Temporarily Reduced to Rubble

Can’t say I feel much like blogging today, other than a brief note to let everyone know that I am doing better. The doc finally took me off all antibiotics, given that every time I took one I puked. So, for now, the puke-O-meter remains stable at 6 and I’ve been sleeping off 2 days of vomiting and dehydration.

The antibiotics themselves are standard for chemo patients. The chemo will cause my blood count to temporarily drop in the next few days, making me vulnerable to infection, hence the pile of pills. Should there be an anthrax attack this week in Philly, I should be one of the few left standing (thank you two miserable days of Cipro!). We’ll see the doctor again on Thursday when he’ll probably put me back on some antibiotics (watch that puke-O-meter rise).

Top prize this week goes to the person who can come closest to guessing Thursday’s scheduled white blood count (doctors with access to test results in Penn’s computers are not eligible for this contest). Normal range is generally between 4,300 and 10,800 cells per cubic millimeter, or, let’s just say between 4.0-10.0. My count will be anywhere between 0 and normal. Good luck! Winner gets BBQ at chez-Yudell-Rick once I am feeling better. Results will be posted late Thursday. Post your entries on the blog.

So stay tuned. Once this week is past, things will get better.