Friday, August 26, 2011

Continuing Recovery?


Continuing Recovery?  (August 26, 2011)
August 21 was a bad day and the days since have also been bad.  This week chills, fevers, total body aches, and NO Energy have defined “me”.

Over the previous 12 weeks, my guides had been telling me that recovery was progressing, quality of life was improving and soon we would distance ourselves from Cancerstan.  I was beginning to believe them, even though three months aafter the knife man took me out of cancerstan I still had limited energy and could not sit comfortably longer than 30 minutes… However, I could walk every day including a once weekly  round trip of a 4.5 mile walk to the local cancer survivors’ group.  Then, last week, I took in 2 yoga sessions.  (Not surprisingly, I completed only half the poses, but that was ok with me.)

Then, mid day Sunday began a week of hell!  An early Monday morning  call to our long term PCP of 20 years.  He  suspected a kidney infection as Radical Cystectomies often have the complication of kidney infections.  He asked for a urine sample and  immediately started me on CIPRO (a broad spectrum antibiotic).  Lab results came back Tuesday while I continued in near delirium indicating yep! Kidney infection caused by not one but two different bugs.

(SIDEBAR: Had two dreams last night
Dream 1.  I was lost in a strange city helping a stranger move heavy concrete blocks…Sisyphus?
Dream 2 Lost in strange city, help two friends escape in the small plane we constructed.  They crashed into a utility wire shorty after takeoff, somehow survived and returned to our little compound.)

Yes, things are better, I left the house for the first time since Sunday and was able to walk, slowly, for 10 minutes until the exhaustion and pain in my back forced me back to bed. 
 Cipro is to be continued for ten days total and the guides expect all will be well in due time.

In the larger scale of things
YES, please drink a toast to my companion of over 54 years for her extraordinary help and support in this difficult place…

Today’s jeopardy clue is
“Not a high quality life” 
And one answer is
What is a kidney infection”?


1 comment:

  1. I just now checked in on this. Sorry you had such a rough week. Sounds like you're on the mend from the kidney infection, though.

    Here in Nicaragua, we've been thinking about you. We hope you've been reading our blog: mmmnicaragua.blogspot.com

    Friday we went to the dump and visited with some kids who live there. Today we took a tour of a volcano and a market - or day of play. Most days we work - some at hard labor - some helping at the clinic. I've done both now, but I've been in the "hard labor" camp.

    Glad you're getting better.

    Lew

    ReplyDelete