My Week of Fun

Had my follow up appointment yesterday...yippee, more pokes with a sharp stick!

This happens on day 8 of each cycle where they test my blood to see where my platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts are at. The good news is that platelets and red blood cells seem to be holding on. Bad news, but really not surprising, is that the white blood cells were down. But nothing too dramatic so the doctor isn't really that worried. 

A couple of things I noticed while at the doctor's office:
(1) In the 30 minutes while I was waiting for the labs to process (from blood draw to doctor visit), I think there were no fewer than 57 people that had their blood drawn also. WOW! It felt like an assembly line operation for sure. And is oddly scary and reassuring at the same time...are all these people in the same boat?

(2) Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but EVERYONE in these waiting rooms is old...like my grandparents old. It often makes me feel like that Sesame Street "One of these things is not like the other" segment. And it's kind of sad...is this what a long hard life gets you?

Doctor says that I am doing pretty well, all things considered. Everything I'm feeling is normal, and now that I know what a cycle will be like, I can pretty much predict how it will go from here on out. 

I have had a sore throat since Sunday evening. And my tongue is a lovely yellow color. This could either be the "mouth sores" that are a side effect of chemo, or due to the fact that my children are disease-ridden right now and I've got some version of their plague. I'm voting on option #2. 

My teeth started hurting on Wednesday. WTH?! This was not anything anyone mentioned, but is likely a side-effect of the lowering white blood cell count. Great...who knew brushing my teeth was going to be the worst thing I do every day? Time to brave Target and the diseased masses to get some Sensodyne.

By Tuesday morning I am feeling fine (excepting complaints above) and have developed a massive case of cabin fever. EVERY person that would come and visit me is also fighting off the plague (damn those schools and the germ transfer they promote) so it looks like more time spent with my own sick family. Known germs are better than unknown I guess. I have started memorizing television commercials and have been seen watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. Anyone who knows me knows that I must be desperate. And if anyone tells my mom I was watching the Hallmark Channel, you are off the Christmas list. I think I might be going a little stir crazy. Just a little. Okay, maybe a lot.

I. Am. Tired. All the time. The doctor smiles when I complain about this, with a "well, duh?!" smile. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is completely normal. I get it. But that doesn't make me like it. I'm used to being on the go ALL THE TIME, subsisting on 4-5 hours of sleep/night. For goodness sake, I work with middle school kids and most days I win the war. Now, taking a shower exhausts me. So pathetic. And apparently, this is the one thing that is going to get worse. How could that be possible?

I have been out and about a little bit this week...to some really exciting places: the doctor, the post office, Safeway (where I wouldn't touch the cart...icky), the church to drop off some Pantry Pack stuff, and Target (where I really was sneezed on by a small child. No joke, the place smelled like disease). Whoohoo, I am a party animal for sure!