Sunday, December 23, 2007
Friday, Dec 20. It has been a rough spell. Two weeks ago I came down with a nasty respiratory infection that just kept getting worse. Then I began spiking a fever in the mornings, which is not a good thing in view of my chemotherapy-weakened immune system. But it was the weekend, and medical advice is harder to access. By Mondy, the fever was down, but I was feeling short of breath and wheezing a lot. So I called my Dr who was not in, but his nurse told me to get to the hospital ER right away.
The ER was not particularly concerned by my low-grade pneumonia, but was quite concerned about my irregular pulse. I've had an inconsequential irregularity for years, but now it was in new territory - serious atrial fibrillation. The hospital kept me for four days. Attempts to regain normal rhythm chemically weren't working, so they used the electrical approach to hit my RESET button. Fortunately cardioversion is done under complete sedation, so all I know is that when I woke up all the specialized equipment had been removed from my room. Never felt a thing, but my heart was pumping normally again and I was released to following morning (Friday a week ago). THREE CHEERS FOR MODERN MEDICINE!
Since then I've had a communications crisis. First my vacuum cleaner ate my cellphone recharger cord so that the contact got irreparably bent. So I lost the use of my cellphone when the battery went kaput. That left me with Skype as my phone contact, through the internet. But just at this time my computer hard drive gave up the ghost and I was unreachable by phone, cellphone or email, except for my occasional sessions on the free computers at the Library.
Since then I've bought a new cellphone (same number: 317-488-8691), and a new MacBook computer. Thankfully I'm back in contact again.
As I write this, I am again wired for IV infusion and am undergoing chemotherapy, my fifth session of the eight that will complete the program. The Benedryl is having its effect and I am getting verry sleeeepy. Can't think of anything witty to end this entry.
