QUICK UPDATES FOR OCT

Saturday 10-31-09: Happy Halloween!

Friday 10-30-09: Woke up in pain from the bulging disc. My head was also ringing. I have to admit I was down in the dumps last evening; tired of not feeling good. But yesterday was a little better, and I hope today is a little better too.

Thursday 10-29-09: I guess to lie in bed for two days is not so good for a bulging disc!

Wednesday 10-28-09: Woke up in pain from both the bulging disc and all the bones in my back. Ate breakfast and went right back to bed. Pathetic! I would be happier if I had a good book to read. I am suddenly feeling dizzy and have the Unspeakable Side Effect, so I am headed back to bed. Later!

Tuesday 10-27-09: Dizzy this morning! Darn. Had a migraine after lunch. Spent the day in bed. Listened to the radio for awhile.

Monday 10-26-09: The low dose Advil regimen is really helping with the bulging disc! The left hip pain is greatly reduced. I feel pretty good right now. My ribs ache, my mouth is dry, my feet are numb, but I am NOT tired. I got a migraine yesterday afternoon, but the Immitrex stopped it in its tracks. It was amazing.

Sunday 10-25-09: Gosh I feel as though have been sleeping since Super Chemo on Thursday! I have been waking up at 9:00AM, taking long afternoon naps, and then crawling into bed completely exhausted at night. In the few hours I managed to stay awake, I had a lot of laughs with Cindy this weekend! What a great visit. Cindy drove us around, which was a super treat. Lou and I dropped Cindy off at the airport just before noon, grocery shopped, and now we are finally home. I am seriously ready to put my pajamas back on and go take a nap. Otherwise, I feel good! Just sleepy.

Thursday 10-22-09 Evening Update: Super Chemo went really well. They put me in a bed instead of a chair, which was just wonderful and comfy. My chemo was supposed to be at 12:30 but I didn't get called till 3:00 because they were really busy. I was reading a great book and did not get upset. It is what it is. Managed to keep ice in my mouth the entire hour of Docetaxel! Tomorrow is a vacation day, and Cindy arrives.


Thursday 10-22-09: Had a pretty good night's sleep with Ambien to counteract the 40 ml Decadron I had to take yesterday. (I am taking Ambien 3 nights out of each chemo cycle, and Lou has control of the bottle, because I have heard really bad things about sleeping pills.) Slept 6.5 hours; got up when when Lou's coffee maker started grinding the beans, hoped to bring him a cup in bed, but he got up too. Feeling pretty good. Time to go make breakfast!

Wednesday 10-21-09: Had to get up early today because Lou has a doctor appointment. Kind of nice when someone else is seeing the doctor! Started taking the Decadron today, so could not have my favorite mug of tea with breakfast. Decaf instant coffee for the next five days because any caffeine will make me MANIC.

Tuesday 10-20-09: Yesterday I had my three doses of Advil, eight hours apart, at 10AM, 6PM, and then 2AM. I've been waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning in pain anyway, so that third dose was no trouble. Today my Advil schedule is 7:30AM, 3:30PM, and 11:30PM. Feeling pretty darn good!

Monday 10-19-09: Feeling pretty darned good!

Sunday 10-18-09: Slept late again! Did not sleep well, though. Woke up multiple times in pain from sleeping in the wrong position. There is only one position where the hip does not hurt, and I can't seem to stay in that position when I am asleep. Feeling pretty good, otherwise.

Saturday 10-17-09: Slept really late! Lou woke me up at 9:00AM with a cup of tea in bed. I'm telling you, I'm married to the best guy on the planet. My hip pain is about half what it was on Thursday. Feeling really great, which is good because we have a big list of errands to do today.

Friday 10-16-09: MRI today at 11:00AM. I forgot to ask when I will hear the results! (Have not even had it yet, and I already want the results.) Woke up pretty early, WIDE AWAKE and feeling good. Got through a bunch of email at work. I actually got to exchange email in real time with a collegue in India! What a great way to start the day. My plan is to go to the office after the MRI.

Thursday 10-15-09: Easy Chemo today!

Wednesday 10-14-09: It is going to be in the mid 50s today! Time to break out some long sleeves, maybe a cardigan. I wonder how the wig will look with a turtleneck?

Monday 10-12-09: Slept till after 8:00AM this morning and woke up with sinus congestion, sore throat, and hip pain. I didn't post all weekend because my hip has ached all weekend, and I did not want to post that. Luckily, the ache goes away when I take Advil and/or Tylenol. This morning I will call my medical oncologist and report that my hip hurts. (My CyberKnife doctor said to call him if my hip started to hurt again, but I will start with my oncologist.)

Friday 10-12-09: Had a lot of hip pain last night, which I think must be from sitting on this uncomfortable wooden chair in my home office all week. Feel okay and plan to go in to work where I have a nice office chair waiting for me.

Thursday 10-08-09: Today I have the Unspeakable Side Effect, so I am working from home.

Wednesday 10-07-09: Got a migraine last night but Immitrex seemed to work okay. This morning I feel tired.

Tuesday 10-06-09: Yesterday went downhill fast with dizziness. Gosh at one point I was sure I was going to hit the floor; I just hung on to an inside doorway and waited for it to pass. Dr Reidel suggested that it might be dehydration so I aggressively re-hydrated yesterday and that has helped. So far today, not feeling like I am gonna pass out!

Monday 10-05-09: All done taking Decardon for this cycle! Looking forward to a really good night's sleep tonight. Plus I got to drink my regular caffeinated tea (with Splenda) at breakfast this morning. Have some bone pain and other yucky side effects this morning, so I am planning to work from home (in case in gets worse). But I am not tired at all and am looking forward to putting in a full day's work.

Sunday 10-04-09: Woke up a lot last night. Finally gave up trying to make myself sleep at 6:00AM. Feel pretty good this morning except ears are ringing and feet are numb. The bones in my upper back woke me up but Advil took care of that around 4:00AM.

Saturday 10-03-09: Slept till after 8:00AM this morning and feel very good so far. I am working remotely this morning; Lou is too, so the house is pretty quiet. Yesterday I was tired. I had my Neulasta shot and headed home to collapse on the couch. Really liking the new Flash Forward TV show.

Thursday 10-01-09: Late update: Came home from Super Chemo very happy but very tired. Dragged around so sleepy and then around 8PM WOKE UP just when I should have been crawling into bed. I hope I can sleep tonight.

Thursday 10-01-09: Welcome to October! Gosh this year is flying by! I woke up every 90 minutes last night and finally gave up trying to sleep at 4:30AM. I read Harry Potter book 5 for awhile, puttered around the house, and then made Lou an awesome Maltby Cafe stype potato/egg/cheese breakfast. I feel very good and look forward to SUPER CHEMO today.