11 Days after First Chemo Treatment

It’s been eleven days since my last treatment and boy. Has there been some ups and downs. It can get graphic, so readers beware.

Got home from treatment and I fell asleep for hours. Woke up enough to eat a cliff bar, go to the bathroom (with an escort from our marriage shed to the house because I was so weak), get water, and go lay back down for essentially the rest of the day. My sleeping pattern now is all messed up. We stayed on top of the nausea meds which was a god send but also a major pain in the ass. However sleep was a major thing about recovery with my first chemo treatment. My family kept me a float with Cliff Bars (because having a full on meal would have me sicker then a Dog) on those days just so I could have something to eat. They also had me chug water and body armors with powerade and gatorade. It was a struggle. Every three hours I would be woken up for meds to make sure I didn’t get sick or in any pain (which was every six hours).

The next struggle was food. Chemo is a weird soup. Most of my favorite things that I loved to eat, I cannot have now. The chemicals they use in the treatment changes the taste of foods. Sometimes better, sometimes it’s so yucky its gross. Other than the cliff bars, I can do a spring mix lettuce with some sour cream and some shredded cheese. I would add hot sauce of some kind, however I no longer can have spicy foods until this whole ordeal is over, which is super upsetting but I totally understand why. I made the mistake the other night to eat some flaming hot Cheetos.… Okay, yo caught me it wasn’t a mistake. I was really craving spicy… First of all… I couldn’t feel the eat or the damn cheeto itself. I was so upset. This was also after I found out that I could no longer have my pickle flavored lays, also because I couldn’t taste it. My taste buds are so out of wack, that when my sister made egg salad, it tasted like a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Which is fantastic since I can no longer eat red meat. Then she used turkey to make a meatloaf since I can‘t have red meat. Oh.my.God. It tasted literally just like meatloaf. It was so good. I’m just now being able to eat full on meals. So it was a nice surprise.

My arthritis and neuropathy have been pretty bad in my hands in feet. Thankfully with some medical intervention and some self care, I can be okay. On the third day of recovery, pain hit me as if I was a bird getting hit by a jumbo airplane. I sobbed. That went on for three days. I was in pure agony and I didn’t know what to do other than sleep.

So from basically the day of treatment (Jan 7th) to Sunday (Jan 12th) I couldn’t poop. With the nausea meds, it can make you constipated and may need some medicinal help. I took some miralax and nothing happened. Getting worried about the pain I was in (which I figured where the pain was coming from) so I took it to the liquid hell medicine: Magnesium Citrate. I had drank it earlier in the day however it didn’t hit until I was ready to go to bed. From January 12th to today, Jan 20th, I can happily say “What blockage?” Make sure to have hemorrhoid cream and Destatin near by because it hurts.

My anxiety has gone through the roof that I’m on some heavy anti-anxiety meds. I’m thankful for my PCP helping me out in this hard time. She has been one of my biggest supporters in everything going on. I love my doctor.

Round two of treatment is next Tuesday, Jan 28th. Wish me luck!