Day 230: Come ON counts...I need to get back to me.

No big updates here. I've spent most (if not all) of my days in my apartment rotting. You'd think with all this time spent in here, it would be spotless....well, it's quite the opposite. I spend most of my days laying around until about 2ish when i go and get my blood drawn at the Cancer Center. 

My white counts are still low. My theory is that my white counts are working overtime to heal all these dang spots/sores on my legs that they can't go up until it's cleared up. My platelets are still UBER low and I don't need a blood test to tell me that. My nose is constantly bleeding, I have bruises all over my legs, it looks like someone took a bat to me, my gums bleed quite a bit whenever I brush my teeth, no matter how soft my brush is, and the newest thing....I have a "skin rash" called petechiae and they're harmless. According to my research and what the chemo/infusion nurse, its basically bleeding beneath the skin. And since I don't have platelets nor a tear in my skin to let it out, it just looks like a rash. It doesn't itch, it's not raised...and it will go away on its own once my platelets return to somewhat "normal" or at least higher than an 18. awesome right?

On a positive note, I got a blood transfusion on Friday and since then, I've been feeling AWESOME. I just finished "day 3" of working out and it feels soooooo good to be "running" again and to be lifting weights. I requested to go to Edmond for my transfusion because there the whole process is a lot more cushy. if that even makes sense. Instead of being thrown in a big room with others going through chemo or having transfusions, I get my own private room with my own private bathroom. I get to order lunch and have anything I want. And since my insurance covers it, why not? I got two units of blood and MAN OH MAN was it hard to get the IV started. I already have small veins (according to my nurse) but to add to it, I've been stuck so many times this whole almost two weeks that it's hard to find a "spot" that hasn't already been taken. So after being stuck 4...yes 4 times, they got an IV started, gave me my benadryl, and next thing I knew, I woke up and was ready to party! lol.

Alright well it's 12:30am right now and I'm getting tired, I"ll leave you all with some pictures to see what's going on with my skin. It's pretty gross but....it'll go away soon. Pray that it does. good thing it's winter!!

I love you all and have a good day. :)

Kim

 this is my left inner leg. The spots cover mainly below my knee and bits and pieces on my arms but nothing this extreme.

 This is my Right inner calf. it's a lot worse than the other leg and also has bruises as friends to go with it. I wonder if running and putting pressure on my legs is a possible cause for the severity of the outbreak....hmm

 this is my left inner knee/lower thigh. As you can see the black spots are part of the random skin outbreak I had in the hospital. The doctors still don't know what caused it. Those spots are mainly around my knee area but also have popped up on my upper arms and even my hands. But the good thing is they are scabbing over and healing. And of course...I have bruises like those you see all over my upper thighs. It's kind of growing together to form one big bruise....I need PLATELETS!!! ahhhhh....

Getting my blood transfusion on friday, my nurse got tape happy. and you can see where another nurse tried to start the IV but it didn't work out.

 this is what my nails look like now. they're purple and have lines of darkness that shows when I had methatrexate in my system (the killer that stole my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and made my skin ugly!). But no worries, as soon as my nails start growing back, they'll go back to normal. :) Doctors are fascinated by this, I guess it's rare to find patients whose nails actually do this b/c every time they see it, they like to bring others in and show them.

And last but not least....the most recent picture of me. I was on my way to the cancer center to get my blood drawn. Face puffiness has went DOWN and my gums don't hurt anymore...i can't FINALLY SMILE AGAIN!! YAY!! :) god is good.