2nd day

Hi there,

Gosh, I woke up feeling good yesterday (day 2 of treatment). I had slept all night and actually felt rested with energy; I can't remember when I felt like that. It was sunny but cold so, after some breakfast and catching up on email and facebook, I bundled up and got outside. I need to not be afraid to get outside when it's cold. The weather app said it was 15 degrees so I put it all on. Once I got walking, the layers started loosening.

Some fun while outside in the beautiful sun with my rather unnecessary snowshoes! I listened to a podcast we love called BEMA Discipleship, helping me understand scripture from an eastern/hebrew point of view.

The first day was so hard with the nausea and headache and general feeling of malaise after treatment that I took the Zophran they suggested in the morning. I have another med at home if that doesn't work. I've learned these anti-nausea meds all hit different receptors which is why they have so many you can take at different times, overlapping. They told me it is like pain; you don't want it to get ahead of you. But, gosh - I also feel overloaded on chemicals. I remembered an essential oil blend from my friend, Kiyomi, so I used that for the headache yesterday and it helped (although it also bled into my eyes and burned so I need to be more careful). It's called Headache Magic by originalswissaromatics.com. It proved itself to me when I got my first real migraine while fasting. 

She also reminded me of the pressure points for nausea. Duh! It's so easy to go all or nothing for me...either all natural or all conventional. I need to remember to support my body with all the natural stuff too! 

I went to bed feeling kinda crummy - probably because of letting some chocolate creep into my diet. I don't feel good after eating sugar, so why do I do it? Tomorrow will be better. 

Unfortunately, today didn't start as well as yesterday. I didn't sleep well with some pretty significant night sweats. These are considered a "B" symptom of lymphoma. I've been very hot and cold lately, even wondering if I am getting some hot flashes; I suspect the prednisone has something to do with it. I only take it for 1 more day as we are gradually reducing it in the hopes that my body won't backlash like it did last time. After taking it full strength for 5 days last month, I had a terrible time only 36 hours after stopping it with lots of pain and swelling. 

Andy says he noticed last night that my breathing is different when I am sleeping. It's amazing how much easier it is to breathe (especially in the mornings), eat, and go to sleep. It has been pretty tough there for a long time; many times I need to force myself not to panic when it is hard to function. My voice is pretty normal now too. We are hoping that the Belinostat will continue the improvements made by the prednisone. 

I took the garlic/lemon juice extract this morning I made that we've been taking before meals with no problems before. Wow! It almost came right back up. I headed to the bathroom and could feel heat all the way to the tips of my toes. Don't exactly know what that meant. I may not be able to do it the 5 days I'm on treatment. 

I haven't felt 100% this morning at all. Yesterday's treatment was slightly shorter than the 1st day. They only give me a particular IV for nausea on days 1 and 4 because it lasts 48 hours. That cuts down on the time it takes at the hospital on days 2,3,5. I was still there 3:45, so I think that will be the shortest. I gutted it out when I started feeling pretty bad. I didn't feel like my BP was plummeting like the day before and I didn't want them to stop the meds. The protocol is to give the Belinostat between a 30 - 45 minute window so we don't want to mess with that, if possible. It's all the pre-meds and protocols that take the rest of the time. And they don't mix the bag for me until they are sure I can take it by taking new labs on some of the days. No less than 8 people are involved in ordering, making, checking and double checking, delivering, triple checking, and administering the drugs. They dress all up in PPEs to protect themselves from the chemo drugs they are handling. It's a bit daunting. 

I probably have mentioned that I've read studies about chemo drugs showing up in the bloodstream of caretakers. I am being careful, closing the toilet to flush as that is one of the recommendations. I am not sharing any bodily fluids with anyone so...I think we are covered. And I won't see anyone like the grandkids for at least 48 hours after my last IV (after we can at least see them!). 

So...it's day 3 and we'll see how it goes. They have me scheduled everyday to start about 1:30. That gives time to deal with complications before they close, if needed. I thought I would want mornings but, because I feel better before getting the treatment, maybe afternoons are best. 

Hope you are having a day full of blessings you can notice! Some days are easier there than others but it aways helps. (-: