Spider Bite , Horrible counts, and feeling like my bones are breaking

   Today is Thursday 5/30/2013...Prayers Please...So, Todays new symptom... yesterday I noticed an area on my stomach that looked like I had been bitten by something... as the day went on it looked a little red but no big deal...Today I get up and it is the size of an egg huge red ring around it and very sore...and it now has infection coming out of it.

   So, after the lengthy conversation with the manager about the terrible call system... I got a different machine today that was actually a physicians asst... I was called back promptly and she talked to me about my problem and decided that she didn't like what she heard and did not think it safe for me to wait until Friday my scheduled count day to look at this infected area.I have a 2:30 appt at the cancer center to have it looked at and have my blood drawn for signs of infection. Not sure if I will get meds or get admitted for IV antibiotics... whichever they need to do I pray they get it under control so I can stay on my chemo schedule.

     Ok here's the bite it is now about the size of a mug...it keeps getting redder and bigger...glad I am going

I know it is a mental thing but as soon as I know I am headed to the cancer center I get an instant stomach ache and get sick... I am glad they will check on me but not my favorite place by any means...I have every restroom plotted out on the 12 mile drive it takes to get from here to the Cancer center...

    

   The bad news and quite surprising to me since I thought my counts would be on their way up since it was day 15 post chemo...my counts were terrible .4 was my Complete Neutrophile Count(which are the special kind of white cells that fight off infection)...normal is anywhere from 2.0 to close to 6.0 and my Complete Blood Count was only 1.4...The were terrible last time at .8 and I was told I was severely neutropenic but this time they were even lower!  So there was no avoiding it especially with an obvious infection on my stomach, I was given a Neupogen shot today , I have to return to the cancer center tomorrow for another shot and then Monday for yet another one... then they will do blood counts  Wednesday to see if it has gone up enough to get... chemo on Wednesday...

     Well it looks to be an infected spider bite... I had a temp of 99... they took 5 tubes of blood from my port, then ran blood cultures as well which had to be drawn form my arm as the port could show bacteria so they need a completely clean sample...the weirdest things ever the blood was drawn into looked like tabasco  sauce bottle...they took two large bottles of blood into them...which will take 48 hours to come back to see if there is bacteria in my blood...

 

   So being the curious sort I am and always loving anything to do with biology etc I asked how it worked... The bottom of the bottle actually has a kind of chocolate in it...then floating above it is a protein... the blood is added into this and bacteria loves chocolate...so If you have bacteria in your blood it will go and gather into the chocolate and the tech will them be able to see it there under a microscope...then they will examine it to see what type of bacteria it is then form treatment plans accordingly... (this is in layman terms but its the way to was explained to me) They were all laughing when I look incredulously that it was chocolate in there and said well then I must be filled with bacteria cause I LOVE chocolate...

     They gave me augmentin 875mg  2xday.I have to watch for chills or if the fever rises over 100.1 then I will be admitted to hospital...they are trying to keep me away from the germs there for now...  I have been so  afraid of this neupogen as heard the bone pain is bad and I am having three of them within a week...

    Well I got the shot and made it home with dizziness and nausea... several hours later the bone pain started... Terrible aching in my feet, ankles...shins...then worked its way to my hips...I begged Steve to rub deep into my bones and he did it helped a little, but I finally took an oxycodone but still had a lot of pain through the night...By this morning my lower back felt like back pain in labor...it throbbed so badly I could feel my heartbeat in it... I didn't want to take another pain killer as the constipation they and all of the other meds I am on is not pleasant so I took two motrin...

    Not real sure how I am even going to get up and get ready let alone make it to the cancer center for yet another bone breaking shot today... But I keep trying to remember what my sweet nurse Teresa said to me if it hurts it is working...As the neupogen is a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor...which means it aids in the growth, function, and maturation of certain white blood cells...namely the neutrophils my body so desperately needs to fight infection and to keep on chemo schedule... But it is more than feeling like the flu it is painful! But necessary as I didn't go through all of this cancer treatment to die from an infected spider bite...Speaking of which how in the heck do you get a spider bite when you haven't even been outside for over a week...makes me paranoid as to what is lurking in this house...I though the stink bugs were enough to creep me out...

 

.....According to the Drugs website, Neupogen routinely causes myalgias (muscle pain), bone pain, joint pain and alopecia (hair loss). It can cause unintentional weight loss and a poor appetite. Neupogen's other common side effects include a headache, epistaxis (nosebleeds), itching, swelling, irritation and a lump-formation at the injection site. Since Neupogen affects your immune system, you are to expect these side effects.

     So today I will make myself get up and dressed and go get another shot to try and LIVE...cause there is no other alternative ...I want to LIVE... and I have a long battle yet to fight so I cannot let this little stuff hold me back... Praying though they have something to help me get through this horrendous bone pain...

    Well thanks for following me along my journey once again... Until next time friends...Love you!