I don’t understand why I’m not sleeping well. I don’t think my tea has THAT much caffeine. But I went to bed about 9:00PM after taking a couple of PCs (Packer Candy). Then I toss, and turn, and end up thinking a lot!
Last night I thought about the pain issue. I’m supposed to take the PCs ‘as necessary.’ The only way to determine “necessity” is to actually feel pain, right. So, instead of taking the two PCs I would normally have at my 2:00AM feeding, I took one.
Remarkably, I dropped off to sleep and a rather vivid dream that I felt that I have had before. You ever get those?
Did the same thing at 6:00AM with the same results. Different dream, though.
By 10:00, I was starting to feel stomach pain, so I went back to a double dose. But by then, I was still pretty tuckered. I’ve picked all the branches off the lawn, but haven’t gotten up the gumption to actually mow it. Maybe later today.
The doc yesterday was pleased with my progress, but informs me that my next round of chemo will be cut by 20%. So, I should feel somewhat better. And I’ll be going into it better hydrated and fed. I’m actually eating solid food.
Ben and I ran out to Fazoli’s for a quick lunch yesterday to celebrate. I had the Grilled Chicken Panini. It was pretty good. I regretted the Italian Ice, though; too acidy!
My doc took me off the antibiotic because my WBCs were way up; but he confused me with his reasoning. He said they were cutting my course of treatment short because they don’t want to develop a Levaquin-resistant organism. Historically, and logically, you would want to take the full course of treatment to kill all the bad organisms in the body, eliminating any survivors that might develop resistance. Talk about shaking my confidence….
I may have to get a tattoo. Seems the vein in my left hand, although looking like a “good” vein for use actually has a “knot” in it, making a lot of in and out, side to side, playing with the needle just to draw blood. I still have a bulge there today. So I’ll get a Do Not Use tattoo over that vein! Or not.
Other than that, I have to start documenting actual food consumption. And I want to continue the first post about how this all got started. I still don’t think Amy, the nutritionist, and the doctor understand the pain issue surrounding the eating issue. But you’ll see it here, and then I’ll print it out for their consumption.
Later.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
about the pain issue, in brief; No, it is not just when or if you have pain. At this point, it is a given that eating can cause pain, right? Also a given that you must eat. So, it follows that taking pain medicine to allow you to eat, to avoid the pain of eating, makes sense. Also, it is true that if the pain is controlled, and the pain meds are kept at a steady level in the bloodstream, the meds will not have to work as hard to be effective, and thus will be more effective. Am I making sense?
I think that it might be a good idea to talk to the docs about an extended release preparation or patch. One can start out at the smallest effective dose and have a lot of room to increase when and if needed.
A med for relaxation at bedtime, such as lorazepam 0.5mg, would be entirely appropriate at present as well, and would help you sleep without a doubt.
All mine,
Kris
also, cancer cells can become resistant to a particular chemo drug, just like bacteria can resist an antibiotic. There is a plethora of chemo drugs to choose from. (plethora? I use that word because you, sir, taught me what it met when I was a blushing bride of nineteen. I forget what I thought it meant, but it made you roar with laughter!)
KMMK
hrmmm i know how it goes with those painkillers when i have been doing mine for about a week no matter the dose i use it will make it hard to sleep, restless in my legs so i keep tossing and turning, usualy valarian works for me but not sure if your allowed to use that, on another note you will need to get in training since im planing to do some cooking when there (wont be saltless this time) have been thinking of a few different things "snicker" Cuz will need to do a rice pudding (danish ofc) and i have a few ideas in mind ;)........... but no meatballs in curry this time, mostlikely something alittle more interesting. About the dream, i find that it happens often that i have a dream i had before and if i wake before it ends i can remember from the last time what was gonna happen also makes me able to sometimes change the dream since i tend to realise that i have been down that road before... is kinda fun, also from time to time been able to prompt certain dreams usualy during the last hour or so of sleep in the morning, always fun when you know your dreaming and able to keep at that stage just before you wakeup. well time to go back to watching Shrek (someone surgested a Shrek marathon).
TTFN
It is true that pain meds, some more than others, can give a person more energy. Some theorize that it is because when the pain is eased, the body says, "lets' go, we're better". For this reason, these meds are often prescribed for Fibromyalgia and other conditions that involve fatigue.
Since the long acting pain meds are released in micrograms per minute instead of a large dose at once, extended release painkillers don't cause insomnia as much. With extended release, one would have to have a breakthrough pain med as well.
Valerian is a good one for sleep and relaxation, but it does interact with many traditional meds, so it just depends. Anti-depressants such as Trazodone and Amitryptyline work well to help one sleep, and have a side effect of helping chronic pain as well, but again, care must be taken to avoid interactions. I think Valerian does that as well, help with chronic pain, I mean.
Have you tried light classical music or soundscapes? Amy got me started on that years ago. It helps me to jsut turn on a classicaal music station
All mine,
Kris
I'm not sure I understand that last paragraph ;-)! Is your nutritionist named "Amy," as well, or are you stating that I don't understand something (which is now obvious)???
I'm trying to stay up a little later tonight, waiting for Ben to come home, so I thought I'd jump in here.
First, my nutritionist is also named Amy. Cute little thing--is that sexist, as well as agist?--but she seems to know her stuff, at least she knows what she wants to see from me. I'm just not sure I can eat all that much food!
I'm really not trying to be difficult about the pain meds. I'm just trying to understand so I can apply my learning to the individual that is me! Although I may fit into some groups, I'm not going to fit into all of the groups.
But from what I hear Ronny say, he has trouble sleeping at times with pain meds, which makes me feel a bit better. I'm not totally wierd in my assumption as to cause.
I have had the sleeping problems before these pain meds but I was able to take melatonin to get to sleep and valarian root to stay asleep. And for a while, I thought the pain meds were helping. But, and THAT is a BIG BUT, as Kris pointed out, herbals can interfere with the chemicals. The doc won't let me do anything like that.
As a matter of fact, I'll try to post a video tomorrow showing what happened when I threatened to take just Vitamin C. Boy did that get all sorts of attention! I finally talked him into letting me take up to 2 grams a day to help with the mercury issues.
Kris, I remember "Yosemite" and "antique," but I don't remember "plethora." It's part of what happens when one doesn't get to "hear" the written word.
Being on one of the main drags in town, I do get a lot of traffic noise. So I purchased a "white noise generator." I can get all sorts of sounds out of it, waves on the beach, babbling brooks (I wish they'd learn to talk), sea birds (I think), etc. It really does help.
But with the, I can't call them night sweats yet, let's just call them hot flashes and such, they do tend to wake me up, as well.
But I do believe that the idea that enough pain meds once in a while can provide bursts of energy. I just don't know if it can be sustained over time.
Ronny, by the time you guys get here, I should have had the surgery removing my esophagus (at least, that's the last I heard). So, I have no idea what it is that I will be able to eat at that point in time. Chances are, I'll have to be in the constant graze mode, eating little bits all the time. But that doesn't mean I won't sample, though.....
Thanks for the conversation, folks. I do appreciate it!
Post a Comment