Okay, maybe I have learned a lesson. Oh, well maybe not. I'm not sure what lesson I should have learned. What, you ask, is she talking about?


Friday afternoon I was feeling really beat. No energy. Very lethargic. Lynn brought us a fantastic shabbos dinner but I could barely keep my face off the table. I dozed on and off during the evening. I felt a little warm around 9 p.m so I took my temperature but the two "fancy" thermometers gave different readings. Neither, however, was at 100.5. That is the magic number for oncologists. If one is on chemotherapy and one's temperature reaches 100.5 one must call the advice nurse who will instruct you to go to the emergency room. We watched some TV and went to sleep about 10:30. My mouth felt a little tender but I couldn't feel any sores. About 3 a.m.I woke up to a pillow full of slobber. I guess my nose was stuffy and I had been sleeping with my mouth open. I decided to go downstairs and read a little and suck on some ice because now my mouth was feeling very tender. Around 4:30 Andy came downstairs and I took my temperature again. It was exactly 100.5 on the oral thermometer, a little less on the temple one. So I called Kaiser and they told me to come on down. When I arrived I remembered to tell them first thing that I was a chemo patient. With that announcement the registration lady immediately instructed me to put on a face mask and sit to the side where I wouldn't be near anyone. Actually there was hardly anyone there but there were a couple of kids who didn't look like they had broken bones. I felt that these precautions made sense. Within a few minutes the triage nurse beckoned me and took my vitals. I remembered to tell him I am in a clinical trial. My charts are supposedly marked but we are told to advise doctors and nurses when we are in the ER. The nurse kept being summoned by someone else in another room. My impression was that the other person was having a computer problem but I could be wrong about that. He also kept getting interrupted by the phone. Finally I made a remark about how busy he was and he explained that it had been even busier, earlier, when one patient had waited 5 hours to be seen by a doctor. I was surprised and said that I guessed I was lucky since I had hardly waited at all. He assured me that chemo patients get a high priority and that is why my wait was so short. So after the initial interview I was passed into the sub waiting room where I had to wait for an examining room to free up. But they decided they could do some stuff first even if there wasn't an actuve room available. I was put into a section of the ER that wasn't actually is use at that moment. My blood was drawn. I almost asked for someone else to do it but decided to let the guy go ahead. My mistake. He acted very unsure of himself and the jab was painful. Next time, I'm asking for a regular vampire person or lab tech or whatever they are called. Nurses don't always make the best blood drawers. I was also asked to donate a sample of my urine. And then back to the sub waiting room. This time I was half in a gown and still half dressed. The nurse said I could keep my pants on. Before long I was in a part of the ER that was functioning and I was put on a saline drip. My blood pressure was taken again. When I first arrived at Kaiser it had been 101/63. Now it had risen to 111 over 70. More like my normal BP. Finally the doctor arrived and we talked about what was happening. Which was really very little. I had a temperature, my gums were sore and by now I was getting a headache. No I hadn't taken any Tylenol. Didn't want to mask any of the symptoms. That I knew. So then he decided to do a physical. And that is when I remembered that I was still half dressed. The doctor looked pretty annoyed that my pants were still on and instructed the nurse to get me undressed. He disappeared for a while and when he came back was interested in my lungs and my neck. He was worried about meningitis. I had three x-rays taken. One in the exam room and then they wheeled me into the x-ray room and did two more. One full front and one to the side. At 10 a.m. the nurse said my white cell count was down to 1. That doesn't even seem possible to me but who am I to argue? I guess the chemo is really working. Anyway, the doctor came in and gave me a choice. I could stay in the hospital and take my antibiotics or I could go home and do the same. I really had no desire to stay there so I took my meds and headed home. But now I am to stay away from crowds and basically keep away from anyone just in case they are contagious with something. I am just going to stay home for a while until I have more energy. And now my throat is sore so I guess I do have something going on. Warm salty water gargle does help.


Funny thing though. I have a friend who lives in Oakland. Over that last three years she has had three parties that I have been invited to. Andy had his stroke on the date of the first party. The second one I can't remember what the deal was but he was again in the ER. And this time I was in the ER. I'm thinking that from now on, if she invites me to a party, I'm just going to pack a hospital bag and have it ready! Maybe that is what I have learned. No, I think I have learned that I am not as strong as I think I am and I must take better precautions. I need to think about how much I can be out and avoid crowded stores and school and the like. It just isn't worth the risk.


This week we have been showered with food and meals from many families. Thank you, Didi and Jerry, Liz and Keith, Lynn and Art, Jen and Brendan, Connie and Marc, and Jane and Eldon. Everything has been delicious. You are very much appreciated.