There are all kinds of side effects with cancer. There are all kinds of cancer, so the side effects vary from cancer to cancer, treatment to treatment and individual to individual.
Yes. I have had side effects, albeit relatively minimal compared to some that are 'out there'. I've had a few digestive issues that aren't so pretty or fun to talk about. I have a sore mouth and chapped lips. However, I've been spared nausea so far. Some mornings, I have been very shaky. It is a tremble that interrupts the journaling which I do on a daily basis. Someday I will read my writing and wonder what old person penned the words!
My thinking has been foggy or muddy so that I cannot focus or remember where I put things or recall the details of a conversation. They call that chemo brain. Occasionally, it alters my balance, almost triggering vertigo, an affliction I detest.
Then there is my new experience with reflux. It does not happen everyday, just certain nights, especially those nights when I had hoped to sleep for hours. It hits about 2:00 a.m. and means I am then up and sleeping in a recliner until close to 4 a.m. I hate interrupted sleep. I love to sleep!
Or there are times when the steroids I get on Monday make me fly high with energy for 48 hours. That is awesome because I have a priceless clarity of thinking. But then, I crash and burn on Wednesday, and wonder what Thursday will bring.
There are days when I am not sleepy, but I am extremely fatigued. There are mornings when I am desperate to feel normal and afternoons when I thoroughly enjoy normalcy. Contradictory? Yup. But it happens. During those afternoons, I am relatively productive and I can teach a class just fine. Weird.
Yes. My hair is about gone. I was losing it slowly until Thanksgiving. Then it accelerated and now I am almost without hair which means I need to own the fact that I am nearly bald. Sigh.
Worst of all are the nose bleeds. Almost everyday for the past three weeks, I have had spontaneous nose bleeds. The day after Thanksgiving I actually wondered if I was hemorrhaging and wondered if I should call 9-1-1. At that point, I decided to do some research and discovered that nose bleeds can be an indication of low blood platelets.
Well, you know me, I cruised the internet to learn that if I ate certain foods, I might improve those platelets and cut down on the nose bleeds. So, yesterday and today, I have eaten eggs, broccoli, spinach salads, lentil soup, brussel sprouts, and even liver. Guess what? I have not had a bloody nose to speak of in these two days! Hallelujah!
Tomorrow will tell. It is the start of another 21 day cycle, and my first in another series of infusions, three weeks in a row. As per the routine, nurses start the day by testing two vials of my blood. It will be interesting to see what my platelet levels are. Somehow, I think they have improved because I am not so fatigued and my nose is behaving itself.
The point of all this: it is important to be my own advocate. I must assess what is going on and then figure out what can be done to ease the discomfort. That is the one place I feel I can take control.
I either write on the patient portal asking questions about what I can do or I research possible solutions that are doable on my end. You know, when we cancer patients are at the mercy of drug therapies, we must speak up for ourselves. No one else knows how we feel or what we are experiencing. I take my vitals everyday. I make notes, keeping tabs on me and then I speak up.
God can help me with the spiritual piece, but physical me needs to be managed so that I can exercise and emotionally stay grounded. In short, I guess it's fair to say: that's my plan and I am sticking to it. I am an advocate for me! Bring on the next infusion. I am ready.
Onward and upward!
Over and out, this person here is the quilting cancer girl!
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