
Today I went in for my bi-weekly blood draw. Here's how this whole chemo things works: Every other Monday, I go in for the actual chemo - 4+ hours of drugs administered via a slow IV drip. On the off weeks I go in to get blood drawn and tested to make sure my red and white blood cell counts are up to snuff.
The ABVD wrecks havoc on the immune system, which means pretty soon mine could be on par with my four-month old niece, except for maybe worse because I can't even be around kids in daycare and she apparently loves it there and even has caught the eye of a three year old named Ryan who is sweet on her, but that's another story. I also can't eat raw, fresh fruits or vegetables (too much risk of bacterial infection) which seems counter intuitive to this whole "healing" thing, but then again so does mainlining poison, so what do I know? The world is topsy turvy.
My armor today is courtesy of the lovely, beautiful Geralyn Pezanoski. I has her partner in crime on the doc film MINE, and she's starting her newest project any day now - mother to a newborn baby boy. I chose this shirt because this is how I envision my immune system - a fierce girl child with a winged helmet, wielding a smiling hammer of death and riding to victory on a lightening cloud. (She also reminds me of the little girl from "Adventures in Babysitting" - which is pretty much the best movie ever.)
It's funny because I didn't actually realize my immune system looked like this until I opened the package but once I saw the shirt, I knew immediately.
So far I think it's working, because my red blood cell count was exactly where it was before I started chemo. My white blood cell count didn't fare quite as well, but the nurse didn't seem concerned. I figure I got enough to worry about, so if she's not worried, I'm not worried.
Fight on little warrior girl immune system, fight on!
The ABVD wrecks havoc on the immune system, which means pretty soon mine could be on par with my four-month old niece, except for maybe worse because I can't even be around kids in daycare and she apparently loves it there and even has caught the eye of a three year old named Ryan who is sweet on her, but that's another story. I also can't eat raw, fresh fruits or vegetables (too much risk of bacterial infection) which seems counter intuitive to this whole "healing" thing, but then again so does mainlining poison, so what do I know? The world is topsy turvy.
My armor today is courtesy of the lovely, beautiful Geralyn Pezanoski. I has her partner in crime on the doc film MINE, and she's starting her newest project any day now - mother to a newborn baby boy. I chose this shirt because this is how I envision my immune system - a fierce girl child with a winged helmet, wielding a smiling hammer of death and riding to victory on a lightening cloud. (She also reminds me of the little girl from "Adventures in Babysitting" - which is pretty much the best movie ever.)
It's funny because I didn't actually realize my immune system looked like this until I opened the package but once I saw the shirt, I knew immediately.
So far I think it's working, because my red blood cell count was exactly where it was before I started chemo. My white blood cell count didn't fare quite as well, but the nurse didn't seem concerned. I figure I got enough to worry about, so if she's not worried, I'm not worried.
Fight on little warrior girl immune system, fight on!