Yes, I'm over this

Well, I haven't recovered yet, so as you can imagine, I didn't get to make it to the Ride for the Roses to meet Lance. My only saving grace was that I could sit on my couch and watch Michigan beat Michigan State. That didn't work out so well either....

Yesterday I tried to "sweat it out" for awhile. I was carefully monitoring the temperature, and by the time it hit 102, I decided to take the Tylenol. I sacked out early and ended up not taking my chemo (which I'd normally been taking right before bed). I also forgot to put the headband on. I slept a lot better, but not perfectly. When I woke up, I didn't feel wonderful and noticed that my swelling by the surgery had become extremely pressured. First thought was that it might be because I wasn't wearing the headband while laying down to sleep, causing fluid to collect (this I've been told).

I went to take the chemo, and, well, that didn't go so well. As Calvin once said "What goes in, must come out!" So I got in touch with Dr. B and he said I should take a short break to get over this flu. Then I took the Tylenol, and suddenly, after sweating profusely, I started feeling great! As if it were all done! I also noticed that the swollen area by the surgery had loosened up again. After the game, I took a nap, intentionally keeping my headband on and sitting as vertical as possible so the area wouldn't swell again. But after a short time I started to feel chilled. I checked the temperature and it was over 100, and I checked the surgery area and it was swollen again.

So I've been working on a theory. First off, it seems like the fever itself expands the fluid in the surgical area, possibly by generating pressure from the heat? Or perhaps drawing more fluid in there? So I'm still testing that now since I just took Tylenol and am sitting exactly how I was sleeping. Will it get better? Stay tuned! I'm also trying to figure out if taking Tylenol to feel better impairs my immune system from stopping the flu thus extending the total length of cruddiness. I've heard both arguments, but am curious what you all think. I've already tried both!