Complaints for the week

I figured it was time I was honest about the title of these entries. Why put up something cute to catch your attention only to spend the next 3 paragraphs listing my latest complaints. Forgive me, it’s been a long week and I’m really quite tired. However, I do want to bring everyone up to date on where things stand.

Tuesday I had my first Erbitux treatment of 2006. Woohoo!!! One down and only an infinite number left to go. We don’t know how many more of these treatments I have left – until they stop working seems to be about the only answer I can get from my docs. And they are right. I will be on this drug as long as my body can tolerate it. Anyway…back to Tuesday. I’m still moving at a slower pace these days thanks to my new and improved (and LARGER) stent. It still hurts. Someone asked to see my incision the other day. I said,” there is no incision.” “Well, how do they get it in there. “ I just looked at him and said, “How do you think?” “Oh…” realization set in. I am grateful that I was under general anesthesia when it was inserted, and I hope to be under when they take this one out as well.

Back to the Erbitux treatment. I told the nurses that in terms of side effects from the drugs, I was feeling OK. The Demerol was helping the diarrhea, so along with the Sandostatin, my current bathroom trips are down to 5 – 7 per day, this does not include the usual trips for simple things like peeing. Those trips are up to over a dozen a day, once again thanks to my new friend “stent”. If it’s not one end, it’s the other…I must have looked a little haggard to my nurse because she pops me on the scale before doing anything and we discover I’ve dropped 5 pounds since mid-December. Not a good thing. I have no appetite, even when I was off the Erbitux, I didn’t feel like eating. So they stocked me up with all those lovely caloric drinks they give to the radiation patients. So far I haven’t had the stomach for them. But I am going to try some milkshakes and pure fat ice cream!! Yummy…ooh I think I hear my stomach growling. Phish food here I come!

Sorry, another tangent. Erbitux, that’s what I’m supposed to be telling you about. Well after the scale, they accessed my port, hooked up my benadryl and off to sleep I went. Then my tiny little bladder got full, so I got up, relieved myself, and tried to fall back asleep. No luck. So I zoned out to my iPod, flipped through my guilty pleasure magazines, and waited for the end. Mid-way through my treatment we decided to do my monthly Sandostatin shot. Went off just fine, but about half and hour later I got nauseous. It was bad enough that I asked for something. Popped the Zofran and the nausea subsided somewhat. We’re still not sure if it was the Erbitux or the Sandostatin that caused it. Not a side effect I ever experienced before.

We headed home after all was done and I immediately fell asleep on the couch. Woke up hungry about 2 hours later. Ate a decent dinner, which alas sent me running to the bathroom and upped my bathroom trips for the day to almost 10! Then zoned out until about 10pm when I headed to bed. Took a benadryl to help lull me off to sleep. About 2 hours later when Pat joined me, I took 2 sleeping pills since I was still awake. 2 hours after that I watched whatever had been Tivoed that day, tried to sleep on the couch, played video games, sent an email to my boss at 3 AM saying I didn’t think I would make it in on Wednesday since I had yet to fall asleep. Tried my bed again. Woke up Pat to tell him I couldn’t sleep. Went back to the couch and counted sheep. Finally fell asleep somewhere between 5 and 6 AM. Pat woke me at 8 and got me to move back to the bed where I slept soundly until noon. Whew…what a night. Haven’t had one like that in a while and would prefer to avoid another one for now.

Managed to work from home for the rest of the day and realized that my body just doesn’t do mornings anymore. I seem to get a burst of energy around 4pm that keeps me going. That’s why I’m still in my office at 7:45 on Thursday night. Not because I’m so dedicated, though I am, but mostly because my fingers keep going over the keyboard and I keep coming up with stuff that I should get done while my eyes are open and my mind is functioning.

I promise to try to be in a better mood next week. No Erbitux treatment because I’ll be in San Francisco for much of the week, so as long as the stent pain remains under control, I should have a pleasant entry for y’all.

Posted by jean at January 6, 2006 03:32 PM