I'm Still Here

I've stayed out of the hospital so far, which is great! There's a lot of little things about being there I'm glad I don't have to deal with.... like having to unplug an IV pump every time I go to the bathroom.

At this point in my cycle, along with low blood counts, I end up in a lot of pain. The shot they give me to boost my white blood cell count causes pain in my chest and lower back, but doesn't always happen. One of the other chemo drugs I have, called Vincristine, gives me a lot of bad symptoms (which sucks because it's such a teeny tiny amount of chemo. It doesn't even come in an IV bag, they use a little syringe to give it to me). I get earaches, mouth sores, and terrible leg pain. The pain in my thighs is the worst. The first cycle I could manage it with Tylenol, but every other cycle I've had to use a stronger pain medication to manage it. It only lasts a couple days, which isn't so bad.

Hospital time comes around when pain time comes around, and here's why I'm really glad I'm at home. When you're in the hospital they don't want you to take your own medicine, so they can be positive of what you've been taking, and how much of it so they don't accidentally kill you or something. (Makse sense). So when pain would show up I'd have to call a nurse to give me my medicine. Since I was in a hospital, and not the only patient there i would have to wait a while to get my medicine sometimes. It was such a relief last night when I woke up in pain and could just get up and get my own darn Tylenol.

Some Slight Discomfort

My last round of chemo kicked my butt! Who would have thought chemotherapy would be uncomfortable? The chemo I took caused fevers, earaches, and pain in my gums. I'm starting to get it all under control.

The shot they give you to up your white blood cell count can be extremely painful, and I felt that in my chest. Thanks to some muscle relaxers I spent most of the weekend asleep (I haven't slept that much in 6 months).

I've also got no appetite now that I'm off steroids. Hoping that will change when the fever breaks.

On the plus side, I'm going back to work today. I've gotten so stir crazy I'm really excited to go!

I'll have an exciting update either tonight or tomorrow!