No-straw Monday

Hiccups are very bad with chemo-induced acid reflux. The nurse gave me prevacid for the acid and baclofen for the spasticity. But hospital food service kept giving me a tasty afternoon fruit smoothie, with a straw.

Kids with sippi cups, drunks with umbrella drinks, and me, an MS spaz with a fruit smoothie. Straws give us hiccups. Hiccups are very bad with chemo-induced acid reflux. Did I saw that before? Can't believe I had to figure this out on my own. Good grief. I told the nurse to warn the other patients.

In other news, this is a transition day. No more cytoxan chemo, and no more lasix and constant peeing all night. They'll keep me on some other drugs to protect bladder and kidneys from the chemo. Maybe the burning in my guts will abate and I will be able to sleep at night.

Now is also the time I will start to become neutropenic. Immune system count will go way down over the next two days. They say this will make me even more tired than I am now. The clean room, IV antibiotics and antivirals will hopefully prevent infection.

I think I get my stem cells back on Tuesday to rescue me with a new immune system, presumably similar to the one I had when I was a newborn baby, without MS. They'll watch to see if stem cell engraftment occurs and for my immune cell counts to start rebounding.

January is a long winter month. But outside my window, I can see the daylight getting longer.