Today marked six months to the day of my last chemo, which meant that I started again, on maintenance. The pic is current as of this morning. Maintenance was horribly familiar: all the same smiling faces (i.e., the nursing staff) and the patients (i.e., forced smiles?). We started with a small bag of benadryl to counteract any allergenic reaction to the forthcoming poison and then a large bag of the actual poison (i.e., retuxin). This last one was dripped in slowly to ascertain whether I got into allergenic reaction. I didn't. Entire process was within a lick of 4 hr. Mostly the benadryl made me sleepy, so I cruised listening to Arturo Sandoval's new album--a tribute to Dizzy. (Thanks be to Larry S for that--a fine big band set of arrangements of Diz' tunes, with wonky meters and all.) Jan brought me a sandwich and before you know it, I was on the way home. Felt a little light-in-the-loafers but that may have been due to leaving the infusion center where the refrigerated air had to be in the 60s, while the outside air was in the 90s and the car was in the 100s. I seem to have just as much hair as I used to, but it seems less manageable somehow. I feel a little tired, even with the sleep during the procedures this morning but it is warm, I am still carrying a load of benadryl and I have been power spraying the deck. I did an hour before I left this morning to culminate 9 hrs to get the grime off. Staining to follow directly.
Faithful readers will know that I may still be in denial. Tomorrow will tell how much this new round kicks my butt. But, I don't expect much and have been given to understand that I shouldn't. So with fresh eyes in the morning, the possibility of several hours among the largemouth bass of SE Idaho will be contemplated. My buds have all been accommodating. Strum, Plunk & Toot have agreed to meet on Wed eves for the next several weeks, and my lunch buddies ditto. That way I have 6 days between me and those activities and the prior infusion. Fishing can be fit in everywhere else.
So, I hope it is business as usual. My right knee has repaired itself somewhat--I can walk reasonably well on it, notwithstanding still arising poorly. My residual neuropathy is just that--residual. I can and will deal with it all. More if I have exciting stuff to report, otherwise probably not until the next maintenance session a week today.
Ciao.
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