The past few weeks have been a little rough, I have to admit. The Darzalex seems to cause periods when I feel heavily medicated. My limbs grow heavy and I feel as though I could fall asleep in minutes. Sometimes I feel positively woozy. For this reason, I rarely drive myself anywhere anymore. I along with my loved ones have also dealt with what John refers to as roid rage, which really isn’t accurate because that particular term is associated with anabolic steroids, the kind that bodybuilders take, not corticosteroids and glucosteroids like I take. Unfortunately, they do tend to wreak havoc on one’s emotional and psychological state, as mine has been quite unpredictable and sometimes volatile.
This morning I was feeling alert enough to drive Eli to the vet for a methylprednisolone shot for his allergies.
Catching him was comparatively easy. This time I only had to remove the two drawers that are built into the footboard of my bed. He seems to be learning that a ride in the carrier is inevitable on these occasions, so he might as well just climb into it on his own, because that’s exactly what he did after a fairly short period of time corralling him in my bedroom. Once we arrived at the vet and were called into an exam room, he continued to cower in the carrier in terror. He’s truly a pitiful little thing, and he has such a sweet, gentle nature. I hate that he has to have the allergy shots but thankful they last three to four months.
In addition to the Darzalex last Monday, I also received my 30-minute IV of Zometa for my bones as well as liquid Benedryl to help ward off any allergic reactions to the Darzalex. It seemed like only minutes later that my head felt like it was made of lead and I couldn’t hold it up. Unfortunately, I kept waking myself up snoring, which is really embarrassing when you’re in a room with dozens of other patients who are also receiving chemotherapy. I wish I didn’t feel so self-conscious about it and could just rumble with abandon. As usual, I had my laptop with me so I could write, but I didn’t have the energy.
Next week will be crazy. Kohlson has been here since the 6th and leaves next Tuesday. It’s so wonderful having him home, and I won’t let myself think about him leaving again. Even though he’s much closer at Fort Campbell, about seven hours away as opposed to thousands of miles away in Europe, there’s no way to know where the Army will send him next or how soon. I don’t allow myself to think about that either. On Monday, I will have another Darzalex session. Tuesday morning, Kohlson leaves for Fort Campbell. Tuesday afternoon, I have a breast MRI scheduled at Dr. Joudeh’s recommendation. Because of my family history, I am diligent about getting a mammogram every year, but the results are always questionable because of “dense breast tissue,” which is apparently common for a lot of women. No one has ever recommended an MRI until Dr. Joudeh suggested it, so I will be eager to learn the results and how they may be different than a mammogram. On Wednesday, the 21st, I will have my third bone marrow biopsy at Baptist Hospital. On Thursday, an electrician is coming to move the electrical box for my air conditioner up to my second-floor balcony, where my new air conditioner will be installed on Friday, which means I will be without air conditioning Thursday night. Hopefully, it won’t be too miserable. I will also have to drive to Pensacola again on Thursday afternoon for a Velcade injection. It makes me tired to think about all of it.
For now, I will tell you about my patio visitor this morning. Kohlson was sitting at the dining table on his computer, and I was at my laptop at my desk working on my “World Upside Down” post when I happened to look out at the patio, and I immediately gasped.
“Oh, my goodness, Kohlson, take a look at that!”
There, munching away at the pile of peanuts I had poured onto a plastic saucer earlier in the day for the squirrels, was a rain-bedraggled possum with unique coloring. At first I thought it might be albino because the color of its fir was a dirty blonde. The digits on both paws were pink, although the paws themselves were also light blonde. Its eyes were dark, but I wondered if it was blind because it didn’t seem to be able to see my movement through the patio doors as I approached and knelt down to get a closer look. Most unusual were its ears, which had a patchy black and white coloring to them. It was also highly unusual to see it out in the middle of the day in broad daylight.
I did some quick research and learned that the coloring is referred to as leucism, sometimes spelled “leukism,” a condition that results in white, pale, or patchy coloration in animals. Here is a cool website that explains it in more detail and includes some cool animal pics. Be sure to click on the link about Omo the giraffe...very cool!
Kohlson got busy making a few videos that I’ll share here for your viewing enjoyment.
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