Yes, yes. I know my smile and laugh are highly infectious. Although modesty has never been my strong suit. However, the title of this post refers to much more tedious forms of infection.
Seems I'm turning into something of an infection expert. Have now had two bad and one minor eye infections since Jan 1. Add infections to the bladder, left inner ear, and one nostril, and you might have some idea re what things have been like over the last few months in my little world. Did I mention that I'm also having to apply artificial tears to my very dry eyeballs? Not that I'm complaining. Much. Mercifully none of the infections developed into anything terribly serious and medical experts both in Japan and subsequently closer to home have taken measures to ensure things stay that way. Still, it's a bit of a bummer in that I now realize how much my immune system has tanked over the last while. So please forgive if I seem somewhat reclusive these days - don't want to get too close to anyone with a cold, flu or other potential contagious condition.
Nonetheless I've managed to keep on the chemo schedule as planned. No recent delays or cancellations of treatment, so that's a good thing.
Some of the results of pre-chemo bloodwork does muddy the picture, however. For example, my white blood cell count seems to be holding steady if not improving while my red count is dropping markedly. So much so that I may require my first ever blood transfusion along with the next or following chemo treatment if things don't improve there. Tumour markers appear to be in good shape, certainly improved over the last few months, but continue they rollercoaster to the point where they are no longer trusted as reliable indicators of my situation (seems some of the antibiotics I've been taking for the various infections may affect those results). At least the lymph nodes in my neck - the most consistent gauge of spread/regression/stability of the cancer to date - appear to be unchanged over the last few months. Headaches and anxiety have also diminished greatly since the last change in meds. As for fatigue, well that's become something of a norm, albeit to varying degrees, these past for years. Overall, I think things are going quite well. Now, if I can only reduce the amount of bruising and welt development in my mid-drift due to the deltaparin injections. Is it any wonder that I never pursued a nursing career?
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