Oh the sacrifices

having the double whammy of low platelet counts and low white blood counts is not just dangerous…its annoying. for example, way back in february when i was just to receive my first dose of chemo, one of my oncologists, Dr. M* was going over some of the possible issues that might arise from having your body poisoned. After covering the big stuff like heart failure, brain damage, and liver failure (but incidently, NOT bleeding into your eyeballs), she also mentioned some “smaller issues”, like taking precautions with what i eat and certain hygiene issues that i needed to change.

for example, i told her that i was an avid flosser. to those of you who know me well, i take my oral hygiene seriously. i have been used to brushing AND flossing after every meal for many years now. unfortunately, Dr M* told me, i could no longer floss whilst my counts are low: flossing could cause a bleed in my gums, the bleeding could be open for days (low platelets), and be a huge risk of infection (no immune system), and that could lead to serious complications, including death. I know this might not be big to some of you, but imagine being told that you couldn’t shower anymore. If that doesn’t work, imagine being told that you can’t wipe your ass after taking a shit.

what about shaving? oh you can’t do that either: shaving could cause a nic, which could be open for days…and well you get the picture–death.

What? i can’t even cut my fingernails?–oh right, of course–the nail clippers might cause a nic, which could get infected…and i could die. DUH!

the pattern by now is obvious: Step 1–start with a routine thing you do everyday involving some kind of sharp edge, Step 2: add the teeniest risk of that edge causing a bleed, Step 3: throw in the image of the open wound staying open for days and days, Step 4: add infection and presto: DEATH.

this formula takes that old adage of “better safe than sorry” to the neurotic extreme–which is the land where most drs live. and its not cute, nor is it funny…its actually quite annoying. But then again there are those stories where a man with diabetes decides to cut his own toenails, which opens up a wound in his toe, which then gets infected ultimately leading to his death. its a sad and true story. so my teeth are the grossest they’ve ever been; my fingernails and toenails are overgrown; my face is dotted with unkempt hairs; and god knows how long its been since i wiped my ass–(J/K!)– simply b/c my world has become annoyingly dangerous.

~ by lentaing on July 1, 2008.