It's been way too long. As you know chemo number 1 went well, but chemo number 2 was/is a little different. The actual process of receiving the chemo drugs was nearly identical to the first round (accept this time I went to acupuncture right before therapy). I had chemo on Wednesday at around 2pm. Eric and I left the doctor's office at 5:20. I slept extra hours on Wednesday night, but otherwise Wed and Thurs were just like other days. I felt fine.
On a side note - If given the opportunity prior to lymphoma, I could have slept 14 hours a day (yes yes .. it's true... it amazed my college roommates too). So, what does it mean if I sleep a lot post chemo ..... nothing. It's been almost two years since I had a good sleep (having a 1 year old and all).... I'm enjoying my sleep.
Friday wasn't too bad. I had started a new constipation drug (The chemo-drug Velban and the anti-nausea drug Zofran make constipation a hot topic. I believe that most patients going through chemotherapy have this side effect.) The new drug made my stomach do more violent leaps than it had done before. The drug is call Simulex (over the counter). Have you heard of it? I'm thinking about going to Mirolax for the next round. Besides a churning stomach, Friday was OK. Brennan kept me busy.
Saturday is when the flaming mouth and body aches started.
Flaming Mouth - Feels like your mouth and throat are on fire.
Body Aches - Feels like your body is aching right before you come down with the flu only more pronounced.
Saturday night at 4 am, I was beside myself. I think if the stomach upset, flaming mouth and body aches came one at a time, I could deal, but I was feeling bombarded. Though it hadn't been doctor sanctioned, I took two extra strength tylenol, and the body aches eased. I was able to sleep. I called my doc on Sunday to ask him about my aliments, and with the Steelers on in the background (good ... dedicated .... doctor), he told me that all was going according to plan. All was normal. He also told me that tylenol was AOK. Phewwww. So, armed with tylenol, my old mouthwash (I switched to a new mouthwash that was given to me during my chemo #2 --- bad idea), ICE, and large breaks between meals (food makes my mouth hurt), my aliments are tolerable. Bren and I are once again having a wonderful day. Phewwww. As Eric lovingly said - at least it gives me something to write about. No one likes to read a blog about how wonderful things are! Though I do hope to bore you with lots of wonderful days in the future.
Hair watch - I haven't lost a strand of hair yet. I've decided to keep it long until it starts falling out. The nurse told me that before my next treatment it should start coming out. We'll see ... nothing yet.
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Hey, Kari. Thx for the post. Although I'd disagree with Eric - I love seeing posts where everything is going well! On the GI plumbing issue, I'm right there with you. Not having things move through you SUCKS! I think that is the thing I found most irritating about the whole chemo experience. I had more intense, painful moments from other things, but for long, drawn out, man I don't feel great symptoms I rank constipation as the #1 irritant. And although other people may find a conversation about constipation slightly inappropriate, let me tell you that all of your chemo buddies think this is a totally ok topic! One thing I used that worked fairly well is Smooth Move tea. It's got a natural laxative in it that worked fairly well for me and was pretty gentle.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this week you're back to relative normal and can enjoy a bit of normalcy before climbing back into the big chair for the next dose. And just think about all that great RNA disruption that's going on with all those Reed Sternberg cells getting their asses kicked!
Hi Kari, I found that the mirolax was a nice mild med to help with the constipation. I remember the body aches that seemed to come especially strong during the night--they would wake me up and I also found the tylenol to help but sometimes I found comfort in lighting a few candles and taking a warm bath and that along with the meds halped my body to relax and then get back to sleep.Remember during chemo you will discover a new normal. love ya, Marea
ReplyDeleteMarea and George!! So good to hear from you. I did feel a bit odd writing about my constipation, but I'm certainly glad I did. Mirolax and Smooth Move tea (sounds a bit saucy) ... thanks for the tips.
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