Yesterday was a no good really bad day. This is the inevitable result of literally pumping gallons of toxic chemicals into your body over a period of 5 days. Bea and I awoke around 6:00 as ususal to plan our day. By 6:02 the plan was set and we decided to keep it similar to the day before...
We ate a light breakfast and after finishing the paper I went out for a walk in the halls. I mixed it up a bit by taking a Nascar route by circling the hall to the left. I realized quickly it wasn't going to be a record day as I was feeling a little sluggish and imbalanced. I decided to take it slow and get as far as I could. Before long I was practically trampled by another stem cell transplant patient speeeeding down the hall in the opposite direction with her IV pole flailing willy nilly. I casually moved to the side to feel her breeze by me. I admired the enthusiasm but her insistence to make eye contact and actually smile with every lap was a bit much. The flowing blonde wig was just gratuitous. I figured she was probably a newbie day -5 or -4 and after a few days she would feel like the rest of us. After a few more passes she told me she was on her last lap and I would have the track to myself. I managed a smile and wished her a good day. When I made my way around the other side of the ward I saw her going into her room and realized this was no newbie. This was the first woman I saw when we arrived earlier last week. I remember she was half sitting half lying in her bed with no hair and ashen gray. The pain and suffering on her face evident as she just stared aimlessly toward the wall. A woman that appeared to be her mother was standing over her looking down just as pained as her daughter. The realization that the woman I saw last week in such bad shape was now zipping around the hall was great inspiration.
When I returned to my room I showered up and prepared for a few more hours of nothingness. It's really difficult to read anything more than headlines and short stories as my mind just feels scrambled so I watched the playoff hockey game. Each day I wipe down the furniture with the antiseptic wipes they leave in the room. The smells in the room are difficult to tolerate combined with the bad tastes from the frequent injections of saline solution to cleanse the PICC line before blood draws.
Dr. Burt started me on strong IV antibiotics in the morning to fortify my very limited immunity. Yesterday's WBC count was 2.1. He also gave me a medication to assist with the urinary discomfort from the excessive 3x daily Lasix for the past 5 days. In the afternoon I developed a lot of pain and incredible pressure in my head and ears. It was really bad for a few hours. Vomiting a few times relieved some of the acid reflux but didn't do much for the pain and pressure in my head. The nurse called the physician and he prescribed some ear drops but when she attempted to put them in my ears it didn't penetrate my inner ear.
A very positive note was around 3:00 AM I called the nurse because my pumps were beeping and when she came in she unhooked my LAST chemotherapy injection!!!
It was a tough day but today is the Stem Cell transplant, Day 0! Onward and upward!
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