Trousered Ape
An exercise in presumption.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
State of the Ape XLIV
Thank you very much for your prayers; I needed them. It’s been a week.
Sunday’s weakness got worse. By Tuesday, I was unable to get out of bed. My wife called 911 and I was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital. The weakness was due to severe dehydration, so when fluid had been pumped into me I was a little stronger and they let me go home.
Wednesday I was back in the hospital. One of the effects of chemotherapy is to lower your white-cell count, so any temperature at all is a cause for concern. I was running 100.8 when I went, which spiked to 102 shortly after arriving; probably, from my congestion and cough, caused by a respiratory infection. My white cell count was practically zero.
From Wednesday afternoon until Saturday morning they pumped me full of antibiotics and we waited for my white blood cell count to return to normal.
(click to embiggen)
By Saturday it was just a little low, but they decided I could go home again. So here I am and doing reasonably well, apart from a chronic cough, which is for me a normal hangover from a respiratory infection.
We spoke to my oncologist’s assistant today, and concluded that it would be best to push the next dose out a week to allow me to recover.
We now return to our regularly-scheduled clerihews.
Pope Leo X
Was shunned by the fair sex,
Because he was uncouther
Than Martin Luther.
Said William Morris,
“I’d trust a tyrannosaurus!
For a creature from the Cretaceous
Could never be mendacious.”
Xenophon
Wasn’t just anyone.
The author of the Anabasis
Was clearly from the upper classes.
Thank you very much for your prayers; I needed them. It’s been a week.
Sunday’s weakness got worse. By Tuesday, I was unable to get out of bed. My wife called 911 and I was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital. The weakness was due to severe dehydration, so when fluid had been pumped into me I was a little stronger and they let me go home.
Wednesday I was back in the hospital. One of the effects of chemotherapy is to lower your white-cell count, so any temperature at all is a cause for concern. I was running 100.8 when I went, which spiked to 102 shortly after arriving; probably, from my congestion and cough, caused by a respiratory infection. My white cell count was practically zero.
From Wednesday afternoon until Saturday morning they pumped me full of antibiotics and we waited for my white blood cell count to return to normal.
(click to embiggen)
By Saturday it was just a little low, but they decided I could go home again. So here I am and doing reasonably well, apart from a chronic cough, which is for me a normal hangover from a respiratory infection.
We spoke to my oncologist’s assistant today, and concluded that it would be best to push the next dose out a week to allow me to recover.
We now return to our regularly-scheduled clerihews.
Pope Leo X
Was shunned by the fair sex,
Because he was uncouther
Than Martin Luther.
Said William Morris,
“I’d trust a tyrannosaurus!
For a creature from the Cretaceous
Could never be mendacious.”
Xenophon
Wasn’t just anyone.
The author of the Anabasis
Was clearly from the upper classes.
Sunday, November 02, 2025
State of the Ape XLIII
Thank you for your prayers.
First dose of chemo on 10/27. It went smoothly enough; less than three hours in the infusion center start to finish. Then waiting for the side effects to kick in.
Tuesday: hiccups and acid reflux. These were probably caused by the steroid I was prescribed to accompany the chemo. They were pretty much gone by late Wednesday. There was also a transient red rash on Wednesday. Both Tuesday and Wednesday nights I slept very badly, only getting about three hours each night. Random aches started on Wednesday; not very painful, but enough to contribute to my lack of sleep. I was also feeling grody and weak.
Thursday morning was the nadir: I was pretty much out of it. I started taking acetaminophen for the aches; this helped a great deal and I got some sleep in during the day and slept much better Thursday night.
Since then, things have improved somewhat. The aches have much lessened and I am feeling less grody. The weakness is still there: it’s all I can do to get up and walk about for few minutes.
Thank God, there has been no nausea.
It will be interesting to see what happens after the next dose. Will there be a pattern? How much of what I’ve gone through is just my body adjusting to the drug and will not be as bad? Will anything new happen? Will John finally get together with Marsha? Stay tuned for out next thrilling installment.
Thank you for your prayers.
First dose of chemo on 10/27. It went smoothly enough; less than three hours in the infusion center start to finish. Then waiting for the side effects to kick in.
Tuesday: hiccups and acid reflux. These were probably caused by the steroid I was prescribed to accompany the chemo. They were pretty much gone by late Wednesday. There was also a transient red rash on Wednesday. Both Tuesday and Wednesday nights I slept very badly, only getting about three hours each night. Random aches started on Wednesday; not very painful, but enough to contribute to my lack of sleep. I was also feeling grody and weak.
Thursday morning was the nadir: I was pretty much out of it. I started taking acetaminophen for the aches; this helped a great deal and I got some sleep in during the day and slept much better Thursday night.
Since then, things have improved somewhat. The aches have much lessened and I am feeling less grody. The weakness is still there: it’s all I can do to get up and walk about for few minutes.
Thank God, there has been no nausea.
It will be interesting to see what happens after the next dose. Will there be a pattern? How much of what I’ve gone through is just my body adjusting to the drug and will not be as bad? Will anything new happen? Will John finally get together with Marsha? Stay tuned for out next thrilling installment.
