 |
| Me at chemo. Can you see the IV line? |
6/1/11 – Blog, blog, blog… I am rockin’ it out. I am determined to include everything and catch up on all the blogs I’ve missed. One more to go.
Tuesday was chemo day. My 8th treatment out of 12. Once I survive this week I only have 3 treatments left to endure.
Mrs. Janet is with me this week. She is my chemo ride, personal chef, companion, shopping partner, and house cleaner. Something interesting always happens when Mrs. Janet is in town. I am on hyper alert for bloggable moments so stay tuned…
I created my own bloggable moment yesterday. I have numbing cream that I put on my port area 30 minutes before going into the office. I put a little dollop on the area and then cover it with saran wrap and tape it down. Classy. It makes me feel like food being wrapped up for later use. I was running late yesterday morning and did not have time to get the saran wrap prepared. I had asked before what would happen if I forgot to wear it and they said it would just stick with the port is accessed. I went back to have my port accessed and my blood drawn and I told the nurse what I had done. She asked if I wanted some spray for the area. I responded “No, I can handle it. Let’s do this” Oh my goodness. Yes, there was an initial stick but it kind of hung out for a while. Not what I was expecting. I thought it would just be a stick and would be over with but it stung a little. Kind of like getting stung by a yellow jacket or a bee. You can pull out the stinger but you still feel a little uncomfortable from the sting. Lesson learned. I will be late for my appointment and wear my numbing cream going forward.
We made it through my doctor appointment without any incidents. No embarrassing questions for my doctor. I asked her about that once we got into the infusion room and she said that I asked all the questions so she didn’t have any others to ask. I thought that was kind of funny because if I hadn’t done my job as a patient she was there to take over for me. Ever vigilant.
We settled into our chairs for chemo. Last time I made the mistake and took over the remote. I picked out Bravo with The Real Housewives of Orange County marathon. It was question after question after question – “Is that her husband?” “Are those real?” I decided to put the power in her hands this time and promptly handed the remote over. She flipped through all the channels and settled on the news coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. I’ve read a lot about the search and the lead up the trial on CNN. I read my book but watched the trial a little too.
I thought since I had relinquished control of the remote I might be free from questions. At one point I was really into my book and wasn’t paying any attention to the TV at all. Out of the random noise in the room I hear Mrs. Janet talking to me telling me facts about the trial. I was obviously not watching TV. I hadn’t asked any questions. Just out of the blue I get random facts told to me. I find this interesting. Though I gave her complete control of the TV and what show to watch she doesn’t ask me question but instead tells me facts. I believe Mrs. Janet just has to talk to someone while watching TV. Point noted. I prefer the facts to constant questions that I don’t always know the answer to.
Chemo was shorter yesterday. When I receive chemo I first get a bag and push of anti-nausea meds. Then I get a bag of magnesium and calcium. After the mag and cal I start my oxaliplatin (one of my main chemo drugs). Once I am finished with the real chemo I get more magnesium and calcium. Then I get my push of 5FU and am given my pump of the 5FU that I go home with and have for 2 days. My chemo nurse said that it was going to be a shorter chemo day for me because there is a national backorder of the magnesium and calcium. I don’t like the magnesium and calcium because it makes me very tired but there has to be a reason why they give it to me right? I asked what the magnesium and calcium do and why I received it normally during chemo. The nurse explained that some research has shown that magnesium and calcium help with numbness in the hands and extremities.
Do y’all remember how I mentioned that the week after chemo I normally have numbness in my hands and tongue at times. It’s not painful, just weird. I have never experienced that during chemo week. The nurse said she would be interested to see how my side effects might change because of the lack of the drug. She recommended I take B6 to try to help if I had any problems. Last night as I was sacked out of the couch I looked at my hands and realized they were numb. The numbness is kicking in much quicker. I wonder what it will be like next week? People who manufacture magnesium and calcium please kick up your production. I would like my IV the next time I get chemo.
After chemo Mrs. Janet and I had lunch at Arby’s. I like the Arby’s chicken salad because it has apples, grapes, and pecans in it. We had already decided we would try to go by Charming Charlie to see if we could find Mrs. Janet some earrings for her wedding outfit. We planned to see how I felt and head home if I got too tired. I had some lunch in me and too an anti-nausea pill before we walked into the mall. The outfit I was wearing showed off my accessed port. I was interested to see if anyone would say anything to me about it. We looked all around Charming Charlie and found Mrs. Janet some earrings and a bracelet to match. I found a head to wear with my wedding outfit too.
Pop quiz: What store is diagonally across from Charming Charlie and had a 50% off all sales items yesterday? If you answered the Loft you would be correct. We strolled over to the Loft and I found 2 tops that were cute and were very cheap with the 50% discount. One of the tops I had been watching for a while and had originally been $80. I got it for $15 – score! Have y’all noticed that I shop a lot with Mrs. Janet? The shopping lifted my spirits some and made the pain go away for a while. I noticed that all of the people who checked me out in the stores looked at my port but no one said anything to me. I would not have been able to have that much restraint. I would be the person to say “what’s that?”
We went home and I crashed. Last night was hard. I didn’t feel well. I know this is the same old story told over and over again. I feel worse. The effects of the chemo are building. Yes, I only have 4 treatments but they are 4 hard treatments. As I lay in bed by myself I started to think about how I felt. I felt weak, I felt sick, I felt defeated. I took a moment to feel bad for myself and then reminded myself that I’m strong.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
That’s really it. Today I have hung out around the house. Popped my anti-nausea meds like they are candy. Watched TV and slept plenty. I’m and weak and I am tired, but I am strong. It’s about time for my Wednesday bath soak. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.
I’m still not hungry. I need to pop a piece of gum – did y’all happen to know that I’m a gum junky? When I was working every day I had a pack a day habit. My song of the day is “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman. I love this song. I love to sing “Oh No! You never let go!”
Tomorrow is another day – unfortunately that day has to be Thursday, better than nothing I guess. Night y’all!
No comments:
Post a Comment