Oh, the fun

My butt hurts.   I'm pretty certain it's a result of the five days of antibiotics I just took.  It started about day 2 or 3 of the course.    It's not a pretty picture down there....piles and flaming, red, itchy, swollen inner butt cheeks.    So please excuse me if I don't sit upright!   I'm currently sitting on a piece of firm tofu which according to an acupuncturist friend absorbs heat from rashes (or at least this is what I understood).   I'll let you know if it works.  

There is good news.    On Monday 6/26/10, my platelet count was 46.   Today, Thursday, it is 23.   It's not a bad drop.   Also it would appear that my red blood cells held pretty well!    It was so nice to get some decent blood news....don't get me wrong, all the numbers are still down, but not at such a fast rate and that seems like huge blessing.  Perhaps I'm finally doing something right!

Even better than that is that we found out that the Tricore lab is open on Saturdays from 7-11am....which means that I can go there for tests on Saturday rather than braving the hospital, which is by far my least favorite place on the planet at the moment.   The incompetency that I experienced there last Sunday was both mind-boggling and infuriating.   I know I'm not supposed to get upset at their straight up ineptness, but it will suffice to say that they were supposed to have platelets ready for me at 9am and after three trips there, multiple phone calls,  spending an inordinate amount of time at Registration TWICE, the platelets finally arrived at 4pm.   Unbelievable.  

And, after weeks of trying,  I finally got to see an excellent professional lymph massage therapist.    My swollen lymph node under my right armpit, which has been going on for about a month now,  actually feels better after working with her.   It gives me hope that I might not have to live with this unwelcome pain forever.

Small victories bring me hope.