Week 1 of chemo

7/18/11

Let me tell you that being in/on chemo is not something for everyone.  I see it in different stages in the Treatment Room every week.  Although I am only going for 4 treatments (spaced 3 weeks apart each). I’ve still gone on the off weeks for blood – so the appointment(s) were originally for – more on that later.

Week 1 of chemo:  SLEEP.  It’s all I wanna do for 3 whole days so I do.  I don’t eat, I drink when awake (approx.. 4 hrs of the day, not all at once), I pee.  The day after Round 1, I get the Neulasta shot to help build up my red/white BCC, which suffers during chemo.  Breda, my amazing Mother-in-Law, comes up to give it to me. She is a Godsend (along with everyone else) during this time and I am VERY GLAD that she is here for me.  I’m told the new side effects of the shot:  flu like with bone pain you probably never felt before.  Why bones?  WBC’s are created from Bone marrow.  Guess what?  They were right – the pain made my body crawl like I had the DT’s (so I’ve been told by a man who went through DT’s when I was a young girl).  So, I slept and used Tylenol & Claritan as told.  Of course, it did nothing for me, but I kept sleeping.  Sleep brings the natural numbing mechanism our bodies go into – it was a blessing.  When I woke, I was miserable, so I went back to sleep.  By Sunday the 17th, my head needed to be split open.  It started Saturday night – a side effect I figured – and increased in PAIN by Sunday.  I wasn’t told I could take anything other than Tylenol and would see the Dr. on Tuesday….Hmmmm…could I endure?  NOT!!!!!

I called Mike & Peggy (who are going through the chemo/radiation thing as well, remember?).   What I really did was text because I couldn’t talk.  It hurt my head and my throat – which was incredibly dry.  Can I take ANYthing else for this pain?  Of course, they told me – whatever you got.  So I popped my 800 mg Ibuprophen and texted the Dr. for more advice.  She said the IB was fine and we could try Percocet next if needed.  My voice was practically gone by evening, so I didn’t call back cause I was going in Tuesday, right?  WRONG!!!

 No voice Monday – it’s a side-effect right? L  Oh, Chris flew out to Seattle yesterday for the week.  He was pretty torn, but I told him I’d be fine with Kurt, my neighbors, friends & Breda while he was gone.  I did forget to mention, not intentionally, that he has been MY ROCK.  Yes, me the Rock for everyone else has one of her own.  He tended to EVERY need before he left and has been my crying towel and reminder why I am going through all this. To get better.  Well, with a best friend and husband like this, how could I forget?

On 7/19 I went in for blood work and follow-up with my head still splitting, my bones in agony.  Yes, I was lightly reprimanded by my chemo oncologist, Dr Rao.  She is a terrific, sensitive & VERY CARING.  EXACTLY who you need along the journey.  She is also Mike’s Dr., I’m glad they recommended her.  So, back to the blood.  They take it then tell me counts are good.  When Dr. Rao sees me she knows I’m still in pain and chides me for not letting her know.  I reply that every single drug I’m on says side effect of headache, so I figure, OK.  “No”, she says, “You are severely dehydrated.”  Funny, I am soooo good at letting other people know when they are getting to that point and forgot to self-diagnose.  That’s me, even going through chemo I’m worried about everyone else and forgetting about me.  Well, after this appointment I start self-caring and pay attention to my body again.  Oh, Breda is once again with me and now she & Dr. Rao have their plan all mapped out for me – they have become colleagues in my recovery. I like that!  I got 4 new scripts and new pain management instructions:  CALL ME if none of this helps!  Oh, and come back Friday for more fluids.

So I get the bags hooked up – steroids, anti-nausea, then 500 mg of Saline. Just a snack, but it still takes a couple hours.  Breda hung in there with me – I think she already knew I was dehydrated and this would be a longer appointment time than I was expecting.  My voice came back some by the end of the Saline and I felt better.  Breda & I then go on our trips to the various stores for meds, some Gatorade & applesauce, etc.  She brings me home, meets up with Al (her beau) for dinner, grabs my last med at a different pharmacy and comes on back.  I actually had an appetite tonight!  I had a little pasta with chicken and other little portions of whatever I could find.  Then got a nice surprise – Kathy Freeland popped over with Pedialyte, chicken soup and other food she thought I might want during this time.  She was here with me, keeping me company while Kurt got a reprieve, when Breda came back with the meds.  I think she was happy to see me with someone and not alone.