The Red Devil Has Begun......

The Red Devil has begun. I don't know if it should be celebratory that I now have one done and only 3 more to go, or not. Treatment started on June 6, 2022. I only have it every three weeks. I would love to hurry and expedite this and get it over with, but that is not how this one works. 

Let me tell you what this shit is like. It has the name for a reason. It's a fucking nightmare is what it is. Bloating is back in full force. Splendid. I am more tired than ever. Like how much can I actually sleep? Is this a test? I have always liked sleeping and enjoyed it. But this is ridiculous. I am now sleeping 14+ hours a night, then taking naps some days too. Jesus Fuck. It's way more than excessive.

On my treatment day, I find out from my labs that my white blood cell count is lower than they would like to see, therefore, I have to go in every day that week for an injection to boost my white blood cells, then come Friday, they will again do lab work and see if the injections worked. OMG! I literally drive there every day, got a shot, and went on my merry way. It takes me 30-40 minutes to drive one way for less than a 5 minute visit. Ugh. Not a fan of this shit already. But, the good news in all this is that come Friday, my white blood cell count was up even higher than they anticipated. Woohoo. Done with that shit for now. I have the next two weeks to hopefully have somewhat of a normal life, right? Wrong. 

Week two after my treatment. It's Wednesday (9 days after my first Red Devil treatment), and my neck below my jaw is sore. My tongue is sore like I bit it. No idea initially what was going on, and it didn't take me long to figure it out. My gums were also sore. Sore like there is something stuck in them, which has now started an infection, and causing all the soreness. What the actual fuck? A few things run through my mind. One. I was told not to floss, mainly because the doctors don't want you doing even the tiniest of things that could cause an infection (fucking, really?!? How ironic). Because had I flossed like I have every day for years and years, I wouldn't be in this position. But here I am. I used my water pic and got whatever was in there out.  Two. I have no immune system because the chemo drugs have literally killed it. So I cannot fight this off. Not like your body would normally fight this type of thing off. Three. WTF is next? I called the office after hours, and the doctor on call wants to see me the next morning. Just what I was hoping for. Nope. Not at all. He also calls in an antibiotic for me to start taking right away.

Next morning, I am at the doctors office. Yippee. They again do blood work, and confirm the suspicion of an infection. My white blood cell count is dangerously low. So low that they give me an injection as a booster right away, and tell me I need to come back for another injection tomorrow, however, if my levels do not increase, I will have to be hospitalized. I guess they aren't fucking around, and I am not going to fight it. They really know what's best for me.

Friday morning, back at the office again, lab work done again. White blood cell count is up, and the levels are high enough that they are satisfied, but they want to see me again Monday morning because I received another injection and they want to monitor this because I won't have injections over the weekend. Ugh. Monday morning, back to the office. Again, lab work is done, and my white blood cell count is up, and they are happy at that. So all is well that ends well right? Wrong. Do you see this trend? Just when you think things are good, you get the good old go fuck yourself.

What's going on now? Lab work revealed that now my red blood cell count is low. The paperwork states "critically low".  So what does this mean? I may need a blood transfusion. WTF? No. The oxygen in my blood is basically not enough, and therefore your heart is working harder than it should be. Christ. Sounds like a fucking heart attack or stroke waiting to happen, but I don't ask about that. Instead, I am told I need to be on bedrest and sleep as much as I can because that is what'll do the best for me. More sleep. Really? Then she tells me if I have chest pains, shortness of breath or a rapid heart beat that I need to go to the ER. I swear I am not trying for a hospital stay. So bed rest lasted two days...........I am not meant to lay in bed all damn day and night.

With all the shit that has happened with my first Red Devil treatment, it really makes me want to say fuck this. No more chemo. Let's hope for the best to this point and move on to the next step. Yes, I only have 3 more to go, but this is a fucking nightmare to me. I won't be done until August with these treatments, and that just seems so far away.