Good News and Bad News

One should never have to start their week by going to see a doctor, especially an oncologist. But, sometimes one just doesn't have a choice.

My week started with good news and bad news. The good news was really good and the bad news was just sort of discouraging. The leukemia is still in remission with no apparent signs of relapse. That's the good news. My bone marrow still has not started to produce effectively, so I am neutropenic and anemic again.

Neutropenic means being really, really careful that I don't get any type of infection or start running a neutropenic fever. It also means no fresh fruits or vegetables again. Oh,yeah, and still no raw eggs! Damn, I miss those eggs!

Worst of all, it means running around with a mask on and looking like some sort of thief or fool. But the other option is going back on house arrest and since I just barely have started to get back into the routine of the job I love, I have chosen the mask. If I am going to have to wear it for long, I need to devise something more stylish than the regulation hospital pale blue fan fold jobby-do.

I also need to stay the course at the office, because everyone else is falling apart. My right hand, the indispensable Valerie, is playing nursemaid to her husband who just had his second knee replacement in about three months and my Chief Deputy, Rhonda, finally went to have a bunion removed from her foot, only to find out that she also had no joint in her big toe. Yesterday they put in plates and screws on top of removing the bunion. I expect she will become very good friends with her percocet over the next few days and I doubt she will be rolling in with her little leg cart for at least a week.

Well, it's time to get ready to head to the office. At least it's Friday, which means I can wear jeans and I don't have to try to stuff my enlarged bottom into suit pants today. Thank goodness for small delights! And thank God for the big ones!