Miserable Wednesday Night and What Happened at Chemo this Week.
I'm sure this is too much information so if you are eating or feeling of a gentle disposition I wouldn't read the next paragraph as it is rather toilet orientated.
Since my last chemo, I have had terrible problems with my bowels and been so constipated. The problem that I have is that I don't feel constipated, I just have to remember to keep a mental note of when I've been or not and also I can tell by how swollen my belly is. I also don't get the normal feeling of constipation in my lower bum. I seem to develop a blockage under my ribs which causes spasmodic pains like labour pains. However, this week I didn't even get the spasms.
You will be shocked by how much laxatives I took with no result until the this wednesday night and throughout my chemo on thursday. During the week, I took 2 - 6 movicol a day, dulcosulphate tablets - 2 -5 a day, picosulphate 20mls saturday, monday night and 2 x 30 mls on tuesdays and 20mls senna on sunday night!!! I'd also drank plenty of fluid. eaten plenty of fruit and fibre and still nothing until midnight wednesday night/early hours thursday morning when I started to have horrific diarhhoea. As I was so worried about chemo on thursday and was worried I wouldn't sleep, I took my usual painkillers which make me sleepy and a sleeping tablet but also some oromorph and diazepam.
On reflection, this was not the wisest of ideas as I fell off the toilet in my sleep and bashed my head really hard on the hydraulic bath seat as I collapsed forward. I woken up with my head on my knees on the toilet with totally numb feet where I must have been pressing on the blood supply to my legs so I wasn't sure how I was going to get back into bed so thought if I could gently collapse forward I could crawl back to bed!! Unfortunately, I just sort of collapsed in a heap and surprisingly didn't wake anybody up and yet the bathseat must be against the wall of the bathroom/bedroom and Pete's head would have been directly infront of the seat but it didn't wake him up. I just crawled back to bed and went to sleep.
When I woke up in the morning my face was sore but there are no bruises to see at all. We all got ready for school work etc. My sister and her eldest daughter, Mags had come down the night before. They had had a rude awakening at 630am by AJ who had gone downstairs and switched all the lights and the telly on!!!! Bless him, when he realised, he did turn the lights down and had the telly on quietly but it meant they did not get a whole night's sleep. We left for the hospital about 9am and got to the hospital in good time for my appointment. I was just thinking that I hadn't told the receptionist I wanted to see the chief consultant but the next minute the same Registrar that I saw last week came in. As soon as she saw me, she went 'wow you look so much better. I have no problems continuing with taxcol this week and we will wait for your CT results before deciding what to do.' the only downside news was that the nodes in my neck are stilll there so it isn't a cold related thing that I had tried to kid myself it was and that my iron levels are dropping so will probably need to have more blood transfusions again. my last 2 units I had mid december so that's not bad really.
Now we know the reason why I looked so well and not tired - it's a big thank you to the Benefit makeup company. Their foundation is so natural looking and their eyebrow enhancing wax/powder kit means I can paint on my eyebrows in a more natural way so it's a big thank you to them and the 'Look Good, Feel Better' charity that showed me how to apply make up correctly after 30 yrs of obviously doing it wrong!!!
Since I saw the same lady registrar who I saw last week and she wears make up, I was amazed she couldn't see that it was only make up!!! Anyway, feel much happier that I can stay on the taxol till I get the CT done and the results known. I'm in no hurry. The other good thing is that my wbc and neutrophils are still OK and my swallowing is better.
After I'd seen the registrar, I felt really sleepy so kept dropping off to sleep only be woken up by the need to urgently rush off to the toilet as I still had diarrhoea. I went so many times and thank goodness for my sister and Mags or I'd have never got there on time.
I actually felt quite poorly as I was feeling hot and sick and ended up laying in the recliner without my woolly tights and just my skirt and top. I actually needed an extra anti-sickness injection as well. My stomach was also so swollen and noisy like a drain emptying. Whilst I slept, mags and my sister went back to the car and had a sleep there as well!! As I was feeling poorly, they ran the taxol slowly so we never left till 245pm and I had to leave in a wheelchair as I felt too faint to walk.
When we got home, I changed into my nightie and after my sister and Mags left, I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in bed with my wheat bags.
My friend did come over and we had a lovely chat in my candle lit sanctuary.
Today, I'm having a duvet day and have spent the whole morning in bed apart from putting some washing on the line!!! Never a blog goes by without the washing being mentioned. Perhaps I should rename this blog 'the blog about washing'.
My stomach feels more settled but I'm doing the usual friday thing of having a bright red face. Think that's me up to date now.