Day 12 / May 16, 2017
Well, another long night without much sleep because of my acid reflux. It is the day after my chemo treatment and this is my worse day. Today was no different, but I have to admit it was a little better than last week. Just slightly better, but at this point I will take it.
We took it slow this morning getting ready. My stomach was very queasy and it would not have taken much to throw it into full blown nausea. The hour long car ride to treatment was terrible. Between the construction and traffic, I tend to get car sick on top of chemo stomach. Today I was smart and brought a little pillow to lay on to try to rest on the way up.
Radiation went well, but I let them know I was nauseous. It still scares me that I can vomit while I am bolted down on the table in radiation mask. I am at the mercy of how fast the techs can remove it.
After radiation we went over to the UF Cancer center so that I could get an IV of fluids. I am getting them on Tuesday after chemo and on Thursday to try and help push me through to the end of the week. Once the fluids started, I was able to lay down and get some sleep that I desperately missed last night. Kim enjoyed the fact that I was resting comfortably so she just had to take my picture.
Once the fluids were done I felt better, like a truck ran me over rather than like I was dying. It did make the car ride home much more tolerable.
Once we got home I tried to help Kim around the house, but that didn't last long. What would normally take me five minutes was now taking me thirty minutes. It's sad when you have to stop and take a break just getting the dirty clothes out of the clothes hamper to sort them.
Today we tried the new dosage of the steroids. I normally take two each on Tuesday and Wednesday. She has me taking one each on Tuesday and Wednesday to see if it helps with the fatigue, but not make me nauseous.
I was not in a fog all day, but the fatigue was still pretty bad. When we meet with my chemo doctor next week we are thinking of trying to adjust again where I can get two steroids on Tuesday and then just one on Wednesday. This may help me feel better as the chemo starts to wear off. Figuring out these medications is going to be a balancing act, and we are just going to have to do trial and error each week until we figure it out.
On a really good note, my doctor suggested I get a stationary bicycle at the house. She wants me to get in a little bit of activity on the days I have some energy. This will help both mentally and physically by helping eliminate the chemo from my body and keeping my muscles working. I can't go outside because of the radiation treatment. We had asked about a treadmill, but she was afraid if I was to weak or tired I would either fall down and hurt myself or look like the George Jetson on the cartoon, "The Jetsons".
I wasn't sure where to find one and thankfully my Brother-In-Law Bobby Hepler came through in a pinch. He had one at the house and graciously packed it up and had it delivered this afternoon. I now have a stationary bicycle in the living room for the days that I am up to using it. Thanks Bob, you don't know how much you help!
We took it slow this morning getting ready. My stomach was very queasy and it would not have taken much to throw it into full blown nausea. The hour long car ride to treatment was terrible. Between the construction and traffic, I tend to get car sick on top of chemo stomach. Today I was smart and brought a little pillow to lay on to try to rest on the way up.
Radiation went well, but I let them know I was nauseous. It still scares me that I can vomit while I am bolted down on the table in radiation mask. I am at the mercy of how fast the techs can remove it.
After radiation we went over to the UF Cancer center so that I could get an IV of fluids. I am getting them on Tuesday after chemo and on Thursday to try and help push me through to the end of the week. Once the fluids started, I was able to lay down and get some sleep that I desperately missed last night. Kim enjoyed the fact that I was resting comfortably so she just had to take my picture.
Once the fluids were done I felt better, like a truck ran me over rather than like I was dying. It did make the car ride home much more tolerable.
Once we got home I tried to help Kim around the house, but that didn't last long. What would normally take me five minutes was now taking me thirty minutes. It's sad when you have to stop and take a break just getting the dirty clothes out of the clothes hamper to sort them.
Today we tried the new dosage of the steroids. I normally take two each on Tuesday and Wednesday. She has me taking one each on Tuesday and Wednesday to see if it helps with the fatigue, but not make me nauseous.
I was not in a fog all day, but the fatigue was still pretty bad. When we meet with my chemo doctor next week we are thinking of trying to adjust again where I can get two steroids on Tuesday and then just one on Wednesday. This may help me feel better as the chemo starts to wear off. Figuring out these medications is going to be a balancing act, and we are just going to have to do trial and error each week until we figure it out.
On a really good note, my doctor suggested I get a stationary bicycle at the house. She wants me to get in a little bit of activity on the days I have some energy. This will help both mentally and physically by helping eliminate the chemo from my body and keeping my muscles working. I can't go outside because of the radiation treatment. We had asked about a treadmill, but she was afraid if I was to weak or tired I would either fall down and hurt myself or look like the George Jetson on the cartoon, "The Jetsons".
I wasn't sure where to find one and thankfully my Brother-In-Law Bobby Hepler came through in a pinch. He had one at the house and graciously packed it up and had it delivered this afternoon. I now have a stationary bicycle in the living room for the days that I am up to using it. Thanks Bob, you don't know how much you help!
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