We've been up to absolutely nothing but I wanted to give all of your inquiring minds a little update about how my first new treatment went. Well it was definitely a little different this time. All my blood work numbers had come back up from the extra week off I had so I was in the clear for the new treatment. After the premeds were given, they manually injected the first of the two meds in this series. The reason for this is because not everyone has a port and this medicine is so potent that if it leaks out of your veins, it's like putting turpentine into a plastic bottle (in your veins is okay and like putting it in a glass bottle); at least that is the analogy my nurse gave me. So for all patients, a nurse pushes the med to watch and make sure everything goes smoothly. That one took about 10 minutes and I'm glad it doesn't take much longer because it also tends to cause mouth sores so they have you chew on ice during the entire process to help prevent them from happening (seems to have worked so far so I guess I'll chew ice again next week). The next med was put in with the pump or whatever it is that I get hooked up to and took about an hour with no unpleasant side effects. It all seemed to go by quickly but then Aunt Robin, Aunt Pam and Uncle Bob were all visiting so we had a quite rambunctious group in my little area. Afterwards, I rode with Pam and Bob to see Pam's mom and then they came to see our house, after a quick stop at Robin's to pick up hair clippers...although I still haven't made that leap and shaved my head.
Unfortunately, small side effects came later. We were out of the Mayo Clinic by 2 and sometime between 5 and 6, my stomach started feeling a little unsettled. I had to run to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine I was supposed to take the two days following chemo and Mark decided to drive since I wasn't feeling quite right. Well on the way, the upset stomach got worse and I got really hot and thought I was going to get sick but I made it through and by the time we got to the pharmacy, less than 5 minutes away, I was feeling like I had before we left the house. After that spell, I decided on a light dinner of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup (my favorite for an upset stomach) and that went down fine. However, a little later in the evening, I noticed my right arm was feeling weird. From almost my elbow to the middle of my hand, it felt heavy and like it had been asleep and was waking up but without the prickling sensation. I know, weird. Well by the time I was heading to bed, my left arm was starting to feel a little numb so Mark made me call the after hours oncologist on call. After talking to the doctor and him feeling positive that it was not the medicine leaking out of my veins since I have a port, he decided it was probably just that the steroid pre-meds were wearing off and it was just a side effect of the medicines that I was experiencing. He suggested Benadryl and Tylenol and to call back if it got worse if we needed anything else. So I went to bed and when I woke up Wednesday all that was gone and it hasn't been back.
Wednesday was an okay day but lunch didn't sit quite right. When we went to the hospital to get the shot to boost my white blood cell production, the nurse asked how I had been and I told her I had been a little nauseous. She asked if I had taken anything for it and I told her no. Her response was why not? There is no need to make yourself suffer. So, I started taking my anti-nausea meds about 30 minutes before I eat lunch which lasts 8 hours and I had no more problems. I only did this for a few days and then stopped to see if it was still a issue and all has seemed to be better with my tummy since Friday/Saturday.
Thursday was okay too; I was a little more tired than normal but overall okay. We even went to Robin's for a big family dinner with her extended family that was in town for her son's wedding and we got to see Kelly, Will, Tyler and Dyllan. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky on Friday. I started feeling like I had the flu. I was achy, had a low fever and was just exhausted. I didn't want to get off the couch and pretty much did absolutely nothing. And that accounted for Friday and Saturday. Sunday I was feeling on the upward side of the "flu" with no fever but still didn't feel like doing much. Folding a load of laundry seemed kind of exhausting. I did leave the house to go to Mark's soccer game but all that was involved was me sitting in a chair in the shade for 1 1/2 hours. Sunday night Pam, Bob, Kelly, Will, Tyler and Dyllan stopped by to visit on their way back from the lake so there was a little perk the otherwise quiet weekend. So after Sunday being quiet and me still not feeling 100%, I decided to stay home on Monday and to make sure I didn't wear myself completely out and be sure I was feeling much better before trying to work 8 hours a day.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on going to work and it's the first Tuesday I will have worked since Tuesday, June 26. How crazy is that?!? Hopefully all goes well and I can work through the rest of the week and then again on Monday before I head in next week for treatment #14. Only 3 more to go!!!
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