Friday, March 26, 2010

My Lower half ain't so happy

Yesterday my labs confirmed that I am officially neotropenic...meaning my white blood cell count (WBC) is close to zero. What that means is I get to wear a sweet mask if I go out into public and that I avoid every sick person like the black plague.

It's been months since I have had any side effects or issues with treatments. I am currently dealing with a couple of issues that make me realize that on the MM path, remember to count your blessings when things are "normal."

First, I feel like this whole experience has brought me to appreciate the hard work of all the pregnant women who have gone before, are pregnant or will one day take the plunge. Sometimes I feel like a pregnant woman, although our house probably is only big enough for one pregnant lady at a time.

Here are two recent pain points:
  1. Lower Back Pain - I was warned of bone pain with the neupogen shots, which I shrugged off after 4 days of taking shots with no side effects. Yesterday was different. I have a shocking pain that comes in waves in my lower back. I have no clue what back labor feels like, but I think this is the closest that I will ever get to it.
  2. Fissures - Hopefully this isn't too much information for you to take with you into your weekend, my apologies if it is. The only relief I can get from this excruciating pain is when I think of Jerry Stiller's comment in Zoolander: "It stings me like a fissure in my a**". Again, I will never feel the pain of childbirth, but shoot, every morning I am reminded that childbirth is not for me!

10 comments:

Lorna A. said...

Thanks for all that info Phil! Actually the bit about the back pain got me thinking about how during childbirth I used a TENS machine for pain relief. I checked on the myeloma uk site and it seems they can be used. I might get one for Mike just in case he has a similar problem.

Unknown said...

Didn't they give you any morphine? The pain is only going to escalate. You may want to ask for some pain meds. Just eat something before you take it. Kev never did and always got sick.

Kindred Spirit said...

I'll pray for you at Stations of the Cross this evening. May God bless you and your family, Phil.

Roobeedoo said...

That's the kind of info that others will find useful. No point in being bashful now! Hope your fissure heals quickly - my son had one when he was 5 years old and the screaming was dreadful!

Roobeedoo said...

That wasn't a very sensitive comment of mine- what I mean is - I hope they are giving you some pain relief, but tantrums are understandable under the circumstances!

Unknown said...

Lorna-TENS maching...interesting!!!
Jennifer- no pain meds, but I am a weirdo. I typically wait until the pain is a 10 before I ask for meds. I am going to try to float by under the radar for the next three more days. You think I would have learned by now!
KS - You are the greatest prayer warrior.
Roobeedoo - I have six fissers that my GI doc could see, with probably more unexposed. Screaming might help next time!!!!

tim's wife said...

Yeah pregnancy and childbirth were no picnic for me. Hence Livvy has no sibs but the one bright spot was my very painful fissure got stitched up in the mix with my extensive episiotomy(darn that doctor)and the wincing and gnashing of teeth is gone.Don't know that you have an episiotomy in your future though Phil and that was no walk in the park either!

Sandy said...

Well starting at zero is a place to begin... the awful thing about back pain is that you can't really get away from it. I remember once when I was a candy-striper at a small hospital being advised by an experienced nurse - and this was decades ago - "morphine is not addictive to someone with real pain," she said. "We think giving pain relief helps healing." So don't try to be too brave and give yourself that relief...

Anonymous said...

I shan't forgive you for having fissures since I had to look it up and there was a picture!!!!!!!!!

It's not like it's good after exercise pain, I can just about remember that, it's a pain in the ass - take a pill!

As to the stem cell production pain - I felt an intense throbbing at times in my lower back and chest (I thought I was going to do my own production of Alien) and I have to admit it felt good!

Jodi said...

Phil, by all means take something for the pain. I was like you and never took anything, not even an epidural while giving birth, wow, that was stupid. Now, I refuse to let the pain get to me and if it means taking something to relieve it when it gets really bad, I will. I still function, but am just more comfortable. So don't rule out the drugs.
Praying for both you and Cassie that this journey goes safely and quickly for you.

Jodi