Life is Throwing Lemons

I wish I could excuse all my breaks in posting for being off on some adventure.  Alas, the last few weeks I've been dealing with blood-count crashes, a cold, and now a minor infection where I have the plural catheter installed.  Most of it has left me feeling pretty tired and weak with recurrent afternoon fevers.

I spent a day at UMC getting IV antibiotics for the infection; hanging out in my street clothes in the room.  It's a bit like staying in a hotel; even had a nice view of the mountains.  Getting to know the folks up on 4NE too, which makes it nicer still.  They take good care of me.

As for my infection...hmmm, it's a bit mysterious though apparenty not anything serious.  The incision site is red, sore and just a bit swollen; not like a painfully-enflammed abscess or something.  It seems to just be simmering as my body mounts a half-assed immune response to it.  Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in and kick its butt.  My fevers seem to be easing up slightly but nothing to get excited about yet.  It's not getting worse either.

The good news is that my plural effusion has decreased dramatically (the fluid I draw out of my chest through the plural catheter).  TMI warning:  It's gone from the color of red wine to raspberry lemonade and gone from an average of 450ml/week down to just 125ml.  If it stays under a 100ml for a few weeks they'll remove the catheter.  The reduction could mean that this chemotherapy is working, despite its propensity for killing off my blood cells.  I'm taking lots of iron supplements now and I have a great excuse for eating red meat...my hemoglobin, and my energy, is already coming back.