I've gotten ribbed a bit for letting so much time pass between blog posts. In the past, that was reason for a sigh of relief. Now, it leaves distant friends and relatives wondering if I'm OK. I'm OK. I'm here. I don't want to do multiple "downer" posts in a row, so I just left the blog dormant this week.
Honestly, I started feeling better on Wednesday. I called it "narcotic-free Wednesday" because it was the first day in five that I hadn't needed pain pills. The debilitating pain was gone by then, but I was still so flipping exhausted. When Kevin got home at 4:30 on Wednesday, I was already asleep. I slept until 3. On Thursday and Friday, I fought the urge to lie down by avoiding the bedroom. LOL
Today, I feel all right. I woke early and paid bills. If you can do THAT and not become depressed, you're doing all right. Not only are we having record-high electric bills, cancer treatment doesn't come cheap. We've met our max out of pocket, but there are still payments being made from arrangements before we hit that max. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but to think this is going to start over at the first of the year is sort of depressing. Let's not think about that.
I've missed enough work lately that my paycheck was the smallest it's been since I returned to work. It was 2/3 the usual amount, actually. Thanks to Kevin's pay increases (yes, plural!) over the last couple of weeks, we still had enough to pay all of our bills that are due. That made me so happy. When I sat down with the bills and my computer and checkbook, I figured I'd have to juggle. Nope!
Back to me, I'm going to milk this weekend for all it's worth. I have chemo again on Wednesday, and if it follows the same timing, the bone pain will settle in on Friday. I'll enjoy not hurting until then, and try to stay awake until the sun goes down at night.
But no promises on that last part. :)
Showing posts with label bone pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bone pain. Show all posts
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Brief Update (Complaint Warning)
When I finished the A/C portion of my chemo and started Taxol, I was under the impression that it would be easier. I got my first infusion on Thursday, and felt pretty darned good. Friday, I went to work, still feeling good and thought I had it made.
After work, I had to stop for my Neulasta shot (it brings up my white count and is always 24 hours after chemo) and noticed, by the time I got there, that I was VERY tired. Oh well. I felt enough better that I may have overdone things a bit, and the weekend was here for me to recover.
Saturday, I was shocked at how badly my bone hurt. Traditionally, Neulasta causes bone pain, but it's been very predictable for me. I get the shot on day 2, and have pretty rough bone pain for 1 or 1 1/2 days around day 6. This was much worse, and much sooner, so I did some research and realized that Taxol causes bone and joint pain, too. Great.
Sunday was even worse, and by the afternoon, a fever had joined the party. WooFreakinHoo. Kevin called the on-call doctor (why do I never get sick during office hours?) and she told him to give me Tylenol and see if that brings it down. It was too early for me to be nutropenic (super-low whites, which hospitalized me last time) from the chemo, so she was willing to give it time to work itself out.
The Tylenol slowly brought down the fever, which had reached 101.8 at it's highest. With the fever down, we avoided a trip to the ER and I was told to go get blood drawn this morning. I woke feeling like I'd been drug behind a horse through the desert like in an old western, but showered and managed to get to the car. It was one of the few times ever that I was sorry to drive a standard transmission. My legs were screaming.
My blood counts were OK, but they drew a couple more vials to do some cultures on. I was then told to go home and rest. I did, which I will regret greatly on payday, but the four hour nap sided with the fact that I needed it.
The chemocare page on Taxol says that the pain duration should be "a few days." I am truly hoping that means I'll be able to tell a marked difference in the morning. I have pain pills, but I'd rather not take them at work unless I have to. I'd also like to be able to walk without wincing (and sometimes crying.) Mom made dinner for my family tonight, or it would have been ramen for sure.
Here's to a better tomorrow.
After work, I had to stop for my Neulasta shot (it brings up my white count and is always 24 hours after chemo) and noticed, by the time I got there, that I was VERY tired. Oh well. I felt enough better that I may have overdone things a bit, and the weekend was here for me to recover.
Saturday, I was shocked at how badly my bone hurt. Traditionally, Neulasta causes bone pain, but it's been very predictable for me. I get the shot on day 2, and have pretty rough bone pain for 1 or 1 1/2 days around day 6. This was much worse, and much sooner, so I did some research and realized that Taxol causes bone and joint pain, too. Great.
