Covid antibodies test results

The number 14 that I got from the blood test on Thursday for Covid antibodies is dismal if good immunity is 250. So I still have to be careful, definitely! Here is a message from the clinic:

RE: Covid antibodies

Please see the response from Megan, our physician assistant (at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance)

 

"So it looks like she did have a response to the vaccine, as evidenced by the 14 number at the top and the positive spike antibody. We don't exactly know though what this means, though, in terms of how protective this is. I would say that number is on the lower end but again that doesn't really mean anything (right now). The negative result at the bottom is the test for active covid infection and she didn't have that at the time of this test. I am happy to talk with her this week if she wants to discuss these results further. All of this said, positive antibodies does not mean "green light: GO". Especially with the new variants, it is important that she is still vigilant, follows CDC and DoH guidelines including, frequent hand washing and wears a mask when inside and in crowded places and avoiding unvaccinated or those who are showing signs/ symptoms concerning for COVID."

From the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's study:

• Treatment with anti-CD20 antibodies, such as rituximab and obinutuzumab in the 6 to 12 months prior to COVID-19 vaccination blunts antibody response. Many of these patients have no detectable COVID-19 antibodies, even after a third dose of an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech).

The new study, drawing from a nationwide dataset gathered by the National COVID Cohort Collaborative, covered a sample of COVID-19 patients that was over 100 times larger than the preliminary study. The study found that overall, hospitalized COVID-19 patients taking immunosuppressive drugs did not face significant increases in the risk of COVID-19 death compared with non-immunosuppressed hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Of the 303 drugs examined in the study, the authors found that one drug, rituximab, a monoclonal antibody preparation that targets antibody-producing B cells, was associated with a substantially increased risk of death compared to medically similar hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Rituximab is used for serious medical conditions like cancer or an autoimmune disorder that has not responded to other treatments.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/outcomes-for-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-taking-immunosuppressive-medications-similar-to-non-immunosuppressed-patients?fbclid=IwAR1DCkZCQP7h2_EEBy3QLvF1h2rWglC5WGZd2aT0NA0K91atjLNwE_W5yyY

Scan results

Well, it's not great news but it's not bad, either, in my opinion. 

The main mass still looks good but there is a lymph node in my belly that has increased in size from 1 cm to 2.4 cm and brightness. It could be temporary inflammation but the oncologist can't tell. Surgery would be difficult to get a biopsy of it since it is deep in the belly. She wants to do another scan in 3 months unless I have belly pain or other bad signs of a tumor. The scan report said it was a Deauville 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst)!

She doesn't want to take the port out yet so it has to be flushed in 6 weeks. 

I found out the Rituxan I got lasts in the body for 6 months to a year! So the Covid19 booster probably didn't work. I still want to get the Covid antibodies test. 

She advised me to get a flu vaccine although it too may not be effective.  

My white blood count is still a bit low but my neutrophils are normal so I can get fresh flowers again and have indoor plants! 

Booster

 I got the booster shot (Pfizer) and had no side effects except a sore arm. In 3 days I will be covered. But will I be able to do normal things? Between Delta and chemo I guess I still have to be careful. But my energy level is slowly improving. I walked around Seward Park (2.5 miles) with friends and breaks to sit on benches! Can I get fresh flowers? Eat blackberries? Do foster dog or cat care?

The PET scan is in a week! Then I hope to know more.