My oncologist said that if I didn't think the antibiotics had made a significant difference within a week, to get back to her. I didn't, so I did. My oncologist wasn't in on Friday, but I went in and was seen by one of her associates. She took a chest x-ray to make sure that nothing had gotten noticeably worse in the couple of weeks since the scan. It hadn't. She also had me put on a pulse oximeter and walk up a few flights of stairs. I'd been complaining about feeling pretty worn out after even mild exertion, and she wanted to make sure that my SpO2 level wasn't dropping dangerously. It didn't -- it actually went up. My pulse continues to be way higher than before I got sick (my resting pulse rate used to be often in the 60s, and sometimes even down in the 50s), but that's nothing new -- and hopefully something that will improve over time as I get better and have the opportunity to get back in shape.
I'm scheduled tomorrow morning for another scan. This is a CT around the lungs, at higher resolution than the CT part of the full-body PET/CT.
After that, the next step is going to a pulmonologist. I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor about scheduling an appointment; hopefully that will happen tomorrow.
As the additional days have been progressing, however, I'm starting to question whether this is actually worth it. I made the decision last Thursday that I wasn't getting any better. And it's hard to say precisely, because things can fluctuate from day to day, and hour to hour, but I do now feel that maybe I am gradually starting to feel a little better. I'm still a little worn out, but I'm reasonably functional. And I still have headaches often, but they're pretty mild. And I've still got mucus and am coughing, but it's not nearly as bad as it was in early November. Maybe this is something that will just gradually get better over time, or maybe the antibiotics really did resolve some infection.
Nevertheless, I've decided to follow through on this. One of the problems with last fall, before I was diagnosed, was that I wasn't as alarmed about my health as perhaps I should have been, partly because I kept having ups and downs. Things would be really bad, but then I'd start to feel a bit better, and I'd get hopeful and stop worrying so much. If all I lose is a little bit of time and money to go see a specialist and have him tell me that nothing serious is wrong, at least I'll have that knowledge.
In the meantime, I'm continuing to try to get rest when I can, and I'm continuing to work approximately half time. My brother Steve briefly passed through on Sunday, on his way to a business meeting the next day in LA. And between lighting candles, eating chocolate gelt, and getting presents, Dylan is enjoying Chanukah.
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| Lighting candles on the second night of Chanukah (Photo courtesy of Steve Fromm) |
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| Dylan enjoying being in the toddler cage (aka a Hoberman sphere), a gift from Rich's parents. The airplane (Dylan's latest obsession is planes, instead of boats) in the foreground is a gift from Lorien's parents. |
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