Day 233 – ‘The last day of this round of chemo’ edition

Thanks Jennifer for taking me to the last chemo!

Here are my reflections on my first round of chemo:¹

1. It was harder than I ever thought it could be. I never been so fatigued in my entire life. I have never felt fatigue like this and I have been through a lot of medical shit.²
2. It was easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t suffer much nausea. I mostly lost my hunger cues.³ My ability to eat was compromised in other ways like just not being able to at all.
3. The worst side effect was the dryness in my nose. It would scab and bleed a lot.
4. The chemo got easier as it went along. I think the worst weeks were like 4-7. I have been feeling a little stronger the last couple of weeks.
5. While I love my port and I am so grateful for it, my adhesive allergy has made it look like a war zone. I seem to have a scab 2 inches square.⁴
6. I thought I would lose a significant amount of weight. While I did lose some, I wouldn’t call it significant.
7. The fatigue coupled with my hip and lower back issues have made it really difficult for me to walk any distance. I cannot wait for my power wheelchair. I am also grateful that I can afford such a luxury.
8. I have not had too many side effects – mostly it’s been diarrhea and neuropathy in my hand with carpal tunnel. My thumb and first 2 fingers are quite numb.⁵ I cannot wait to crochet again.
9. I have been honoured and blessed by all the people who have showed up to help us over the last 3 months. I love you all.

I am now on a break for a bit. I will have my carpal tunnel surgery on September 28th. On the 25th, I will get the results of my CT scan and we will make plans for the next round of chemo which will likely start around October 9th. All of this is tentative though until we know what the CT scan says.

The Oncologist™ seems to be mellowing a bit. I thought he would veto my surgery as it was 4 days earlier than he wanted but he didn’t. We don’t seem to disagree as much as we had before which I think is me getting used to him and the BC Cancer Agency system which is quite involved.

Overall, I am feeling more optimistic than I have since the chemo started. I feel stronger and my breathing has improved quite a bit. I am really hoping that those tumours have shrunk. I am also very excited about my power chair. It will allow me to get out more often and with less pain. At least there is a little hope to hang on to here.

PS: I found my runners, for those of you keeping track!

1. Sorry Rosie. ↩︎
2. It’s like this wall comes up and I hit it, hard. ↩︎
3. My new hunger cues became weak and dizzy. ↩︎
4. I cannot tell you how much it hurts when alcohol is used to clean the area. ↩︎
5. I will have surgery on September 28. A little earlier than The Oncologist™ dictated but I am sure it will be fine. ↩︎