Beat Up and Beat Down

January 1, 2003|

Beat Up and Beat Down

It’s been awhile since I last wrote. For that I apologize, but it has been some trying times. Today is really the first time that I have had the necessary energy to catch up on emails and write. It’s been a battle. The pain in my hips and back has been unbearable. My only relief was a few pain-killers mixed with a hot bath. Nothing was worse than finding that we had run out of hot water. It was demoralizing.

I also started getting these amazingly uncomfortable bouts of chills. These keep me grounded at home, as they attack at anytime. In the middle of family parties, watching movies, etc. I would get an attack and that was it. After a few Tylenols and latching myself to heater do they go away.

To make things even worse, the classic Hodgkin’s symptom of night sweats started last week. In the middle of the night, you wake up and you are drenched. It is so uncomfortable. Wake up, change clothes, get more towels for the bed, it’s a mess.

My nights typically consist of all three. It’s been a nightmare, I dread going asleep. I may get 45 minutes of sleep before one of them flares up.

The only consolation is that I moved home to Ohio (which I was planning to anyway a few months ago when I was healthy) and am in my original comfortable bed.

NEW Up Next

I have a Rituxin treatment tomorrow here in Youngstown. In two weeks I make a quick trip to New York to have a few scans done and to meet a new doctor who has a possible new therapy for me. There are not many therapies available to me, so we can only hope that I qualify for this one. Not sure what happens next. Wish I had more good and encouraging news.

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