Catching up on the medical stuff

Yesterday was both my regular Thursday meeting with the radiation oncologist and the scheduled chemo. The radiation doctor said that the increasing side effects, not just the flu-like symptoms last week, but also the sudden attacks of exhaustion, the occasional diarrhea, and the low-grade nausea, were all "the side effects catching up with you," but that nothing seemed heavy enough to stop the radiation. I don't want them to stop the radiation! And I can certainly put up with far worse side effects. However, he said that the flu symptoms weren't caused by the radiation.
On the other hand, the nurse upstairs in the chemo room said that chemo probably didn't cause them, and it might have been something else entirely. No one wants to take the credit. Who knows? Maybe it really was the power of suggestion.
Meanwhile, the little drama of the day was that my platelet count was still lower than they'll accept for me to continue the chemo. I pleaded and begged, and the nurse said that it's a balancing act, the danger of my platelet count not being able to bounce back against my needing the chemo in regular doses for it to be most effective. She checked with the oncologist, and he told her to go ahead, to my great relief.
While I sat there getting the gencitabine, I watched the other patients. Crazy Lady was there, repeating again and again, "So what did the Bard have for breakfast? Hamlet and eggs," to anyone who made the mistake of coming near her.
The blind lady and her patient dog and equally patient husband sat near me, no one saying anything.
And the woman with lung cancer is doing worse. Her color is bad, and she just lay back in the recliner, not interacting with anyone. I heard the nurse ordering supplemental oxygen for her at home.
The high point, though, was a man who came in with a big smile on his face and a basket of fruit for the nurses. It was his last day, and he'd been declared cancer-free. One of the nurses said, "You should be dancing," and he turned his back, did the cutest little butt-wiggle, and strutted out.