Sunday was even worse, and by the afternoon, a fever had joined the party. WooFreakinHoo. Kevin called the on-call doctor (why do I never get sick during office hours?) and she told him to give me Tylenol and see if that brings it down. It was too early for me to be nutropenic (super-low whites, which hospitalized me last time) from the chemo, so she was willing to give it time to work itself out.
The Tylenol slowly brought down the fever, which had reached 101.8 at it's highest. With the fever down, we avoided a trip to the ER and I was told to go get blood drawn this morning. I woke feeling like I'd been drug behind a horse through the desert like in an old western, but showered and managed to get to the car. It was one of the few times ever that I was sorry to drive a standard transmission. My legs were screaming.
My blood counts were OK, but they drew a couple more vials to do some cultures on. I was then told to go home and rest. I did, which I will regret greatly on payday, but the four hour nap sided with the fact that I needed it.
The chemocare page on Taxol says that the pain duration should be "a few days." I am truly hoping that means I'll be able to tell a marked difference in the morning. I have pain pills, but I'd rather not take them at work unless I have to. I'd also like to be able to walk without wincing (and sometimes crying.) Mom made dinner for my family tonight, or it would have been ramen for sure.
Here's to a better tomorrow.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Easiest Cycle Yet
I made the mistake of taking my last steroid too late, which pushed my crash to a work day which overlapped with my bone pain day. I even whined about it here. However, this third cycle has been the easiest one yet.
I have had a headache only two out of the 11 days that have passed on cycle three. This is on the heels of 4 weeks of daily headaches, so it's a BIG deal. I have been getting eight hours of sleep without the aid of medication. I was able to work nine hours, two days straight, to make up for the crash day shortage.
Yup. I may have complained about Monday, but I'm very pleased with chemo cycle three. I have one more dose of A/C, which happens on Wednesday. I hope to sail through it as easily as this one. After that, I start another chemo drug. I've heard that Taxol is easier than the A/C combo for most people. Isn't THAT good news???
I have had a headache only two out of the 11 days that have passed on cycle three. This is on the heels of 4 weeks of daily headaches, so it's a BIG deal. I have been getting eight hours of sleep without the aid of medication. I was able to work nine hours, two days straight, to make up for the crash day shortage.
Yup. I may have complained about Monday, but I'm very pleased with chemo cycle three. I have one more dose of A/C, which happens on Wednesday. I hope to sail through it as easily as this one. After that, I start another chemo drug. I've heard that Taxol is easier than the A/C combo for most people. Isn't THAT good news???
Monday, July 16, 2012
Grumble Grumble Whine
I was happy to have most of yesterday crash-free. It was Brooke's last day here, and we enjoyed it, even if we did relax most of the day. By 7:30 or so, though, I felt it coming. By 8, I was nodding off in the chair and Kevin nudged me to go to bed. The crash should have hit late Sunday morning, but I think my Saturday nap pushed my last steroid dose late enough to delay it.
I would have thought that a good thing, since it allowed me most of Sunday to enjoy my company. The bad part was that it caused the crash to continue into a work day, as well as to allow it to overlap my severe bone pain day. Yup. Today sucked.
I made it six hours before heading home. I had a pain pill and a nap for lunch, and haven't done much since. I am thankful that the bone pain is typically limited to 24-36 hours, so before tomorrow is over, I should be feeling better. I also believe that the crash symptoms should be mostly gone by morning. If the steroid-induced emotional crap goes away with it, it will be a good Tuesday indeed.
I would have thought that a good thing, since it allowed me most of Sunday to enjoy my company. The bad part was that it caused the crash to continue into a work day, as well as to allow it to overlap my severe bone pain day. Yup. Today sucked.
I made it six hours before heading home. I had a pain pill and a nap for lunch, and haven't done much since. I am thankful that the bone pain is typically limited to 24-36 hours, so before tomorrow is over, I should be feeling better. I also believe that the crash symptoms should be mostly gone by morning. If the steroid-induced emotional crap goes away with it, it will be a good Tuesday indeed.
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