The Up's and Down's of Post Chemo
We are 10 days post chemo treatment #4 and this go round has been much more difficult for me than previously.
Long story, kinda short - I went in to the infusion center for scheduled fluids on Monday. Everything was great and I felt pretty good besides a little fatigue. By Tuesday afternoon I started having issues not being able to eat anything. No food sounded even remotely good and I was pretty nauseous around the clock (despite the numerous anti-nausea medication I am on). Wednesday and Thursday were really rough days for me. I was barely able to eat even the smallest amounts of food. I was also having a difficult time keeping my food down when I was able to eat. I tried to keep pushing through on Wednesday and Thursday, but I could feel myself getting weaker. I woke up on Friday morning with what I could only describe as what felt like my stomach was on fire. I attempted to take some medicine which I immediately threw back up. At this point, we made the decision to head to the ER since it was clear I was getting sicker.
We got to the ER around 7am and thankfully the nurses immediately took me back and got the doctor in to see me within the first few minutes of me arriving. I spent the next 5 hours in the emergency room getting fluids and medication to treat my dehydration and nausea. They also treated me for my low potassium levels and monitored my condition to ensure I was improving before they sent me home. If I didn't improve, they would have kept me at the hospital for a day or so. I thankfully bounced back for the most part and was able to go back home to finish recovering.
I would say that last week was by far the hardest I have struggled both mentally and physically throughout this entire journey. But I am happy to report that I felt 1000x better over the weekend and plan to continue feeling great! I am pretty much back to eating as normally as I can right now and the other side effects have subsided for the most part... or they are at least tolerable.
Last week was a not so friendly reminder that I am going to have some really hard days. Days where I just want to cry out of pain, fear, frustration, and everything in between. But I am also reminded that those days may come, but they will also pass. Those bad days are just temporary and I am strong enough to overcome them.
To end this on a positive note, here are some of the highlights from Saturday and Sunday:
Cameron came down on Saturday so I have been able to spend the last few days with him. We spent our days out driving around and just enjoying each others company and our nights were spent around the fire pit. We also got to sneak a few games of pool in on Sunday afternoon and I may or may not have beat Cameron in at least one or two of the games 😉
I was gifted a BEAUTIFUL quilt from some wonderful women in the sewing/quilting community. These women don't know me, yet they spent hours upon hours of their time making me this quilt. It is gestures like this that remind me how many people I truly have in my corner rooting me on during this battle. Thank you Sue, Tiffany, Naomi, and Stacey! ❤️
That's all I have for now. Thank you for the continued support, prayers, and positive vibes.
Fiercely,
Jesse
