Infection boy starts his chemo...
I'm starting to realize that my health is much like a Rubik's cube. You may be able to get one side homogeneous, but in order to solve the whole puzzle, you may have to mess up what you've already accomplished. Such is the case with my 10 day affair with Flagyl. At first, I praised the medication as my William Tell...my hero in a pill. Within the first 2 days of taking the bitter white pills, my severe cramping began to subside and my bathroom traumas ceased. Sounds good. But the known side effects for Flagyl read like the menu at the Cheesecake Factory...it's insane! What's even more insane is that, with the exception of the RARE side effects listed, I practically have them all: fever, muscle aches, dizziness, headaches, sore throat, and a fresh crop of ulcers in my mouth. It appears that my supposed hero in a pill is a nasty little bastard that has now allowed a strain of fungus to bloom in my body. I'm now taking Diflucan to combat the fungus. I'm not up to speed on the side effects of THAT medication, but I imagine it has something to do with one's clothes mysteriously turning inside out...or perhaps my eye balls will migrate to the top of my head. Why not?

Despite my growing list of ailments, we started the chemo. I have a small pump attached to me right now (through my port) that's keeping a steady flow of the drug 5FU coursing through my blood. I'll keep that pump until Friday and then they'll hook it up again on the following Monday and we'll keep doing that for the next 5 weeks.

In addition, I also had my first blast of actual radiation. There's no pain, but it is really freaky if you think about it. I'm going to be zapped every Monday through Friday for the next 5 weeks. The doctors are cooking the chef.

Time for some yogurt. The idea of swallowing anything sounds pretty lame, but I need the bacteria to help combat my new infection.

Much love and respect to you all...

Hans