1 February 2024
Miracle of miracles! I have my Jeep back. Neyma called at 1:45 pm yesterday afternoon and said my Jeep was ready to pick up. Nothing else. When I asked what to do next she said go to Enterprise and get a receipt and bring it over. No news about a sensor, no info on anything, just come get the Jeep.
The Enterprise office on SR441 was very busy. There were about six people in the building waiting when I got there with one person trying to do everything. It took me about 30 minutes before she could check the car and give me a receipt.
When I walked up to Neyma’s office, she said the paperwork was with the cashier. No apologies, nothing. At least the cashier was nice. The headlight did indeed cost $397 to replace. Everything else was done except the sensor. It may be that I don’t even need one. Who knows. I received no information from Neyma and there was only one item on the receipt that said no charge for parts, labor, other.
Driving back, I thought the air conditioner wasn’t cooling. Wouldn’t that be my luck that it was broken and needed repair? After further examination, someone had turned off the air button on the console. Whew! I did have to readjust the seat and mirrors. The headrest is what it should be. I’ve yet to see if the headlight works.
Today as I drove to physical therapy, the check engine light came on so that means that did not replace the sensor and I’ll have the pleasure of going back to Hollywood Chrysler Jeep one more time to get the sensor replaced. That is, if they remember who it belongs to when it comes in. And remembers to call me.
Today at PT, Shannon walked me through some exercises she wants me to do at home. They were pretty simple and I should be able to do them without a problem. My real problem is my back is getting worse. It’s particularly bad if I am on my back while in bed and also as I get out of bed or bend down to put something in the trash. Hopefully, these exercises will help.
My flow cytometry results came in today. The reason Dr. Velez ordered the flow cytometery is my monocyte and neutrophil levels were high. He wanted a better picture to make sure there was nothing more than the chemotherapy affecting the levels.
Overall, everything looks normal. Here’s the jargon. “No immunophenotypic evidence of a B- or T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, acute leukemia or circulating blasts is identified. Monocytes are mature with no significant antigen atypic. In general, a low-grade myeloid neoplasm cannot be excluded with flow cytometery.”
Here’s where I get to use a little of my immunology background while working towards a PhD at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (didn’t complete it). The “T” in the above statement refers to T cells which their immunity is conferred from the thymus gland. The “B” above is for B cells which named from their discovery in an organ in chickens not found in humans, the Bursa Fabricus. “NK” refers to natural killer cells. B, and T/NK are important components of a healthy immune system in certain concentrations. If the “normal” gets out of whack, they can indicate disease. Natural Killer cells are exactly like the name suggests. They seek out and destroy cells and viruses not supposed to be in your system.
There are five types of white blood cells (leucocytes) neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes and monocytes. There are three types of lymphocytes: B cells, T cells, and NK (natural killer cells).
Neutrophils are like amebas – they engulf and digest bacteria and viruses and project on their surface proteins from the digested organism and allows other cells to recognize those proteins and begin a defense against anything with those proteins.
Basophils increase when you come in contact with an allergen or have an inflammatory response. Eosinophils become more numerous when you have a parasitic infection. Monocytes fight fungi and viruses. Lymphocytes have specific responses depending on which of the three types: B cells, T cells and NK cells.
A lot of B cells (lymphocytes) in your blood stream can indicate several types of cancers including multiple myeloma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
If there is an increase in NK cells, it indicates a possible autoimmune disease or viral infection.
The good news is I don’t seem to have any real problems with my B, T or NK cells.
Tuesday was the Herceptin infusion and I can tell my energy level is lower today so it looks like it takes a couple of days for me to feel the effects. The real question is how long does it take for me to get over the effects of the infusion.
Stay tuned!
