Tumor Times, Volume 12

If you missed Volume 11, don't worry -- there wasn't one. I have been too tired to type.

It has been 12 weeks since the cancer diagnosis. The last two weeks have been quite eventful. I managed to make it back to ICU due to a fever, a low white blood cell count, and various other problems revealed through routine blood work.

The purpose of putting me in ICU was so that the hospital could dispense its entire arsenal of pharmaceuticals into my veins. In addition, I was in "reverse isolation", meaning that everyone who came to my room had to put on a mask, gloves, and a gown.

This kind of outfit, of course, makes visitors look silly. However, I don't recall being amused.

This visit to the hospital also gave me my first experience with a catheter. The less said about this, the better.

Interestingly, I was given the exact same room in ICU that I had occupied two weeks earlier. I think there is plaque on the wall now, commemorating the room as the "Kevin Hamner Memorial Sty".

I must admit that I am impressed by the local hospital. I've been there a lot, spent quality time on several different floors, and I find that it is generally a very clean and pleasant place to be. Of course, I still can't get any sleep in the hospital because the beds are evidently built for people who are less than 5 feet tall.

I left the hospital a week ago. I have been very weak, and walking was difficult for a few days due to swelling caused by all of the IV fluids I was given. I am now back at work, and it's good to be able to be somewhere other than the house or the hospital. My most recent visit with the doctor was today, and I don’t have to have another chemotherapy treatment for three weeks. And, when it resumes, it promises to be less arduous than the three treatments I have had to date. I hope so. I am worn out.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, support, calls, and cards. I needed every one of them. I may not be able to thank all of you in person for all you have done, but rest assured that I do remember.

Stayed tuned for Volume 13 next week. I know that will be a lucky one.... ;-)