Week 1 after Chemo #2

 Phew!

This was a rough one.

Treatment went as planned. I taught yoga Saturday morning. Then my Neulasta shot and then...listen for JAWS music, it hits.

The extreme fatigue and being completely uncomfortable in my body.

The only things I can do is eat, drink, and sleep. Conversation is challenging, coming up with words-uhh, reading next to impossible, even watching TV is not easy.

I don't want to complain, and it really sucked. I messaged the dr because it was so much more intense than the first time, I thought maybe something was wrong.

Nurse Jen, whom I really like, responded fairly quickly and let me know that was expected. Most people have intense fatigue for a full week so I'm doing well with only 5 days of it.

When Thursday rolled around, I was able to do most things-like pickle ball, cooking, laundry and responding to email. On days when I move my body enough to sweat, I feel better even though it takes its energetic toll.

Friday, I feel human once more--almost like I am myself.

I am looking forward to getting some stuff done, seeing some friends, and moving my body.

I mentioned in the last post that there were changes to my treatment plan because of how well I responded to treatment. Some have asked questions about that so here is the exciting news.

    My original plan: 4 AC treatments 2 weeks apart followed by 12 T treatments weekly.

    New plan: 4 AC treatments 2 weeks apart followed by 4 more intense T treatments bi-weekly.

This means, if all goes well, my last treatment is 12/9 instead of the end of January. Woot! Then I will have 4 weeks off before surgery.

This is a journey that is challenging me on all levels-physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and socially. I cry often and at odd moments. My barriers are down and I have little patience for nonsense. I have to say NO often and I have to request and receive help. If I push too hard, I pay for it on all levels.

My hair has started to fall out. I'm like a short-haired dog leaving a trail wherever my head rests so I cover everything with sheets and pillowcases. Even though I knew this was going to happen, it has been disconcerting to see my pubes in the toilet and the bald spots appearing on my head. Thank Goddess for the eyebrow tattoos.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1 after Chemo #1

Image
  8/27-9/1/2022 The week after chemo treatment was challenging and yet I felt better than I expected to. I woke up Saturday, 8/27 after treatment. My head was cloudy and yet I felt okay. I taught yoga though I did not feel safe to drive so Cheney drove me to the college where I teach. My main symptoms: burning scalp, cloudy head, extreme fatigue, hot flashes (which I never experienced during menopause), a metallic taste in my mouth and a headache, which includes a lot of pressure at the base of my occiput. Around 3:30 pm my Neulasta shot went off (I talked about this in the last post). This is an immuno-boosting miracle really. The most common side effect for this shot is bone pain. I was told to take Claritin if it occurred. I chose to take the Claritin before the shot went off as a preventative. I was able to eat regularly and find that eating smaller meals more often to be helpful. It is imperative to drink a minimum of 80 oz of liquid to flush out the toxic part of my magic pot...
Read more

Vacation is over. Round two begins- Taxol

I know it's been a minute.  I enjoyed my time off and probably did too much. It felt so good to catch up with people, work and house things. I had my first Taxol treatment on 10/28. It took almost 7 hours between blood draws, dr meetings and the infusion. It was a long day. At first I felt fine, which is normal for me.  Saturday morning I woke up with a red face-like I had a sunburn. I taught and all seemed ok. After my Neulasta (immuno-booster)  shot went off on Saturday afternoon, things started to change. Sunday, Monday and most of Tuesday, I felt the worst I have felt throughout my chemo. My body ached all over and it was as if I didn't have total control over my muscles and body. The only place I felt some relief was in a warm bath. I cried a bit and felt like I wouldn't be able to survive. I found myself not wanting to reach out to people because I felt so horribly. Afterwards, I realized that those might be the times that I really need to reach out. Tuesday was the...
Read more

Updates and Brows

Image
 8/12/2022 Met with my oncologist for the second time. Confirmed my chemo treatment, my health and received a bunch of prescriptions to help me through chemo. I am glad that they worked with me and my schedule so I could still go on vacation with my sister, Jennifer, to Las Vegas for 5 days of relaxation and fun. My treatments are scheduled to begin 8/26. My teaching job at the college starts on 8/23 so I'll meet my students before chemo starts. One of the biggest challenges during chemo is that my immune system will be low at certain times and being around germs is not good for me. My mental state is good most of the time. I have bouts of tearing up. The anger has mostly passed. People are asking me what I need, and it's challenging because I don't know. I have time to prepare physically and mentally AND I just don't know how I will feel and what I will be able to do. I've been doing yoga for over 30 years and I have been sober for over 30 years. I've done lots...
Read more