Note: Silver Linings is now available for sale; click on the link to the right (from the blog)!

Chemo ‘How I’m doing’ update November 9, 2008.

This time last cycle I was curled around a bowl, sobbing and puking and wondering how many times I would have to hit myself over the hit [SIC: meant to be “head”] with a hammer in order to achieve sweet sweet unconsciousness…

…boy is this cycle a change for the better! Oh, I’ve had a never ending headache, I remember that from last time, and it wasn’t from trying the hammer trick, but I just didn’t care that much in light of the worse symptoms. And I’ve felt as strong as a cooked noodle. But I haven’t puked at all! And have only had the teensiest nausea here and there. Once that started happening I started taking the Compazine and that worked. Also munching on a ginger snap really helps. It seems to make the tummy forget what it was talking about. Ativan is another good tool, I’ve been taking that liberally as the NP told me to do. I really think it is a combination of all these tools that has made the difference, though I wouldn’t for a second try it all without the Emend. Even though I took my last one of those on Wednesday, I still can’t forget that that is the one major variable we changed.

I even went for a mile long walk yesterday. When I left the house I had intended to do maybe half a mile to be nice to my weak self, but my route soon made that unlikely. I stopped a few times to take pictures (gray day though it was) and that was enough to make it not too taxing. I will walk again today, I think. I missed some of my walking earlier in the week due to poor weather and a sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop.