Sometime during the night the pain in Scott’s jaw subsided and David awoke at 5.30am to find him sitting in the kitchen binging on Prawn Cocktail Tayto’s. He continued feasting on salt laden foods all morning, devoured an entire pizza for lunch and still wasn’t satisfied. He ate pistachio nuts, garlic bread and apples all afternoon and evening and has now collapsed in my bed, too swollen to move. 165mg of prednisone a day will do that to you. I think we wrote once before how the kidney specialist was shocked at how much prednisone his protocol called for and told us this was twice the amount an adult transplant patient receives. Scott looks dreadful; he’s like a huge red butterball. He still has the pain but it has moved into his back now, tomorrow it will be all over his body and hopefully by Thursday he’ll be on the mend. Until next time at least.
Today I did something which scares the bejeesus out of me. I made an appointment to see the doctor for my Well Woman!!!! I have only been to the doctor once since Scott was diagnosed with leukemia. It was a very quick visit, a simple request for something awesome to dull the emotional pain and panic attacks and I was gone, vowing never again to see a doctor. Maybe its normal for parents of children suddenly diagnosed with a life-threatening disease to develop a phobia for all things medical, I don’t know, all I know is that I am horrified at the thought. (The only reason I made the appointment is because of the terrifying case of a very young woman in the UK who now has only weeks to live because of cervical cancer). I also believed that if I had my check up before I was 40 I could avoid a mammogram. So, I called, made my appointment for next week, confirmed that I could get a xanax refill during the Well Woman, clearly stated that I was still under 40 and didn’t need a mammogram only to be told that Health Insurers now cover 1 scan between the ages of 35-39 and that I would be getting one. Shit! Bad, bad news.
David has also been hassling me (and I know he means well) to have an annual check-up. LOL. I don’t think so. I know my blood pressure is beautiful (95 over 56 this morning) and so is my cholesterol. I don’t want anyone listening to my lungs and I certainly don’t want anyone looking at my blood.
But whilst this experience with pediatric leukemia and all the horrors it entails may have left me cold at the very idea of any medical evaluation, it has certainly opened my eyes on disease prevention and food. Look at what I had for my tea (dinner) ….

It is juiced broccoli, carrots, apples, lime, lemon, a big hunk of ginger and an orange! Yes I drank it and yes it was foul. This has been my diet lately along with muesli, nuts, soy milk, berries and smoothies (and chocolate, icecream and cake) and this is what Scott has to look forward to in 8 weeks. It’s got to be better than chemo, surely? Speaking of which, time to wake Scott up for his 6mp.