Hello to everyone out there, I was released from the hospital back on Wednesday the 17th, just over a week ago. My stay in the hospital was in an isolation pod as my immune system was knocked down to 0% by the chemotherapy. The risk of infection was very high and I was required to wear a mask and gloves to walk outside of my room, albeit only for a restricted walk 20’ to the left or right of my room. While in my room, all my visitors were required to wear a mask and gloves, I wasn’t allowed to have contact with anyone for fear that I would pick up some bacteria. I was in strict isolation except for all my friends from the PACU! Thank you to everyone who came to visit me.
While in the hospital, unfortunately I did pick up some bacteria from my own throat, resulting in uncontrollable tremors and a high fever just below 104*. It was a scary time; they medicated me then iced me down until my fever was under control. This set my recovery back and delayed my release. When I was admitted on July 25th I counted the time by the weeks, by August 10th I was counting the days, then in my last week I was counting the hours. After my white blood cell count hit 1,000 along with several other pertinent blood counts, I was released. When Theresa pushed me through those exit doors in a wheelchair, it was my 1st time outside of the isolation ward in close to a month, I was ready to jump up and run down the stairs to the outside.
At the time of my release it was decided, that an IV antibiotic would be more powerful and protective than oral pills, so the hospital sent me home with an infusion line in my arm for daily injections of antibiotics. After 3 follow up visits this past week, my numbers continued to improve until yesterday, they dropped down below my Monday numbers, it was decided that the IV antibiotic may be the culprit and the decision was made to end the IV antibiotics and remove my line today.
I’m very happy to be home, however, I’m still mourning the temporary loss of my taste buds. One of the chemotherapy drugs they gave me was metal based and it damaged the lining of my mouth and throat and has resulted in almost all foods and all scents smelling and tasting like wet dirty metal. i.e. Eating a burger and fries then washing them down with a milk shake tastes like I’m eating my car muffler and washing it down with 10W40 motor oil! Need I say more?
Theresa has been experimenting with foods to find the things I can eat that bypass the bad taste and smell. While the list is currently very small, we continue to figure out things I’m able to eat or that we can smear with an ungodly amount of “HOT” sauce to dull and trick my taste buds and nose! My doctor advises me not to try any of my favorite foods right now as this condition may leave me with a bad taste and a bad memory of those foods making them undesirable to ever eat again in the future. It’s a long story but, I will never be able to eat or be near another Popsicle as long as I live!
So anyone who knows me will understand why all the Italian restaurants and pizzerias in my area will be filling for bankruptcy if my condition doesn’t improve quickly! “God save Bertuccis”!!!
That’s all for now…Chemo Ken, and 1 of the red dogs (#2-dog to be retrieved this weekend) Hurricane Quinby should hit Massachusetts just before Irene hit’s!!
Don’t forget to check my main blog for all my updates at: http://chemokenandthereddogs.blogspot.com/
