tired but well

friday, fifth day of iv cycle two, over four hours lying back having deadly drugs dripped into my vein. no worries, a very easy process :-)

it does involve more than two litres of saline dripped in, to dilute the drugs and flush the iv pump. so there are also several trips to the toilet, to pee. i try to time these trips for when a nurse is close, in case i knock a tube and stop the flow. but, today, no worries.

and it gets even better... yes, it's time for too much information from the informant, deep bowel.

my digestion has slowed down. i took a satchet of doomoorpoo (or somesuch) and, okay, there is regular poo. perhaps a four on the bristol stool scale (i love it) but a bit sticky and not very much of it. moving -- which is a relief -- but slowly.

thursday, deb buys a packet of prunes. yes, a deliberate choice. and i do like prunes. i may have eaten a dozen during the day.

thursday and friday -- given a choice of clinic / hospital lunch, i choose sandwiches. rather than hot meal. sandwiches offer more carbs to need digesting. i also eat them very slowly, to keep a bit of food in my stomach. this keeps the stomach settled.

friday afternoon i go to the toilet and... kapow! poooey! definite type four -- ideal -- and lots of it. enough poo to clear the last few meals. an hour later -- another lot of type four poo. later that evening -- yet more. still ideal quality stools.

saturday morning and the rush is over. no more fear of constipation. though i am too nervous to eat more than two or three more prunes.

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saturday morning. i drive us to a local doctor to have a weekly blood sample extracted. i am getting noticeably more tired, after this i let deb drive. we take time for coffee and muffin, then to the ivy clinic for my saturday injection (to encourage white cell production). i'll show you how to inject yourself, says the nurse. no way i'll inject myself, i say.

being injected doesn't worry me. but i don't like to watch. and i won't do it myself.

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i spend the rest of saturday being exhausted. just lying around or sitting around.

btw: a bonus of being tired... for the last few weeks i am too tired to play very much world of warcraft. none at all, the last few days. the constant rsi -- aching shoulders, neck, arms -- has disappeared.

saturday afternoon, i am looking forward to sunday orienteering. perhaps just walk an easy course. sunday morning... i would like to go orienteering. but would rather sleep. deb goes for a run in the suburbs, i sleep. nearly lunch-time, i am mentally rested and physically a lot less tired.

a sure sign that i am feeling better... dealing with the side effects of treatment: i am starting to feel warm. soon, i may even take off some of the blanket, two thick jumpers, thermal, wooly hat, that i am wearing. soon :-)

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oh, and another benefit of the week's treatment:

i had my hair cut short, ready for it to fall out. mid this week my hair went from patchy to gone. just some short, very fine hairs -- even less than "fuzz" -- across my scalp.

and i have not shaved for a week. there is no need, there is no bristle. luckily enough deb prefers me to be clean-shaven. now, there is no choice :-)

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"If It Ain't Broke, Break It" … Meat Loaf
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dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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