The Return of Fat Face Mcgee

Date: 9.12.18
Time: 09:35am
Song of the Day: "Alkaline Trio, Patent Pending"

HGB: 10.5
PLT: 93
WBC: 3.55
ANC: 3.04

Well, I've made it through chemo, not unscathed, but never-the-less in tact.  I had one really rough day on the cytoxan.  Sick and throwing up for hours before the nausea meds kicked it.  It left me feeling weak and out of it.  For awhile I couldn't even keep water down.  I guess that it's a good thing that they are pumping me full of so many fluids, but it has me feeling quite puffy and miserable.  Witness the return of Fat Face Mcgee:

Fat Face Mcgee

There are eyes tucked in there, I promise.

So I'm not sure if I've explained my regimen:  The chemotherapy that I received is called "conditioning" therapy to prepare my body for transplant.  I received 16 doses of iv Busulfan, every 6 hours for four days.  I then received 2 doses of Cytoxan, one per day for two days.  Cytoxan kicked my ass the first day.  I got a little queasy when it first started, but I thought that I could handle it and that it would go away when the infusion ended.  Not so much.  I was literally vomiting in my bucket the moment it stopped.  For four hours.  Finally my nurse got the doctor to add another anti-nausea med, and I slept for the rest of the night.  I was terrified of the second day of it, but my nurse gave me a big dose of IV benedryl, as well as the extra anti-nausea med, so I actually slept through it.  Thank god.  I thought I was pretty tough, but Cytoxan definitely brought me to my knees.

I've become quite aromatically challenged and am having a hard time with a lot of the smells around me.  I despise the soap (still) and when I'm feeling queasy, I can't even use it without my gag reflex kicking in.  Keith is going to bring me a new anti-bacterial handsoap, that hopefully I can stand the smell of. 

Speaking of Keith, I don't know how caregivers do it.  I really don't.  It's an unfathomable thing to think about him taking care of our lives at home, our cats, himself, and me here at the hospital all at once.  It takes an amazing person to keep all that shit together all at once.  Thanks for being amazing.

Keith

Today is my rest day, or my day -1.  Tomorrow  I should get my new cells.  And then the fun really should begin.

Stay tuned...