A Summary of Negative Days

Tired is the word lately.

Here's a summary of the past negative days:

Day -8: Second round of ATG (six hours infusion) resulted with joint pains and congestion. It was still manageable, but the evening was nightmarish with sweats and hot flashes all over my body.

Day -7: On the third and last round of ATG treatment, I was confined on my hospital bed most of the day.  Chills, fever, headache and stingy eyes kept me company. I slept most of the time. It was around 3 PM that I felt fair enough to move around the hospital and walk around my hallway. My body felt like a heavy brick. I thought I won't make it.

I was supposed to be transferred to IPOP/HIPOP (outpatient chemotherapy treatment), but Dr. B decided to keep me one more day at the hospital. I ate fairly today but my taste buds are starting to change.

Day -6: Woke up feeling better. Night sweats and hot flashes kept me awake most of the night, but to my surprise, I was well enough to sit up and eat breakfast. Dr. B came early and decided to start chemotherapy right away so that I can be transferred to IPOP/HIPOP the next day.

Chemotherapy went well. I am more worried about the ATG side effects - red, throbbing hands and feet, rashes around my back and my eyes are sometimes blood shot.

At around 2 PM, Dr. B signed my papers for IPOP/HIPOP transfer. With a big smile and a heavy duty filtering mask, I walked out of the hospital to our Hackermann housing. Hackermann provides affordable housing to cancer patients in treatment; the housing is just a 10-15 minute walk from and to the hospital and is accessible by a bridge. It's very convenient and highly recommendable.

Day -5: Today, my eyes were red and they stung when I woke up. My hands and feet were so red, swollen and throbbing. It's our first appointment with IPOP/HIPOP, so I was hoping they have some remedies for me. When we got there, Dr. B suggested steroids and Benadryl; they seemed to work but temporarily. Dr. B said such symptoms are expected but they'll only go away once the ATG is totally off my body. Water, water, water…drink lots of water.

Chemotherapy went smoothly.

This afternoon, we're bringing over my parents. It would be nice to have some company.

*It's a cold, bleak and foggy day in Baltimore. I hope the outside world is keeping warm.