No, seriously. I stare at things, and I know I should understand them on some level, and I get nothing. I think the very low level of oxygen reaching my brain may have something to do with this. Not only am I still having the previously mentioned lung (ok, I swear I just typed "lunch" instead of "lung") problems, but my nose is running like a faucet and refuses to become unclogged. This is one of those days where my body hates me.
So, where are we today? So far, in our jammies, in front of the fire, watching a child vacuum, while two dogs look baffled (in that special way that only dogs can) as to why their nice, soft, marshmallow-y doggie beds are up on top of the dining room table.
Ok, now we are back in front of the fire after a short break, no longer in jammies, with smooshy doggie beds returned to their proper place in front of mommy's rocker and a dog installed on each bed. Life is as it should be, no?
So, the evil disease of whatever sort it was that attacked me in the night went away *almost* as quickly as it appeared. It was pretty bizarre. I got violently ill somewhere around maybe 1 am(?) and stayed that way until around 1-2pm the next day, when I started seeing little glimpses of humanity. Those little bits grew, and by about 4, I managed a shower, to drink a significant amount of liquid (I'd gotten in tiny sips just to take some pills) and between those things the last piece of fever that was hanging on lost its grip. It went from 100.1 at one reading pre-shower to 98.8 at the first reading post-shower and liquid. It was all uphill from there, I slept straight through the night, and was up and out for my 10 am appointment with the radiation oncologist just like a normal person.
Dr. Barclay, the radiation oncologist, was quite pleased with everything he saw, so that checkup went fine. There's really nothing to report, because, it was all just about what I knew--the pain I have is from the radiation and it's totally normal, and luckily I have good pain meds, so yay.
The appointment after that, with the pulmonologist, was somewhat less straightforward, and kind of bizarre, really. First of all, I don't like him. He's arrogant, and comes off as an ass. Not making any brownie points there, that's for sure. Dr. Batin really could not figure out from my CT readings why in the world I was sitting in his office and seemed at first rather in a hurry to remove me. After the first couple minutes though, he seemed to almost visibly rachet down a notch or two, come back to earth, and start treating me like a patient. It was, at least to me, literally a visible change.
Perhaps (AHA!) our dear Dr. Batin read the word C A N C E R in my file, and realized suddenly that he should treat me like a real patient, and not merely an interruption. Your guess is as good as mine, but next thing you know, many questions were asked, some generalized poking, prodding and stethoscoping was done, and I was being sent off for so many blood tests that the phlebotomist had to call and have him translate his handwriting and it took SIX tubes of blood to perform them all. I am to have a chest xray in two weeks, 2-3 days prior to my next appointment with him.
Now, I've got some experience with illegible handwriting, but this guy takes the cake. Wow. But, from what I can determine on my own, from questions he asked and blood work he ordered, he seems to be doing some tests for lupus. That's been a recurring theme in my medical care for a little while now, not shockingly--fibromyalgia, family history, etc, I'm a prime candidate. He's also (according to the phlebotomist) testing me for aspergillosis, which could definitely explain that weird little blob in my lung. It's a mold-thing, we all inhale millions of spores every day, but those with compromised immune systems can develop infection from it. Sounds logical, so I guess we'll see.
That was Thursday. Friday was dentist time; time to extract that monster-ugly hunk of molar in the back that gives me so much trouble. I showed up for my appointment, and found out that Dr. Mazj's office had JUST sent over the authorization form that they'd had since Monday, and on the form, had specified that I must pre-medicate before every dental procedure with 4 Keflex. SO, since I had not known this, and had not pre-medicated, there was to be no extraction. Needless to say, I was not pleased. For one thing, if Dr. Mazj had sent the form over on time.............. OR, if Dr. Mazj's office had called and told me this, I HAVE Keflex at home and I could have done it. Grr.....
Needless to say, Friday did not leave me a happy person. A rather totally UNhappy person, really. Now I have to wait over a week and a half for that extraction, which is going to take an unheard-of 3 visits--1 to pull, a check up the next day and stitches pulled a couple days later. To get all the stuff done that I need done, I am indeed going to be living at the clinic in Paradise for the next year and a half. It's worth it..........but boy, am I going to be tired.........
Today, I'm trying to rest. It's not working ALL that well, for the usual reasons, but I am trying.
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