#50: Eat Sushi (with raw fish)

Having an immune system is a glorious thing! Without one, I missed out on all the fun things, most notably, eating sushi.

Before chemo treatment, my white blood cell count was at about a "10" (a basic Google search tells me this means 1000 Absolute Neutrophil Count). But during chemotherapy, my white blood cell count dropped down to 0.3 at it's lowest - yes, that means I was functioning with about 3% of my immune system! Needless to say, indulging in raw fish was no longer an option.



Ok, sure - I would still eat shrimp or veggie sushi and California rolls. But think about it, is there ever a time you want something as badly as when you're told you absolutely, positively, can't have it?!

Sushi is a weekly event now that my white blood cells are back to normal. Unfortunately, the more permanent side-effect of chemo, acid reflux, means I need to be hopped up on Zantac before indulging, but trust me, it is damn worth it. Sushi is delicious.

But mostly, it's just nice to know I can have it. Unlike in treatment, I am fully in control of my life and decisions again, and all the sushi in the world is mine for the taking!