Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Boring Side of Cancer

Every day I get just the slightest hint that I might have poison racing through my veins. But it’s still just a passing thought and not physically overwhelming. It usually happens in the middle-of-the-night as various drugs are winding down. Each morning, I take my prescribed medications and feel right as rain again. I’m still on enough drugs that mask side-effects that I can pretend it’s not happening. Over the next couple of days though, my drug therapy changes a bit and I expect I’ll be a little less casual about it all.

I took my last dose of the mega-anti-nausea pill today – Emend. I received it intravenously while receiving chemotherapy, and was given one mega dose to take for yesterday and today. Additionally, my prednisone ends on Tuesday. A lot of people have issues tolerating the steroids. For me, they are like energy in a pill. On them I’m like the energizer bunny. I will miss them. From my research, this upcoming week may be a time when I’m going to feel particularly tired and run-down.


So while I still have the luxury of these two amazing drugs, I’m braving the mall today to go to a wig store! I’m thinking red! But we shall see. Robbie needs to get new contact lenses anyways, so we’ll knock a couple of things out at once. I have heard anything from ten days to four weeks with regard to when I’m going to lose my hair. It’s the middle of winter, so I need to be prepared!

Tomorrow I have to go to the oncology center to get a shot of Neulasta. This is a white cell booster that helps protect me against complications of a low white blood cell count. This will decrease my chance of infection. I have read horror stories about the side effects of Neulasta. Because white blood cells are produced in your bone marrow, many people experience “mild-to-moderate bone pain” from all the extra activity. I have read blogs from patients who spend a day writhing from the pain. Other people tolerate it just fine. If my blog becomes riddled with profanity and whining, you know which one I am! I did read several discussions that Claritin (the OTC allergy medication) can alleviate the pain. You know I went out yesterday and stocked up.

In other news, I am almost certain the tumor in my neck is shrinking. This is not unusual with my type of lymphoma. In fact, if things go as planned, a majority of the treatment I go through will be to prevent recurrences. The cancer itself gets kicked pretty quickly.

That’s about it for today. This is proof that even cancer has boring days. And I’m ok with that. A shout out and huge thank you to Frank (one of my bosses) for the lovely yellow and pink roses that are brightening my house on an incredibly dreary morning. I think I had previously posted that I couldn’t have cut flowers – it’s ok, checked with the nurse and she said go for it!

8 comments:

  1. Hope to read many more boring posts.

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  2. maybe I should clrify.

    hope to read more exciting posts about boring days. :)

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  3. I've already started knitting you a cap - it's pink, I hope you don't mind - but I'd like to knit you more if you want them. I have tooooons of patterns, would be happy to show you any to see what you like, or you could just tell me "yellow!" and one will appear on your doorstep a few weeks later. Er, uh, you could also tell me "back off crazy knitting lady". But then you'll just get a ton of ceramic garden gnomes. CHOOSE CAREFULLY! ;-)

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  4. PS. Also, what Corey said. Exciting posts, boring days, lots of healing. Yes, please!

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  5. A pink cap would be awesome! THANK YOU!

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  6. I'm dying to know the outcome of the wig shopping....saucy redhead, bouncy blonde, serious brunette???!!!

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  7. The wig shopping was eye opening. I've never had much hair. I have short baby-fine thin mousey brown hair. So I was excited about the wig shopping. Robbie was with me and the first wig she put on my head had us both laughing out loud. We were both like "THIS IS A LOT OF HAIR." I did pick out a sassy, short, and somewhat conservative red wig. Though, I think I might have to get more than one. I'll take a picture and post soon.

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