The Unshaven Face of Neutropenia

With my white blood count now hovering at .3 (a jump from yesterday’s low of .2), and the high fevers gone, I am on the mend and feeling much, much better today. Jacqui and I both had good sleep last night, and had a nice nap together in my hospital bed this afternoon. Jacq and my mom are at home now making me dinner, given that the hospital’s version of dinner looked like something I barfed up earlier in the week. No thanks, I’ll pass.

Last night and today Jacqui’s old pal Ivy was in for a visit solely for the purpose of bringing me delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies, which, I’ve been told, are a scientifically proven way to reverse neutropenia and enhance the beneficial effects of chemotherapy. Thanks, Ivy! For those of you out there wondering, brownies (without nuts) are also known to do the same.

Here’s a nice shot from earlier today of (left to right) Ivy, my mom, and Jacq. Check out Jacq’s belly. Little junior is growing by leaps and bounds. Also notice, that despite the fact that her son is stuck in the hospital with chemo-induced neutropenia, my mom is actually smiling. Go mom! It’s gotta suck watching your son be poisoned to save his life. One day we’ll look back on this together and vomit.