No Wonder I'm Tired

Wiki, I agree with you. My thoughts exactly on my current medical news.

It's been 7 months since I finished my final round of chemotherapy and I have slowly started feeling better. I still have issues related to chemo-brain and ovarian failure, along with other body parts that have had to heal or not...I picked up a heart murmur from chemo. That said, I'm getting back on the running trails. In October I ran a fun half-marathon followed by a marathon a week later and a very, hilly marathon in November. Not bad for a chick a few month's out of chemo. I've had more energy than when my bone marrow was 99% cancer and I've had more energy since the chemo knocked me off my feet. However, these past few months my energy wasn't what I thought it should be at this stage of recovery. Too much fatigue on a daily basis and no mojo when I ran, I felt like I had molasses in my veins. In the last month I have had episodes of vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, along with not feeling very good after I ate, some of my lymph nodes enlarged and became painful and my nervous system feels raw. With everything that my body has been through the past few years, it's no wonder that when I have some new symptoms, I worry that it is the leukemia. And being in remission, I was concerned that it was the leukemia coming back.

Well, the good news is the cancer hasn't come roaring back. In fact, my immune system is still two-thirds gone because the chemo drugs obliterated it. Additionally, there is a reason for my random symptoms and my ongoing and increasing fatigue. I have hepatitis. My liver was irritated from the chemo and was clearly under stress during that time period. However, looking at the blood tests of my abnormal liver function, the slope of the line is pretty steep, meaning it has gotten much worse in the last few months. There are many causes for hepatitis and in my case it could be viral, because of all the human blood products I have had over the last 4 years or possibly some careless medical worker infected me with a contaminated syringe or shared medicine vial; it could be drug related, caused by one of the medicines I take to prevent infections; it could be my gallbladder has problems. I'm hoping my hepatitis is because of one of the medicines I take. Obviously, the easiest to fix and to which my doctor has pulled me off one of my daily meds to prevent pneumonia. I have an ultrasound of my liver and gallbladder region on Thursday along with blood tests to hunt for viruses. I also have to have another infusion of human blood products Thursday to boost my immune system. It certainly isn't good news to have hepatitis, yet I'm thrilled it wasn't the leukemia returning, and I'm happy to know there is a reason, so possibly a fix. And besides, I've got a marathon to run in a month!

Wildwood Diva