I’m discovering that my allergic reactions to things are heighten now that I’m on chemo. I have this odd reaction to kale. When I eat it (or chard) within 24hrs I get little blisters on my hands, they start small and painful and over a day grow into blisters about 5mm across. Once they reach there maximum size (usually within 36 hrs) the pain stops and within a day or two they are gone. If I accidentally have kale in my salad or some other food item, then I usually get a couple of blisters the next day.

Last night my hands began to blister, and not just one or two blisters, but 9 on the left hand and and least 4 on the right hand. Ouch to the point that they wake me up because I cannot spread my fingers nor clench my hands without pain. I can only guess that some of the random lettuce mixes (seeds and plants) that I picked up to grow in my box garden contain strains for kale. I am reminded that I must be extra diligent with foods that cause my body to react poorly (absolutely no tomato). My bodies negative reactions to them seem to be much more extreme as my immune system weakens a little more as the chemo starts to set it.

In theory my weakest time should be around days 8-10 (or Tuesday – Friday next week). This low point is known as ‘nadir‘. In many people it aligns with the days where they are more fatigued. If this is the case for me, I will be extra happy to have my mother here to help ensure that I’m eating enough and getting out for at least a little exercise (although swimming which sounds perfect, isn’t advised when you have higher risk of infection).