More infection

First, I'd like to thank my friend, Sam, who wrote to tell me I sound terrible. Well, that's not what he wrote about, but he did mention it in passing. Nothing worse than everyone saying how perky you are when you're. . . knackered (a bad word in Britain; no idea why. A knackers yard is our equivalent of the glue factory). . . crevé (a bad word in French unless you are referring to a flat tire; no idea why. Foreigners are so funny).

The oncologist doesn't see a problem with my blood counts, but the GP still does. They're going to talk tomorrow morning.

My posts are so boring lately.

Infection

Blood tests came through, but I haven't seen them and it's Nick who talked to the doctor this evening. I have a huge inflammation (is that the same as an infection?) somewhere.

My GP is faxing the results to the oncologist tomorrow morning and then we're supposed to telephone the hospital. GP thinks it's the result of stopping the anti-inflammatories, but that doesn't make any sense since I've had whatever this is since before I stopped.

More tomorrow. Sigh.

Doctor, Doctor!

Went to the doctor this morning. She says I'm probably going to feel lousy for 2 or 3 weeks until my body gets used to its pain-killer famine.

She gave me a couple of cans of distributed-to-doctors Metrecal.

She gave me a prescription for an ultra sound of the throat and bronchii. (Is that English -- Latin, at least?) The problem is that there is always a wait and I can't sit up for long. Today I reclined the seat in the car, lay down and waited, counting patients leaving her office, until it was my turn.

Today, my throat actually hurts. And this evening, my ear is starting to hurt. She's probably right: some sort of infection. But no fever or other indication of illness.

Please tell me that being allergic to my cats wouldn't do this to me.

Now look! You've made me write another post!

Oh, for Heaven's sake, you lot! I'm sick, not nuts.

• a) the morphine withdrawal lasted about 2 weeks; it's over.
• b) last week I was outside several times, including up to Saturday. Now I'm back in bed, again.
• c) I went to the doctor last Monday. I'm going, again, tomorrow.
• d)I was almost weaned off everything, anyway; so I didn't do the cold turkey thing.
• e) I've had this thing in my throat -- or chest; it seems to move -- for 3 or 4 weeks; not 2 days. I told the doctor. She didn't find anything. Now I want a ultrasound or a scan or whatever it takes to see what's there.
• f) my daily diet consists of a croissant and hot chocolate (standard French breakfast); melon and fresh goat's cheese (lunch; can't get cottage cheese here); hors d'oeuvres and champagne; (I spent Friday at a memorial service and wake (finally broke down and wore my wig, but I still have some hair); and chicken or pork chop and rice and ice cream (dinner -- except yesterday when it was odds on to come right back up).

The remaining drugs I was on were:

• Inexium (for the stomach; not needed if pain killers are finished)
• Pred (finished last week)
• Gabapentine (down to 1 from 3 a day)
• Rivotril (down to 3 drops from 5)

These last two are, I think, the epilepsy drugs, but I was taking them for pain; I don't have epilepsy

• Forlax (laxative; not needed if pain killers are finished)

On the blood-count front, my hematies and leucocytes, whatever they are, were low last week from the blood draw on Tuesday, so I had to sit around the hospital for an extra two hours on Thursday while they sent some more blood to the lab. Luckily, the counts were back enough for me to have chemo.

My thryoid is perfect.

Don't think I don't appreciate your concern.

Reason Umpteen Why I'm Not Brave

'Cause when I'm sick, I'm sick. And bored. Too sick to read. Can't race through the seventh season of West Wing because I have to wait for Nick. (No comments, please. Let me get to the end. I think I love it more than M*A*S*H.) First time in days I have strength for the computer -- and not much. So I haven't been up to blogging and being entertaining.

But, please, don't let that stop everyone from nagging. I'm sure it's good for me.

I think the Week of the Schedule did me in. Plus I've got some kind of lump in my throat or my chest. I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. Maybe. Plus I'm nauseous. Plus I've lost my appetite -- for more than the normal 3 days.

I think the "lump," or lumpy feeling is from one of the painkillers, so I've just stopped them all. I'm over the morphine withdrawal, but I gather some of the other pills are also epilepsy medicines and require tapering off. Why on earth would they give me those?

At least I'm not eating madelines by the thousands now, although chocolate ice cream with chocolate bits is still on the menu.

If not "enjoying ill health," in her mother's phrase, not fighting it much, either.

Schedule for Week of 2 November 2009

Monday

• Blood test
• Drive to Lyon, spend night with friends

Tuesday

• Meet MIL (Avril), SIL (Jane), BIL Robert) at eye clinic
• Lunch in Lyon
• Return home

Wednesday

• Chemo
  

Thursday

• Nyons Market
• Doctor
• Dinner out

Friday

• Avril to train
• shopping
• home

Now you know why you might not be hearing from me.

The Opium Den

For the past couple of days I've been feeling rotten, again. Do I have a cold? (Arghghghgh! Will I miss my chemo?) Do I have SAD? It's been raining and raining and raining and raining and raining and. . . (Nick says only 3 days.) I took to bed. Sulking.

Today Nick figured out the problem. For a couple of weeks now, I've not needed my top-up morphine -- not enough pain -- but I've been taking the 20 mg slow-release pills, anyway. A few days ago I ran out and they require a special prescription. Not only do I need a special prescription, my doctors can't get it together about who gives me what, so I haven't been taking any morphine at all. Withdrawal symptoms, anyone? Never let the hospital tell you you're on too small a dose to have a problem. I got a new supply yesterday and started on halves about an hour ago. Hello world.

Saw the urologist. He went on about my kidneys (which are still O.K.) I said my major problem was my bladder and the infection. That may be your major problem, he said, but my major problem is your kidneys. The look on his face was both horrifying and priceless when I told him how long I'd had the catheter and it hadn't been changed. And it wasn't working, anyway. So it's out!!!! I have these little self-service units called intermittent catheters which I don't seem to need much. Mine's the green model.

When the urologist sent me upstairs to get the Rx from the oncologist, we had a longish wait in the waiting room. The lunch trolley came by and they asked if I wanted to eat. "Oh, I'm not here for treatment," I said, "just for a consultatation." But there was a tray with my name on it (they must not have realised it's my off week), so Nick and I had salad, veal steak, buttered macaroni, goat's cheese, bread and peach compote for lunch. LOL!!