Over all, this had been a
good week – the best since that nasty sinus infection side-lined me. Either I’m beginning to manage my medications
better, or the side effects are easing a bit.
I know with some meds, you experience side effects a lot when you first
start, but they lessen as you continue to take them. I don’t know – sometimes I really feel them,
and other times I don’t. This week, the
steroids didn’t seem to wig me out. I
seemed to stay more even-keeled, and that makes me and everyone around me
happy!
I’ve also had more energy, although
my stamina is not great at this point with the cumulative effects of the chemo
fatigue. I’ve tried to be more active
while pacing myself. I no longer feel
like just sitting in my recliner all day. It doesn’t take many of those “sitting” days
to lose a lot of strength, so I’m trying to gain back that strength I lost when
I had that siege of fevers.
One of the things that bugs
me the most is the blurred vision. I
know that it is the chemo, but the gabapentin I’ve had to increase to twice a
day to try to combat the neuropathy has blurred vision as a side effect. A double whammy!! As a result, I get eye
fatigue really bad during the day, and it makes driving a real challenge! Add droopy eye lids that cover half my pupils,
and I have to really concentrate to hold my eyes wide open to see well enough
to drive. I drive around town – to the
store and the post office, but if we go anywhere, Guy does the driving.
Friday, my car came out of
the body shop – remember the deer that hit us.
So I had to drive home. I did
enjoy being out on my own for a while though.
A lot of times when we are in Hutch, I want to go to stores and do some
shopping. Guy pretty much just wants to
do what we have to do and go home. So I
took the rest of the day to go where I wanted to go. I had this one place I wanted to eat. They serve mantias – a Mexican dish that Mom
and I used to eat many years ago when we all lived in Hutch, and this place
called Kikos had them. It is kind of
like chalupa, but it has this special green dressing on it and banana ring
peppers and black olives. They are just
really good! But, I was so disappointed,
because it tasted bitter – just like everything else does right now. My appetite is ravenous, but nothing tastes
good. EXCEPT Freddy’s custard!! It always tastes good. And CHOCOLATE still tastes good. Actually, a lot of sweet things do taste
good. I figured with the way I’ve been
eating lately that I would have gained a lot of weight, but when I weighed the
other day, I had lost some. Hmmmm….
So after eating, I headed to
Walmart. I wanted to find that Dr.
Scholl machine to step on and have it analyze my feet to see what insoles would
be good for me. With this neuropathy, I
need something kind of spongy for an insole.
Even though these are expensive, I was bound and determine to get me a
pair. When I got home and opened them
up, I was shocked to see they were about half an insole! Where I need the support of the softness, the
insole ENDS. I need the softness on the
ball of my foot. That’s where this
insole ended!! ARGH! Thankfully, they are fully refundable. I’ve been massaging in a blend of essential
oils morning and night. I guess it is
helping some. I no longer feel like I’m
wearing socks when I go to bed at night.
But I can definitely tell that there is numbness when I walk during the
day. I just hope that this is not
permanent and will get the feeling back when this is all over!! I’m SOOOOO
thankful it has only affected my feet and not my hands at this point. I pray that my hands escape it!!!
Anyway, by the time I
finished my errands and made it home, I was sooooo exhausted. I had never been up and going all day. When I was about ready to go to bed, I was
sitting at the table. I took my
Dexamethasone bottle and shook out these two little light green pills into my
hand. One of them jumped out of my hand
and hit the floor. We looked and looked
and looked and looked for it!! I don’t
know how it got away like that. I wouldn’t
have worried so much about finding it so much if it weren’t for the chance of
Annie getting it. We took the room
apart, got the dust mop out, got the flash light out, looked and looked. We never did find it. We figured if it was so hidden from us,
surely she would not find it either.
But, after being all ready to go to bed, I got so spun up looking for
it, I broke out in a cold sweat. It took
me a while to wind down so I could go to bed.
Earlier in the evening we had
been to our local place to eat. I got a
small cheese burger and for some reason ordered onion rings. I knew better. Even though they were very crispy, I knew
they were greasy. And the burger ended
up being rather greasy, too. I told Guy,
“I’ll bet I’ll be sorry later eating all this greasy food.” Well, after I settled down from the
pill-hunting episode, I took a Benadryl before going to bed. I knew I would need it to counteract the Dexamethasone. I had just barely dosed off to sleep, and
suddenly I had a VURP! I jumped up out
of bed with this burny goopage in my throat, coughing!!! Three soda crackers and two Tums later, I was
finally able to go back to bed. The rest
of the night I slept like a log – I don’t think I moved again until 6:30. I haven’t slept that hard in I don’t know
when!!l
This afternoon, I got
ambitious enough to get my sewing machine out! You know I’m feeling good when I
want to sew again. I found this really
pretty placemat at Walmart that I wanted to use to make a little bag. When I go to my Bible study, I end up with my
Bible, a notebook, and the class study book.
I wanted a little bag that this would all fit in making it easier to
carry and keep together. I found some
fabric on my selves that I thought would look nice for the handles. It took longer to make the handles than the
four seams of the bag. I really like the
way it turned out.
I’m getting the itch
to start quilting again, but I just can’t do it in this house with no room to
spread out. I’m busy arranging my
quilting room – in my head – in the new house.
So far, that is all going well, with the closing date of the AL house on
target for Feb. 27. I figure we ought to
be able to move into the house here about the 2nd week of
March. I’m hoping that time frame will
work. And I’m hoping and praying that I’ll
feel good and not be too fatigued.
I’ve started wearing my watch
again. Trying to get used to wearing it
on my right arm since I can’t wear it on the left with its scar. I just never liked this plastic band these
Apple watches came with – it is just too hot and I always sweat under it.
So I found this 3rd party stainless
steel one online.
I was afraid it would
be too heavy, but it is just right! Guy
had to take several links out, but it fits perfectly now, and the rose gold
band just matches the rose gold watch. When these watches first came out, I
thought they were the most ridiculous things to have! But once I got one, I’ve really enjoyed
having one. The best thing I’ve like is
when you are going somewhere in a city, using the maps on your phone, the watch
will tap you on the wrist when it is time to turn! I also like the calendar, because it will
tell me when it’s time to take my medication.
Just a techy geek!! š
I’m going to enjoy having
next week off from chemo. I do go in
Monday for my extra fluids. And Thursday
I have an appointment with an ear, nose and throat doctor. My primary care physician made this
appointment when I was in the midst of my sinus infection. Although, I’m over the infection, I’m going
to keep that appointment because I’m so prone to sinus infections. The only issue I’m really having right now is
a little pinkish drainage now and then that I think is just related to the dry
winter air here. The humidity is so much
lower here than we are used to in Alabama.
I sure hope they don’t have to run something up into my sinuses to look
around!!!!!
I got this blue light blocking
screen to go over my laptop. It is
supposed to help decrease eye strain and reduce messing with your circadian
rhythm when computing in the evening. I
do think it is helping. Those glasses
that I had that were supposed to do this, I sent back. They were not strong enough power for me to
use close up, and the ear piece made my flab uncomfortable. Thanks to a techy friend’s suggestion, I went
into my phone settings and set my phone to “night shift” for using in the
evening, and I really like that. I can’t
just stop reading and computing, so I have to find ways to work around these
eye issues.
Looking forward very much to
worship tomorrow…..
And as always……I’m remain in
His hands……
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