Mark is not feeling well after chemo
Received an e-mail from Mark today saying that he is really sick after chemo this time and is having a lot of pain and he said not to expect to hear much from him for a couple of days. He has been lucky in the last few months in having fewer bad days after chemo and lots of good days. When Mark was first on chemotherapy he was really sick and his sister and I were staying with him for blocks of time. At that time, it was hard to tell if it was the cancer or the chemo, but he had such pain and nausea and vomiting and loss of energy and bizarre chills and fevers, weight loss, edema in his feet,hair loss, depression, and he was fussy. We used to call him Mr. Fussy at times as he fussed at us when he did not feel well and then he would suddenly realize how fussy he was and appologize and tell us how much he appreciated all the help we gave him and he would try hard to socialize with us then would go off into bizarre symptoms like the bone shaking chills while sitting on the patio in the blazing Bangkok sun with a wool cap on and wrapped in a blanket warmed in the dryer. Mark has stuck with chemo for 17 months. In spite of periodically being sick and fussy, he has kept his sense of humor and has been very kind to everyone he comes in contact with. He has always dressed up and looked like he was going to a photo shoot for GQ magazine when going to the hospital or the grocery store. He looks more like the staff than a patient when he goes to the hospital. He hangs in there and sets a good role model for all of us as our daily tribulations seem small compared to his. In a couple of months he will get another CAT scan. The last one was a birthday present and the next one may be a present on his sister's birthday (September 1).