What’s the temperature?

It is one week after my first treatment, and it’s been an up-and-down week. Some days I felt almost normal, and some days I felt wretched. Nevertheless, I remain positive that my condition is heading in the right direction.

On the day after treatment, a few close family members came to our house for a belated birthday party. It was so nice to see them, and we had a wonderful afternoon together talking, laughing and eating cupcakes. But by early evening I was exhausted, sacked out in the recliner listening to the family laughing about the board game they played around the dining room table. It was a sweet time to reflect on how truly blessed I am.

The next day was not great at all. The flu-like side effects of chemo came on strong. I was in bed most of that day and much of the next. It got better, though, and the next couple of days were mostly without serious side effects. I managed to get some work done, but today the symptoms are starting to return.

The most frustrating side effects of treatment is my impaired immune system. It’s hard for me to have to stay away from work, friends, crowds and stores. I need to control my environment in order to stay away from exposure to colds, viruses, and whatnot. My doctor says that if my body temp reaches 100.4, I need to call him while I’m on the way to the ER. Any such fever probably indicates an infection that needs to be treated as an emergency while the ER staff figures out what is wrong.

The upstart of this is that I take my temperature often through the day. For the past two evenings my temperature at bedtime rose to 99.4 degrees. One degree away from the ER, I started taking my temp every hour. It backed down after a few hours, but sleep was elusive, and the fatigue is catching up with me. I may have been overreacting, but my temperature in the previous two days never got above 98.6, so I was getting worried.

I’m going in for a scheduled checkup tomorrow, and to get a shot to boost my bone marrow’s white blood cell-producing abilities. I’ll also start taking a round of antibiotics to ward off infections. We will see how it goes. As we go through each four-week cycle, I’m hoping that patterns emerge and we can develop strategies to deal with the side effects.

Many thanks again for the well-wishes, prayers, conversations, success stories, information, and offers of help. It warms my heart to know so many beautiful, kind souls. I expect to be taking you up on your offers over the next few weeks. I thank God for all of you.

photo credit: Fred: Prestone Anti-Freeze Thermometer Advertising via photopin (license)