Category: Life with Pratts

What I have doesn’t feel like a virus. It’s more like I’ve been poisoned by one of Putin’s agents. With my immune system suppressed by chemo, I’ve been wearing Powecom KN95 masks in public places, and I don’t have Covid.

What I have is radiation sickness, and it’s unlike any other illness I’ve ever had. I’ve been assured that, by the end of this coming week, I should be feeling significantly better. I’m hanging onto that hope.

The last time I weighed 165 lbs., I was training to run the Boston Marathon. That’s my weight now, after six weeks of cancer treatments.

One effect of the chemotherapy is that it cured my psoriasis, although I have been told the flaky patches will probably return. There is also the effect that chemo had on my facial hair.

Before chemo:

After chemo:

Update: Once again, I am now clean-shaven.

I had surgery the Friday before Memorial Day, and I had my final radiation treatment the Friday after Labor Day. The going got extremely tough toward the end, but it’s done.

The chemo has made me anemic, so I feel weak and fatigued. I’m still in some pain, but with the promise that I won’t need the narcotic pain killer I’m taking after a week or two. Another effect of the treatments is that I’m down to my marathon training weight, but without the benefit of being in good physical condition.