Weird Science
Holding steady, or as the haemtologist said, “Keep going!” No fever for at least three days straight, and one of the markers or primary indicators they’ve been following in my blood is reducing, showing the antibiotics are doing their job and the infection is on its way out. My white cell count reached 1.0, showing progress, though the neutrophils aren’t budging yet. Some time in the next week or two, to be realistic.
In case anyone asks (which they have some of you), I’m still here because of my body, not because of any nurse or doctor. All of my cell production basically stalled when they applied the chemo, which happens each time. So I have absolutely no immune system. Because this was a heavier dose of treatment, and more because it was my third course of treatment inside a 3-month period, it’s taking a while for the bone marrow to regenerate and be productive. All we can do is wait, until the cell counts are high enough that it’s safe for me to be even out of this room. I’d catch everything which most wouldn’t. (Children and the elderly are always warned about risks in places for exactly the same reason—weaker immune systems.)
Best Book Ever Written
If you’re still trying to pick a summer read, can I humbly suggest Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez, which I’ve just finished. I’m done, but so wish I wasn’t. It’s the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read, and I don’t want to accept the end of those incredibly crafted words. It’s a perfectly sewn mixture of the past and imagery and love in all forms, perfectly rendered.
I didn’t want to skip a single solitary word because, had I done so, I’d have accomplished nothing more than steal from myself an important part of the whole experience.
Every word in that book matters. Every word is there for a reason.
