Week One, Cycle One
I have my first full week of chemo under my belt. Here are a few things I have learned:
1. Doing chemo is like making a pact with the devil for a few extra days, weeks, months, or years.
2. Not all chemo cocktails cause you to lose your hair.
3. It's vital to take drugs on a strict schedule including the anti-nausea meds.
4. Starting the day with a small cup of warmed prune juice is a minor miracle.
5. It's OK to just let stuff go and accept that you cannot do even a forth of what you want to do on most days.
6. Most people are kinder that you can ever imagine.
7. When they say it is best to eat 6 to 8 very small meals/snacks a day, they weren't lying.
8. Sometimes you have to advocate for yourself.
9. In the three week chemo cycle, week one is likely to be the worst followed by a recovery week and finally, the last week is drug free (almost) and likely to be the week I will have the best energy and feel fairly normal.
10. Although I turned down the doctors offer of morphine, I do need some kind of pain meds.
11. Stock up on foods that look appealing and are easy to prepare. Never know what is going to work!
My calendar for the coming week is packed! I am finally accepting that it is a necessary thing to have "baby sitters" with me on the days my husband is working, especially when he will be traveling around the state. I will have a sitters on Wednesday and Monday and possibly on Thursday. Some of my knitters will be here for me on Sunday (knitter sitters?). On Friday, I have an appointment with my Primary Care practitioner. He is my team leader and will look at how everything is going so far. Hopefully he will prescribe a pain medicine I can use. My oncologist offered me morphine, but I don't think I am ready for that yet! On Saturday and Sunday evenings, Hubby and I are attending a two session concert by ambient musician Steve Roach in Santa Fe. We bought these tickets months ago before cancer was even a concern yet. This is our belated 24th wedding anniversary gift to each other. We also attended a concert of Steve's last year at the same venue. Half of the room had folding chairs or tables with stools. The other half of the room was occupied by people lying on cushions or yoga mats. I doubt that either would work for me with the current amount of discomfort I have. The tickets are non-refundable, but I honestly didn't want to miss this if possible. I informed the concert organizer of my situation. He has reserved a sofa on the balcony for us. Last year, only staff and VIPs were permitted on the balcony. I shed tears of joy over this. Then on Tuesday morning I finally have my appointment with a Rheumatologist to figure out what exactly is going on with my issues. Hopefully I will get a clear diagnosis that will either permit me to receive the other part of my chemo cocktail. If not, then at least I will have another doctor supervising my treatment and reactions.
I got a lot of reading and knitting done this past week. Hanging out with good friends is as healing as any treatment. Hubby has been wonderful and I know this would be 10 times harder without his support. I put some more color on my hair! It hasn't even started thinning so, again, not likely to fall out. My Boss and I talked about doing a fund raiser with containers with different bright colors. People would put money into the color they want me to do next and the winning color will be honored the following month, which is about how long it takes for the previous application to wash out. I'm game!
I have my first full week of chemo under my belt. Here are a few things I have learned:
1. Doing chemo is like making a pact with the devil for a few extra days, weeks, months, or years.
2. Not all chemo cocktails cause you to lose your hair.
3. It's vital to take drugs on a strict schedule including the anti-nausea meds.
4. Starting the day with a small cup of warmed prune juice is a minor miracle.
5. It's OK to just let stuff go and accept that you cannot do even a forth of what you want to do on most days.
6. Most people are kinder that you can ever imagine.
7. When they say it is best to eat 6 to 8 very small meals/snacks a day, they weren't lying.
8. Sometimes you have to advocate for yourself.
9. In the three week chemo cycle, week one is likely to be the worst followed by a recovery week and finally, the last week is drug free (almost) and likely to be the week I will have the best energy and feel fairly normal.
10. Although I turned down the doctors offer of morphine, I do need some kind of pain meds.
11. Stock up on foods that look appealing and are easy to prepare. Never know what is going to work!
My calendar for the coming week is packed! I am finally accepting that it is a necessary thing to have "baby sitters" with me on the days my husband is working, especially when he will be traveling around the state. I will have a sitters on Wednesday and Monday and possibly on Thursday. Some of my knitters will be here for me on Sunday (knitter sitters?). On Friday, I have an appointment with my Primary Care practitioner. He is my team leader and will look at how everything is going so far. Hopefully he will prescribe a pain medicine I can use. My oncologist offered me morphine, but I don't think I am ready for that yet! On Saturday and Sunday evenings, Hubby and I are attending a two session concert by ambient musician Steve Roach in Santa Fe. We bought these tickets months ago before cancer was even a concern yet. This is our belated 24th wedding anniversary gift to each other. We also attended a concert of Steve's last year at the same venue. Half of the room had folding chairs or tables with stools. The other half of the room was occupied by people lying on cushions or yoga mats. I doubt that either would work for me with the current amount of discomfort I have. The tickets are non-refundable, but I honestly didn't want to miss this if possible. I informed the concert organizer of my situation. He has reserved a sofa on the balcony for us. Last year, only staff and VIPs were permitted on the balcony. I shed tears of joy over this. Then on Tuesday morning I finally have my appointment with a Rheumatologist to figure out what exactly is going on with my issues. Hopefully I will get a clear diagnosis that will either permit me to receive the other part of my chemo cocktail. If not, then at least I will have another doctor supervising my treatment and reactions.
I got a lot of reading and knitting done this past week. Hanging out with good friends is as healing as any treatment. Hubby has been wonderful and I know this would be 10 times harder without his support. I put some more color on my hair! It hasn't even started thinning so, again, not likely to fall out. My Boss and I talked about doing a fund raiser with containers with different bright colors. People would put money into the color they want me to do next and the winning color will be honored the following month, which is about how long it takes for the previous application to wash out. I'm game!
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