thereyougothen: (problem knitting)
thereyougothen ([personal profile] thereyougothen) wrote2008-02-14 10:19 pm
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chemo 5 report...

so, we had to wait a half hour (appt was 11.00) because my nurse was busy chemo-ing a newbie and it was slow going. luckily i had brought some knitting. Bill had remembered his glasses, but not something to read.

it's half term at school, but the boys were home with Barbara on a sunny day, so all was well.

when Joy finally appeared at 11.30 it was time to get weighed - new drugs so had to be checked. i have gained 3 or 3.5 kilos since last weighed back in November. ah well. i do seem to get hungry these days. i spend 4 days taking steroids to stop me being sick after each treatment, and steroids are known for making you want to eat. anyway, they will probably change my dosages next time, but it's a small enough gain that they didn't have to go back to the pharmacy yesterday. we'd had a long enough wait as it was.

then it was time to soak my hand in hot water. this means i stand at the sink with my hand in a basin for 5 minutes or so until it turns lobster like.

back to my chair - the corner window seat had been available, so we nabbed it. lovely and warm in the sunshine, and somewhere to look while i'm getting stabbed. but was I getting stabbed? Joy wins at teh stabbing. usually having the cannula put in is at least uncomfortable, usually painful, and at worst really quite painful. yesterday? i didn't even feel the needle going in, never mind anything else. Joy wins. I wins.

anyway, once it was all started, it was fine. as usual she got the saline drip going then gave me my anti sickness stuff. it's just the same as before, I'd read that this stuff could make you feel more sick and that they give you an injection. but no. or at least not for me who never even feels sick.

same as before, the nurse pushes these drugs through, so she sits and chats while she does it.

I had been telling Shona, last time's nurse about Cancer Vixen, so I took it in,. Shona is on holiday this week, so I told Joy to have a read and feel free to pass it round the group and she said she'd leave it in Shona's tray for Monday. I think they will like it. I've already read it twice, so felt fine with leaving it there for 3 weeks.

i was earwigging on a conversation in the other corner. a woman was getting a different chemo treatment to me, and was talking to the nurse about what her surgery would be. so she was obviously having chemo to shrink the tumour then surgery, like my neighbour did. but this woman is having a wide local excision, unlike my neighbour who had a mastectomy like me.

we were home by 1.15, so it was all pretty quick.

i had lunch, poached eggs on toast, then went to bed. i was in bed probably by 2, and didn't get up until just before 5. Barbara was going out to English class, so I needed to drag myself out of bed. luckily we were just eating leftovers so there was nothing to cook. i didn't sleep all afternoon - I probably drifted off a few times, but mostly I was just lying there. i read for quite a while, but after a while i couldn't even keep my eyes open so just lay there. i did pretend that i was asleep when the boys came in though.

the hospital gave me some sleeping tablets that end in "pam" again, just three though, so i took one last night, but i still couldn't get to sleep. tonight i'm going to try again. i hate lying there.

i went out and bought some immodium today, but haven't needed it yet. i haven't had sore eyes yet either.

oh, did i mention that i have been worried about my eyesight? it seems to have deteriorated somewhat over a short period in the last month. well, i remembered to mention it to Joy and guess what - it's quite common. i shouldn't worry about it, and they might go back to normal after the treatment. so, i shouldn't get an eye test now - i might end up thinking i need glasses or ending up with a prescription that's all wrong, so i'm to wait until it all settles down then get them tested.

anything else?

N and I went to the supermarket today - TT was at a singing club workshop. then i cooked dinner. luckily it all went in the oven at the same time and i was able to collapse ion the sofa until Bill got home. i couldn't set the table, TT did most of that, i ate, then retreated to the sofa again, and here i still am. but i have finished another hat.

Did I mention that I'm fine?

i'm going to drag myself up the stairs now and go to bed...

[identity profile] blottedcopybook.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
You certainly sound very upbeat. You're some kid!

[identity profile] thereyougothen.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
why thank you my dear! how are you and yours today?

[identity profile] blottedcopybook.livejournal.com 2008-02-16 08:39 am (UTC)(link)
Better today, hopefully they'll all be back to normal by Monday. I feel like we're living in the house of plague.

[identity profile] cherade9.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 11:20 am (UTC)(link)
Temazepam? I have some of that. I'm using Chloropromazine to sleep, which is otherwise known as Thorazine. It's an anti-psychotic but mostly works by making you sleepy. It might be worth asking to try it if the Benzodiazapines don't work well for you.

Glad to hear you feel a bit more upbeat :)

[identity profile] thereyougothen.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
lorazepam. i had temazepam in hospital. i don't want any more of them, i'll use them for the few days to hopefully help me get back a sleep rhythm, but i really don't like taking them.

i take herbal stuff normally when i can't sleep, but not while on chemo...

[identity profile] bloody-nora.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
pretending to be asleep when the boys came in made me laugh

[identity profile] thereyougothen.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
there was a real naughty feeling about it, i can tell you.

[identity profile] cangetmad.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Too sleepy for knitting this weekend? Glad to hear you sounding a bit more relaxed than recently.

Anything in particular you're eating? I could probably come up with comfort food if specific requests come up.

[identity profile] thereyougothen.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
nope, not too sleepy for knitting this weekend, that's why i'm pacing myself.

i'm hoping to have lots of knitting outings this week, even to possibly make city knitty on wednesday night, but have to face that's probably not going to happen, but i will most definitely make it to the gathering at HK on thursday evening, if you've not been reading the list, Jeanette is staying open for us until 7.30pm then we'll head over to Montpeliers or somewhere similar.

but i will be at double dutch on sunday, oh yesiree!

i'm eating most things. lots of omelettes and other egg and cheese things, plus sweet stuff. cakes cakes and some more cakes.

luckily haven't lost my sense of taste to the same degree this time.