The Joys of a Root Beer Float

Oh, frabjous day, something that actually tasted good. Since both milk and root beer have consistently tasted OK I thought I would try a root beer float. Fast to make, probably OK ingredients, nothing to lose. Yeah, it tasted wonderful. It really is the small things in life that make a day. I wonder how an iced cappachino from Tim Horton's would taste?

I woke up with a fever of 100.8 yesterday morning. I didn't bother calling Dr. Romer because I knew he would tell me to take Tylenol unless it went up higher. It stayed in the high 99's all day and then spiked a little again after the Tyelonol wore off. More Tylenol didn't bring it down much so I took a cool bath which helped some. This was another evening where water just pored off of me. I had to move to another bed because the one I was in was soaked. This seems to be happening once a chemo cycle although Dr. Romer has no comment on it. I know I spend a lot of time obsessing on my temperature but when it is above 99 for any reason I really feel sick.

The coating on my tongue seems to be thinner today. Course I am rinsing my mouth about 8 times a day - 4 with the anti fungal mouthwash and 4 with the salt/baking soda rinse. Unfortunately things still taste nasty. I get hungry and try something to eat and then regret it. Becky put together some chili for me last night. I didn't have the energy. Today all I have to do is put it back on the stove and cook it. Hopefully it will taste ok.

I seem to be in a pattern of managing symptoms. I am not sure it is a good thing to be so focused but it is where I am at. Only one more treatment.

Chemo weekend

I am not sure which is worse - to have a nasty taste in my mouth or no taste at all. My tongue is coated with white stuff and everything tastes either bitter or bland and pasty. I am going to try to make some chili tomorrow to see if it is edible. I started the Mycostatin mouth rinse again. It definitely does make a difference.

I finally put the finishing touches on Jane's retirement present. It was time to stop tweaking it and just get it done since she will be here in a couple of weeks. I found a black straw hat for the pinning ceremony and a new top I think is pretty. Here's hoping they get here in time. With my bald head I am more worried about the hat than the top.

I have been up for short periods of time today - mostly trying to grade papers. I am slowly making progress but am slowed by computer woes.

So far things have not been as bad as last time but I am definitely babying myself this weekend.

Seventh Chemo

I am not sure what to make of the process this time.  I already have the change in taste and a rising fever which is a little early this time.  I have been up several times grading papers but can only last an hour at a time.  So I am having a quiet and boring day.  Don't feel bad enough to just sleep but not good enough to do much of anything.  Oh well, could be worse.

Chemo tomorrow

I do my next to the last treatment tomorrow.  I am really nervous about it.  The treatment itself usually goes OK with minor irritations or glitches.  It is the aftermath that I am worried about.  From what I understand from Dr. Romer the side effects are going to keep accumulating and getting worse.  It is difficult to imagine feeling more exhausted than I already do.  Of course there are those other little pesky side effects like fever, sore throat and nasty taste in my mouth.

I have lost back all of the weight I had lost before all of this had started.  Dr. Romer is not really thrilled about that but I am.  It's not drastic, just 10 pounds on and 10 pounds off but I am really pleased.  Not pleased with the way I lost it but I'll take anything positive out of this I can.

Doctor's appointment

I saw Dr. Romer today for my regular appointment. From an oncology standpoint I am doing really well. My bloodwork looks good. Everything else that is a problem for me is normal "at this stage of the treatments". Throat infection, depression, extreme fatigue - normal. And he expects the fatigue to be worse and last longer after the next two treatments. I was not happy to hear that. For some reason I really amuse him. He laughs at me! Is your doctor supposed to do that?

Bad night

I had horrible night sweats last night for about 3 hours. I was soaked, the pillows and bed were soaked. After they were over I changed to a different bed and was able to get some sleep. I have had them once before but didn't mention it to Dr. Romer because I didn't think they were connected to the chemo. Guess I will bring them up.

Today I feel like crap and my throat hurts and it looks like I am spending another day mostly in bed. I don't like the weepy, whiny space I am in but it is definitely where I am for the moment.

The good news is Becky will be here today cleaning house. Jerrika is coming to be "trained" by Becky in the proper way to clean my house. Jerrika is going to do it if Becky goes to Kentucky early. Jessie is bringing them because Becky is still having trouble with her truck. It will be nice to see my girls. And maybe I'll even get some jellybeans.

New problems

Not feeling very well today. My mouth and throat are sore and I have a mostly white tongue. Too much information? I called Dr. Romer's office to see if I should be concerned. He has decided I have a fungal infection and ordered a mouth rinse. The good news is it numbs my mouth and throat. The bad news is it tastes awful. Finding something to eat is an increasing challenge.

I was supposed to have the last face to face class at Antioch tonight. I couldn't even get through getting dressed. It has ended up another day mostly in bed.

Fever Day

My fever has been steadily climbing all day and is currently 100.6, just past the call in point. They want to see what is happening with the fever so I am not supposed to take any Tyelenol until I have permission. Now I get to take Tylenol and call back if the fever goes above 101.5. The good news is there are really no other signs of infection. The bad news is I feel yucky.

Food isn't very interesting today. I was able to eat some massaman curry left over from Friday and it tasted good. Bonus. I'll have to find something else to eat later tonight so I can take my regular medications. Becky brought me some homemade ribs and strawberry pie last night but I couldn't eat either one. Total bummer. Everything I eat I have to try a small bite and see how it tastes and what kind of aftertaste there is.

Wonderful Nan is taking my classes tomorrow. I don't know what I would have done without her through all of this. I was getting back into a fairly normal level of energy when I had to take another treatment. Just two more to go.

Tolerable day

Yesterday was a good day. I taught my neurology classes and then came home and had enough energy to get all of the graduate exams graded and returned. My friends Deni and Leah came over for a visit in the evening. It was really nice to see them and get caught up on all of the gossip.

Today was a restless day. I would get tired but couldn't stay down for long. Then I would start to do something and couldn't focus. Food doesn't taste nasty today but it doesn't taste good either. I am supposed to take my temperature every four hours and it is slowly creeping up. Not yucky high, just above normal.

Another Treatment Down

This week was actually a pretty good week. I felt better for much of the week. It was a nice change.

I went in for my sixth treatment today. They didn't have me scheduled with my regular nurse and couldn't adjust the schedule. There was nothing wrong with the new nurse, she just wasn't Christine. I had a hard time not crying. I hate this being so emotional crap. The treatment went OK but I was really tired when I got home. I didn't notice last time that they gave me benadryl along with decadron and anti-nausea medication. That could account for the sleepiness. I do have the beginnings of the nasty taste in my mouth again. Maybe I had it right away last time and didn't notice it until it got really bad.

I am trying to find a long black scarf to use as a wrap for the pinning ceremony. I want to get it now so I can start practicing putting it on and see how well it stays on. I am getting tired of hats. I also don't have one that I think is dressy enough. I don't think the biker chick is the look I want to go for.

My major accomplishment for the weekend was grading papers. I fit it into my two hours up, three hours down routine. I am almost caught up. My difficulty with attention really shows up while I am grading. I have to make sure I do it when I am relatively rested or my mind is all over the place.

This whole cancer/chemo thing is getting kind of old for me and every one else. How many ways can I say I am tired, exhausted, wiped out? Even that is boring. Unfortunately, though, this is currently my life. It is filled with uncertainty because I never know how I am going to feel when I wake up. The concept of good days and bad days has a whole new meaning. I dread each new treatment not because I have a particularly hard time with the treatment but because of the way it adds to the fatigue, depression and general feeling of being sick. All of which Dr. Romer assures me is normal. I definitely don't like my new normal.