Follow-up and Fluids

Those with delicate dispositions may not want to read the following post as it contains blunt bodily subject matter which may lead to swooning or heaving.

Today was my follow-up with Dr. Smith.  He said the “mystery lump” was nothing, as in cancer, since it didn’t show up on the CT scan.  He says the lump is probably some tissue around a stitch.  He then drained about ½ of a huge syringe of pinkish fluid out of the right side of my chest and 1 ½ syringes from the left side.  He said everything was healing well and I have another follow-up in 6 weeks.

On an even less glamorous note, Chemo had sucked my system so dry of every bit of fluids that by Sunday I had the most extreme case of constipation I have ever experienced in my entire life.  Stool softeners, hours of sitting on the commode, straining, crying, cramping, use of coarse language, and other methods, which I will not delve into at this time, managed to eliminate the blockage by Monday.  The physical ramifications of above condition resulted in hemorrhoids.  I have never had hemorrhoids and thought I was out of the woods when it came to getting them since they are usually the result of childbirth. Thank you cancer for yet another unexpected gift.

Immediately following that scenario came the onset of extreme diarrhea.  Let’s just call it BU; bottom urine.  Cramping from the BU mixed with nausea from the chemo made for a very miserable couple more days.  I was in bed all day Wednesday since every time I stood up I had to make a run for the toilet.

I will try to remember this quote when I do my blog so that everyone doesn’t have to suffer with my complaining:

If you have not slept,

if you have slept,

or if you have a headache,

or sciatien, or leprosy or thunderstroke,

I beseech you, by all angels,

to hold your peace and not pollute the morning.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

…but I can’t guarantee anything.