4/5/11 – Greetings from chemo! I brought my laptop along and thought I could blog from here. I see it as a win, win. I blog before I get really tired and y’all get to hear about all the stuff I hear and see while I’m here.
As soon I got here I had my blood taken out of my port. I love my port – Pixie is awesome! They always flush the port with saline. I really dislike the smell of saline. I’ve smelled it so many times from being in the hospital and having the port put in. Each time I go to chemo I get to experience the smells of saline over and over again. At least 3 times a treatment. Yuck!
After having my blood work taken I was called back and met with my doctor after being weighed on the dog scale and learning that my diet I’ve been so good about has done absolutely nothing. Nothing, I tell you! I feel good, so I’m not stressing about a number. I have to admit that I don’t hate the dog scale as much as I let on. It’s nice to just step on a scale and not have to watch the nurse move the numbers higher and higher in front of my face. I’ve never understood traditional scales. Are they supposed to give you a mental complex? Are regular doctors secretly working for psychologists? Anyone ever heard of kick backs? I’m just sayin’.
So I met with my doctor and asked him a ton of questions. I always write down questions I have during my week of chemo and the week after. You would think that after 4 treatments (today is my 5th!) I would run out of questions. That hasn’t happened yet. In case any of you were wondering what questions I could possibly come up with, here are a few:
- I started taking Ativan before going to bed during chemo week to help with nausea. It worked really well but when I stopped taking it I had a very hard time falling and staying asleep. Can you form a dependence that quickly? No. Insomnia is a side effect of chemo so it’s not abnormal to have problems sleeping. I can keep taking the Ativan if I have problems.
- I’m flying to D.C. on the 14th. Are there any travel or flight precautions I should take? Nope. Have fun!
- I’ve heard from other colon cancer patients that the chemo effects get worse around the 3 -4 month mark (where I am). Is that true? Why? The 3 -4 month part is not true. Chemo effects will build over time and it may take a full 3 months after treatment to get back to normal. Fatigue and blood count usually get worse as treatment goes on because the effects of the chemo in your body build. For some people nausea can level out and get better.
Yes, I really did ask all those questions. I’m of the belief that the only silly question is the one that you don’t ask. Better to ask and know than to not ask and wonder.
Right now I am hooked up to my IV and am typing away happily. I’m feeling a little nauseous and very tired. The fatigue usually hits me pretty quickly. I’m in a comfy chair and mom has the TV on HGTV. Life is pretty good. I am stocked with chocolate Special K bars and Twizzlers, not to mention apple juice and Capri Sun. I am set. The only thing I wish I had was a Twix and a diet Coke. That would make me feel a little better. My song of the day is “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon.
Night y’all!
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