Thank you, friends, for your sound advice.

I expect to get my blood drawn on Tuesday, which is my monthly visit. Paul, I literally just finished a 10-day course of levaquin for a bronchial infection. It's a very strong, broad-spectrum antibiotic that has the potential serious side effects. I am allergic to many antibiotics, so I have limited choices. I've been on it many times before, but this time I had a bad reaction from it, and I'm still recovering. It's one of those abx's that makes your susceptible to tendon rupture. Well, I had a major flare up all over my body, with musculotendinous and joint pain. I could barely move. Things are better, but I'm not out of the woods yet. You are very correct in getting all things checked out at this point.

I'm nearly 5 months out and have rarely left the house since treatment ended because I could not drive. So, yes, every time I have gotten sick it's likely been brought into the house from the outside. I am a nut about infection control, but there's only so much you can do. When friends wanted to visit, they would never do so while ill. My 19-month-old has been sick since we put him in daycare 2 days a week in the beginning of January. I know that's what happens to all kids, then they bring it home...and so the cycle goes.

One of the last times I was hospitalized, I asked to look at my labs. I was at my local community hospital, because it was the weekend and it wasn't "cancer" related. I got all backed up from the pain meds and couldn't keep anything down. So, they got me straightened out,but my regular PCP was covering me. When I got my labs, I cried...everything was a mess! I used to be so healthy before this...perfect labs most of the time. This time, everything was flagged. I knew what some of the lab values meant from when I was in school, but that was a long time ago, so I asked my PCP to come to my room and explain them to me. Well, she breezed in and barely gave me an explanation and was backing out the door as she was still talking to me. This is why I prefer to see her NP when I visit her office, and not her. She is so cursory in her examinations, it's pathetic. I don't know what happened to her. I've been going to her for years and she wasn't always like this. Anyway, that's why I'm glad that my medical oncology team and surgical oncologist never make me feel rushed or like I'm taking too much of their time. They always make me feel like I am the only patient on their schedule and that takes a special clinician to do that when they have a full waiting room. I write my questions down in my notebook and make sure they all get addressed at each visit. I make my own notes or have a family member (if present) take them for me.

Forgive me for getting off topic like that. I guess, I just share my experience for those who might be reading this and are having similar problems or are new to the big "C" and these forums.

Thanks for listening,
Kerri