Cycle 1, Day 2 – Adventures in ChemoLand
I’m doing pretty well this morning. I didn’t sleep quite as much as I would have liked to, but insomnia is one of the side effects of the steroid they gave me before starting chemo. I had a little nausea yesterday afternoon, but the Compazine knocked it right out.
I’m still hooked up to my portable pump for the 5FU drug and that hasn’t given me any trouble. Every minute or so it makes that pleasant little “thrum” noise when it pumps a tiny bit of the drug into the tube. I published a couple of pictures of the portable kit on Facebook, if you’re interested in seeing it.
This morning I started my 3-day regimen with the higher doses of Zofran for prevention of nausea. The Zofran I got after my surgery was 4 mg tabs — these are 8 mg tabs, twice a day, on days 2, 3, and 4. (Today is day 2.) Now I really REALLY have to take more seriously the instructions I’ve been getting for years about drinking more water. It’s needed to help flush the chemo drugs out of my body. 2 quarts a day is what they say. This is going to be a challenge.
I’ve already begun noticing one of the side effects of 5FU (I think it is), which is sensitivity to cold. Yesterday I grabbed some cheese out of the fridge to grate it on my pasta and it was too cold to hold — I got all sorts of zinging neuro-electrical zaps in my hands. I had to wrap it in a couple of layers of paper towels to get the job done. My understanding is that this is a cumulative effect. With this first chemo, it should fade a few days after I quit the drug. After the next, it will take a bit longer to fade, and so on. Sometimes it can become permanent. It is, after all, nerve damage that’s happening. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Could make playing flute tricky.
Any permanent nerve damage will also make it hard for those locust-like-words to fly from your fingers.
Wow. So the ride has begun. Hang on! Hopefully your side effects will be minor – and, even if they aren’t, just keep in mind the nasty drugs are killing the EVEN NASTIER cancer. Damn stuff! Get OUT!! Keep a stiff upper lip (hmmm … would that be good or bad for flute playing? I, of course, have no clue!!), a sense of humor and a positive attitude! Keep up the posts! I’m sending: +++++VIBES+++++VIBES+++++VIBES!! And HUGS!
Jodie
Wishing you lots of good cancer-killing thoughts from the lake shore in Maine–wish you were here for the fresh air and wild blueberries. (If I can find some more of those I will bring you a pint–they are excellent i pancakes or yogurt.)