It's been a long, slow week... Week one of the third -- and last :-) -- 3-week cycle of chemo. Similar to the first two "week ones", with some minor differences...
Similar: Five days in a row, "intubated" -- connected to an IV drip for 3 or 4 hours. What a way to spend each afternoon :-( With a lot of sleeping in between, it's strangely tiring. Not much trouble, though. Okay, on two days it takes three tries to get the tube settled but it that's not a great worry. Once in, the IV tubes stay in.
The back of my left hand gets most of the tubes, on Sunday there's some bruising -- I don't usually bruise -- it's almost faded now.
The usual messing with my taste buds: water tastes flat, food tastes odd. I still eat plenty. Tea and coffee, I just can't enjoy the full cup. Iced coffee -- with milk and sugar -- is good.
One terrible taste problem: I eat some Easter-egg chocolate... and am left with a rather unpleasant taste in my mouth :-( Guess I'll leave the rest of that egg till later.
As usual I gain two kilos per day -- fluid retention -- but only for the first four days. Then I *lose* a kilo each day! Am I finally losing weight due to chemo :-? Still well over a healthy weight, though.
Saturday, I have an injection. It can be self-injected... as if! No way I could stick a needle in my stomach :-( Can the blood collection person inject as well as extract? No. A pharmacist? No. I'm booked in at the clinic anyway but not till 1:30pm.
We phone the clinic. They say, No, 11:30am. 11:30!? The hand-written appointment form definitely says, 13:30. Oh well.
We drive to the clinic for 11:30. Wait an hour... for a two-minute jab. Okay, it's easy, it's done, that should be the last one I need.
Saturday, Deb goes for a 10km run, she's entered in a 12km fun run in a few weeks' time. I register for the 4km walk.
Sunday, we walk 2.5km beside the lake, I'm exhausted. 4km fun run? Hmmm. Rogaine this coming weekend? It'll be very short :-)
Rest of the week: A half hour of IV this Monday and the next. If I follow the pattern, my "blood counts" will be dropping and my energy levels will be climbing. Nothing to worry about, getting better every day :-)
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
... Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
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"Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them." … Robert Jarvik
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I am with you. I doubt that I could inject myself.
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