One To Go!

Ordinarily, I’d be a lot more cheerful about only having one more day of radiation therapy. But I don’t feel so cheerful right now. I was up and down all last night just trying to get rid of the gas. Which meant that I didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked. So I slept in until 11:00AM or so.

After Ben left for work, I laid back down. The pain meds adds another dimension to the “sleepy” side effect.

I got up, showered for my 5:00PM radiation appointment, and ran off to do that. I came home and just “sat” for a while. I can’t tell you how many Sudoku puzzles I have done today.

It seems like my body is so used to the chemotherapy now that it is responding just as if I’d had chemo on Monday. I have the diarrhea that just won’t quit. I have intestinal gas that gives new meaning to “Blow it out your ***!” If it builds up on the topside, I have to sit up or stand to get rid of the gas and the pain. If it builds up on the other end, I have to be very careful!

So why now? I’ll have to call in tomorrow to ask the nurses since the meds I’m currently using don’t seem to work. And the supplements that I have taken before to reduce the gas don’t seem to working, either.

I don’t feel much like eating and the liquids I take to keep hydrated add nothing but ammunition to my system.

I’ve been trying to read, but can’t seem to keep my mind focused. That means I didn’t get to any of my emails today either. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

As I’ve said, chemotherapy is nothing more than a battle of competing side effects. Usually they balance out. Sometimes they don’t. But there is a reason that the epidemiological studies give mortality figures for 30 days AFTER the last treatment.

I just reread this; I hope that it makes sense. I stopped before leaving the VLCC to sit in the waiting room after radiation treatment. I was anticipating that my stomach was going to act up like yesterday with the hiccup/ palpitations. I explained to the receptionist and the office manager (I believe) that I just wanted to sit awhile before I went out to my car. I was heartened that the OM enquired if I was driving and what it was that I was feeling. I appreciated the concern over me driving myself while I was impaired. But I explained that I was fine in that regard; it was just that my stomach sometimes gave me fits.

Kunolunkwa, y te quiero!