A perfect day!

Saturday was a perfect day! No fever at any time, no problems with any flu-like symptoms. I feel great!

The path is clear now for a short vacation; we fly away Wednesday. We have been looking forward to this trip and it will be wonderful to go feeling well. Considering my puny weight, 160 at the start of this perfect day, one of my considerations on this vacation will be the area's restaurants. I am dreaming of lobster and eating it surrounded by family and friends.

OK, OK, you got me! The real reason it was a perfect day was that the Fedex man delivered a new Bluray player and that NASCAR televised a night race for me to enjoy and, best of all, I spent it with my adorable wife. I confess.

A more or less normal day

I awoke this morning to a normal temperature! Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we went out to breakfast and to the Wallyworld to buy our groceries. When we got home, my temperature was still normal. Other than a little fatigue, I feel pretty good! Let's hope it stays that way!

Thank you all for your encouraging comments. They mean a lot to me. Keep them coming. You can never overdose on positive vibes!

In the treatment room...

...and right back out again.

We have been keeping a log of my symptoms and, especially, temperatures. I have had a temperature, sometimes as high as 103.6, since the last infusion! My adorable wife, the little over-achiever that she is, typed it up and printed it out for Dr. Hema's perusal. I went to the treatment room and Nurse P took the usual blood samples. Then she asked me to follow her to an examining room where Dr. Hema appeared and said he was unlikely, based on my log, to administer a rituxan infusion. He asked me to walk down the hall and get a chest x-ray. Since these are all digital these days, The results were available before I got back to Dr. Hema!

He said that nobody, either in his practice, or on the internet, where doctors exchange information world-wide, has flu symptoms for a full week after infusion. He is therefor understandably cautious.

He is referring me to an infectious disease specialist to try to find out what's going on.

While disappointing, I don't want to take unnecessary chances with my already fragile health.

So we are back home after a big breakfast out. One of the unexpected symptoms is that things taste different. I took one bite of white toast with butter and dropped it. It tasted awful. Oreo cookies, for some reason, have changed from 'yummy' to 'yuck.'

Complications seem to lessen

Here we are, about to head to Big City tomorrow to, hopefully have infusion #3 of 4. I have suffered flu-like symptoms about as severe as last time from Friday to today, Tuesday. They include fever, cough, loss of appetite, and problems with temperature regulation. One moment, I am dripping perspiration when the thermostat is set at 75, and later, I am covered in layers of clothing, and one of my adorable wife's hand-knitted afgans feeling chilly when the thermostat is at 79! I have taken my temperature regularly and, if it is high, which it usually is, I take Tylenol.

I have made a diary of the temperatures and doses of Tylenol to take to Dr. Hema. I am afraid that the next infusion will be postponed until my health further improves. Bummer.

Please stay tuned! I am taking my laptop and will update you all from the treatment room...hopefully.

I have been reluctant to add post after post which say the same thing: I feel lousy.

Slight complications

Thursday evening, I felt chilly even though we keep the air conditioning at 78. I also felt quite drowsy. I went to the bedroom and, the next thing I knew, I had slept two hours! After I checked my emails, I shut down the computer and went right back to bed. I slept from 11:00 pm to about 7:45 am!

This morning, I awoke to feeling sluggish and with a temperature of 101.6. While these symptoms are a bit uncomfortable, they are no where near what I experienced after the first infusion. If I have a bit of a rough ride after each infusion, but we can get this darn thing into remission, then that's a price I am very willing to pay.

I will be very interested in how long it takes for this to subside this time. I just want to be in top shape Wednesday so I can get the third infusion behind me.

Today's weight: 163!

Back at home

Finally! I finished the infusion at about 5:00 pm. Wow! 9 to 5 sounds a little too much like work. Driving through the rush hour traffic in Big City is a bit much, too. However, the second rituxan treatment is finished. Two more to go. As always, Nurse P (P the Piercer) and Dr. Hema were very helpful, sensitive and caring. I am glad they are my team.

We stopped at our favorite pizza place on the way home. It was delicious.

I will be anxiously awaiting the absence of side effects until next Wednesday's infusion.

I very much appreciate your comments and emails. Your support and love seems to lift me and help me endure the treatments and side effects. I have read and reread them right in the treatment room. They never fail to make me smile. Thank you and keep them coming.

In the treatment room II

2:56 pm - Well, the rituxan is being infused, albeit slowly. Nurse P thinks we should be done by 5:00 pm. This is getting tedious and boring, but I'd like to get it done in one day, rather than two. If I have to come back tomorrow, that means blood testing and pre-medication all over again. Yuck!

So far, no more weird side effects. I am even contemplating stopping for pizza and beer on the way home, so I couldn't be that bad!


Mmmmmm....pizza!