Boston

Well, back to Boston yesterday for more tests. Can't get rid of my pesky fever. Wednesday and Thursday it was fever and nausea, with only some relief from Tylenol. Being on fluid restriction for my low sodium didn't help me feel any better, though it did help get the sodium back up. Thursday my temp got up to 100.8 so it was time to contact the doc in Boston. 'Come in tomorrow' (surprise) so off we went at 8 AM, hoping to avoid the rush hour, for my 10:30 appointment. Chauffeur Nancy did a great job navigating the traffic and we got there plenty early. Blood work (I'm hoping I don't run out of the red stuff before this is all over), followed by waiting to be called in. I wish I'd brought a book along. The magazine selection in the waiting room is awful. The only copy of Sports Illustrated was from just before the NFL playoffs began, and featured on the cover a picture of the Patriots' Vince Wilfork with the headline 'Why New England won't be stopped', and inside, of course, an article explaining how the Pats are a lock to win the Super Bowl.

Another reason to hate Sports Illustrated!

I was sorely tempted to throw the magazine away, but really, we foolish Pats fans deserve to have it rubbed in our faces. Anyway, there was good news. My sodium is back in the normal range, though at the bottom of that range, and from now on I can have two liters of fluids a day. According to the doc, the low sodium had nothing to do with the chemo, but was a result of all the fluids I was drinking. He pointed out that my sodium, as measured over the years at my annual physicals, has always been at the low end, which is true. Hydrating has been a habit since my running days, which actually ended about 25 years ago, so I guess I can live with normal amounts of fluids now. Well, the big concern of the doc is why the fever. My numbers all look good and a chest X-ray (I'm going to be glowing in the dark soon) didn't show anything in my lungs. So before we left I had to get one more blood-letting so they could do a blood culture, whatever that is. The doc wants me back next Tuesday for more blood-letting and a CT scan of my chest and of my sinuses. I guess he's serious about finding the cause of the fever. And he prescribed an antibiotic to take starting last night. We did hit the rush hour going home, and finally got back around 5 PM. Chef Nancy took some of her delicious homemade meatballs out of the freezer and we had a wonderful spaghetti and meatball dinner. My appetite, missing in action most of the week, is finally back.

I feel a lot better today, thankfully, since Nurse Nancy has abandoned me for a quick trip home to take care of some business there. If this post is especially incoherent or unusually boring, it's because I've also been abandoned by my editor, Editor Nancy. So please address all complaints to her.