On the Wagon

Last Wednesday my surgeon's nurse called me and left me a message. She said they got my blood work back and my white blood cell count was low. She said the doc faxed over a couple prescriptions for anti-biotics that I needed to pick up and start right away. I tried to call back and ask more questions. What does a low white blood cell count mean? Why do I need to take anti-biotics? Do I have an infection? Since I was leaving a message after hours, I figured I wouldn't get a call back that evening. So I went to the pharmacy and picked up my meds. One of them was called Ciprofloxacin. An anti-biotic used to treat Anthrax and other chemical warfare. WTF?? The other anti-biotic is called Metronidazol. The first thing I read about this one is that it is known to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Come on! What infection do I have that warrants this? The pharmacist asked me if I had ever taken these drugs before and I said no. I didn't even know what they were for? I explained to her that I was scheduled for surgery next Friday. That seemed to make sense to her, so she explained that it sounded like they were just trying to bump up my white blood cell count in order to help my body fight off potential infection related to my upcoming surgery. OK, whew, that makes more sense. No problem, I will start them tonight. Then the pharmacist tells me I can't drink alcohol with these anti-biotics. She said I would get violently ill if mixed with alcohol, even mouthwash! Uh, problem! Don't they know I was planning on whooping it up all weekend before my surgery?! I had a date with the Mariners on Thursday night. My company sponsored a suite for our customers including all the food and alcohol you could consume. Tickets with the girls to Zane Lamprey's "Drinking Made Easy" Comedy Tour on Friday. The crowd at this thing was determined to be drunk, even the comics/crew on stage were pounding the beers during their sets! BBQ and house party on Saturday. Tailgating and Sounders game on Sunday. Again, a kick-ass suite courtesy of my friends tickets and the Delille Cellars crew. And now I had to do all these things without drinking. Great, thanks Doc! But hey, it's only a week, right?! ;-) So after a long weekend as designated driver, I gotta say, it wasn't that big of a deal. Luckily I can have just as much fun without drinking AND I get up earlier the next morning. HA! I just came back from a concert at the Zoo (Carbon Leaf) and even though it would have been nice to share some wine with my friends, or actually have a beer when standing in the beer garden, it was a beautiful evening! Good weather, good music and good friends!

Two days until surgery. I should get my check in time tomorrow. Will keep you all posted!