drugs, drugs, drugs!

"If you have any stomach upset in the days following chemotherapy, don’t bear it in silence" -- from a helpful article Don found last night about chemo & nausea. This seems to be the new attitude -- don't assume you have to be feeling nausea after chemo. Drugs we're giving you not working adequately? Call us back and we'll switch 'em up. In the past week, after a life usually mostly unmedicated, I have taken: emend, dexamethasone, ondansetron, ranitidine, docQlace, granisetron, lorazepam, Miralax, and Omeprizole. Still trying to learn what works for me and get the right balance for next time... but actually felt "normal" hunger pangs yesterday! 

I worked out with my fitness trainer yesterday, which was challenging -- I was feeling tired and a little light-headed, which scared me. I had to ask him to remind me why I was doing this, which he did. Afterwards I took a lovely bath and ate a yummy, nearly-normal-sized meal. Then I had a hard time falling asleep last night -- I think it was partly that, after finally being able to eat a normal amount of food, I felt energized! And I didn't want to take lorazepam just to get to sleep.

I've kept a "chemo log" and Don and I began reviewing it last night, in order to try to plan what supports we might want for the next round (next week). We'll post our requests for company and some food prep in the next day or so at Lotsa Helping Hands, so if you haven't yet registered there and want to, you can. (You need to then reply to the email it sends you & sign in, in order to get the notices, which some of you haven't yet done). Thanks!