can see what’s going on with this plateau.
Nothing else big to report. I mean, the Eagles keep winning, and we keep making hoagies — alas no pictures this time. You can see the latest concoctions here. Maybe Sandwich Sundee is the good luck charm. OK, I’ll post one pic since Orion’s hoagie looks so good, he’s wearing a great shirt, and looks like a goofball. This time we got the rolls from Bordenave’s. Thanks for the recommendation, Georgie!
Dang, meant to publish this post this afternoon but got sidetracked. Here are three pics from that China Camp hike. Want to see more? Click that Strava link above. Oh fine, here’s the link again. I gotta go to bed. Hoping to do a small sunrise hike tomorrow morning.
You can see the Salesforce tower in this one above.
I’m using this sunset one as my iPhone wallpaper. Was pretty stunning.
iwkiaaaa