finally - one more to go

This time next week I'll undergo the LAST treatment for lymphoma. Thank God.

The first five didn't bother me much, physically. Looking back, it was the emotional reaction to my whole experience - the diagnosis, the initial treatments - that got me down. Physically, it wasn't so bad except for the four days I spent in the hospital because of three degrees of fever. Four days in a hospital for any reason is a nightmare, and it made me paranoid about getting infections when my white cell count was down.

The last two have begun to beat me down. I still get around, and I'm less of a couch potato than I was earlier, but I'm much more tired at the end of the day than I was.

What's remarkable is that they found blood clots in my left leg, behind the knee and in the ankle, and for that reason the swelling still hasn't gone down despite taking Coumadin and getting shots of Arixtra daily for nearly two weeks. The swelling was the original symptom that lead to all this. The active cancer cells are long gone, but not the swelling. The nurse at the clinic who deals with blood chemistry problems is mystified. She says they'll likely refer me to a cardiologist to deal with the blood clots.

So, if I can get through next week, and if a cardiologist can perform a miracle to get the swelling down, I can begin getting back to normal.