Day + 73, Fluid Motion

It was nice to have half of a good weekend. Yesterday was my water pill day, and as usual I felt absolutely miserable all evening. It's a sick/nauseous/uncomfortable feeling that essentially incapacitates you from 2 hours after taking the Zaroxalyn until the time you go to sleep. As I've mentioned, the last few pounds of fluid are very difficult to remove. I'd give the analogy of scraping out dirt from the bottom of a plant pot; the dirt is so packed it take some elbow grease to get out. Come to think of it, I feel like dirt this morning. Time to head for my appointment with the shower.

By the way, I am making slow progress on my lower legs... they are starting to loosen up. My feet are also starting to look like feet. I finally see being able to remove this remainder with the pills, although it looks like it will be over the course of months, not weeks. No surprise here.

Until the three-month mark, I am voluntarily staying inside under 'house arrest' to lessen the chances someone will breathe on me and get sick. It's a little overkill, but I've heard other patients discuss their 'relapses', and I really don't want to take the chance. Stuck in my aunt's house, I'm like a hamster in a cage -- except that I don't have a hamster wheel and one of those fancy water bottles.

Here's an old article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describing the benefits of stem-cell therapy in treating amyloidosis over the traditional chemotherapy options.