“Brought Low by a Common Bug”

It took getting the stomach flu a week and a half after my last chemo to do it. (Or maybe it was a touch of food poisoning, I’m not sure which.) Do what? Something I had not done in five months of chemotherapy: vomit. Yes, TMI, I know. But hey, I’m talking about cancer treatment here, so give me a little leeway. I like how my best friend expressed the irony of my situation:

Dear God, Deb. That's a hell of a note. Your body withstands toxic chemicals for weeks and weeks with only a general malaise and then is brought low by a common bug.

I’m actually much better now. I first got sick last Tuesday, although there was somewhat of a delayed onset, with full symptoms not appearing until Thursday, the day on which I had a blood test. Of course, I talked to my nurse about my illness before I went in, so she was all set to see me. My white blood count was terrible at 300 (minimum to get chemo is 1500). An antibiotic was prescribed, and I had to call in with symptom updates. When I got worse overnight I though she was going to throw me in the hospital. Fortunately, I improved as Friday wore on, so I avoided being admitted, for which I’m very thankful. The last place you really want to be when your white count is 300 is a germy hospital.

I did learn (or was reminded of) a couple of things from this episode of gastrointestinal distress (I’m big on trying to learn from this stuff, in case you haven’t yet noticed). For starters, anti-nausea drugs that work great on chemo-induced nausea do little to settle other types.

Also, I was reminded that I should be careful what I wish for because I just might get it. In the week following my last treatment, I kept hoping that I could avoid getting a cold, since I had caught colds after my fourth and fifth treatments. And I did avoid getting a cold. Lucky me!

Finally, I was reminded how important my family and friends have been to my recovery from surgery and chemotherapy. On Thursday afternoon, I sent out an email asking for their good thoughts and prayers as I dealt with my stomach problems. By that evening, I had over 20 replies in my inbox, with another half dozen or so coming within the next day. No matter how bad I feel, the love and support of my family and friends does a lot to pick me up again. Thank you!