Automatic reply is on!

Less than 72 hours to go. 

Eek! I have just put my out of office on for work. This is it. I'm now in the final countdown til T Day > Treatment Day. This has come around so quickly and I've realised how nervous I am. This is getting a little bit real. 

I have a bag packed of all my snacks, creams and drugs. I've been warned the itchiness is severe for some people during the infusion. Headaches can be terrible. So the strong paracetamol is packed, as are soothing creams - Aloe Vera and Eurax. Water bottle will go in after I have finished it. 

Next to pack is the bags. Apparently the comfier the better. So a lot of loose clothes and runners. No make up required. I feel like i'm making a list to go on holiday. If only it was. I do have a couple of things planned to look forward to. This is a good thing. 

The nerves and anxiousness with this have prompted a bout of emotional eating. Not a great idea, when I'm about to be pumped full of high dosage steroids. I'm counting on getting one of the not so common side effects - overactive thyroid! I will be in trouble if it goes the completely opposite way though. So between the emotional eating, steroids and under-active thyroid (if it happens), I could be buying a whole new wardrobe! I may need to warn the finance manager now. 

But it's here. I am eager to get through this next two weeks. A week of infusion, then a week of fatigue while my immune system recovers. So for a bit of a information session, at the moment my lymphocyte count can be anywhere between 1.9 - 2.1. This is normal for a person. The normal range is between 1.1 - 3.6. By next Friday, my count will be down to around 0.1. Very, very low. 

The second week will be sleep. I'm told the fatigue is extreme as my body tries to rejuvenate the cells. I don't think i'll be getting my daily coffee in a hurry. So if you're in the neighbourhood and are feeling as fit as a fiddle, please feel free to drop by, coffee in hand. I will reward you with a massive smile and hug! If you want to Skype, Facetime, call me that week, I would love to chat, although I can't promise how awake I will be. 

Anyway - I'm off to do some more packing and spend some quality time with my husband while I can. 

Take it easy folks, and I will log in again after the first day! 

Jodi