Queen of Rashes stays true to form

Yesterday and the day before I was just sitting around minding my own business when I broke out in a mysterious rash. It wasn’t a drug or transfusion reaction because I hadn’t gotten any blood products and I wasn’t on any new antibiotics.

I watched as the hives popped up and then melded together, blossoming into bright red, itchy patches. The Queen of Rashes does it again. I’ve gotten so much Benadryl since then that I have lost track. I continued to get it today, and so far, no rash.

I also got a painful sore in my mouth. It’s not technically a mouth sore, but it’s red and inflamed. Yesterday I went downstairs to the dentist, as part of my pre-transplant workup. While I was there, I asked him to look at the thing in my mouth. He poked and prodded and announced that it would go away. Today it hurt so much that I could barely eat, so I broke down and took some Oxycodone, and then took another dose later. Needless to say, I spent much of today pretty zonked.

The inauguration kept me busy most of the day yesterday. I stayed in bed for a long time and watched the events starting around 9 a.m. I was transfixed. And although I try to avoid cliches, I have to say that much of it sent shivers down my spine. I felt a little decadent staying in bed so long, but then I reminded myself that I am in the hospital and I’m allowed to lie down.

I’ve been trying to do my bed and chair yoga and stretches. During the early part of my “visit,” I felt so sick and disheartened that I couldn’t even think of exercising, except for walking. But as I’ve begun to feel more like myself, the motivation is returning. And after I’m stretched out and have done the poses that I can do without hurting myself, I feel pretty good.

I assume that in a few days I’ll leave the holding pattern and start receiving my pre-transplant conditioning chemotherapy. I think they’re going to give me my own special concoction, but I’m not sure what that will be. I hope I don't lose my hair!

It's almost 10:30 and I was about to get into bed with a book, but I was just called down to MRI for a repeat look at my brain. They do most of the emergencies during the day and the in-patient population at night. My nurse said I was lucky, because sometimes people get called in the wee hours. Oh well, at least I just took my Ativan, and I might even sleep through it.