Boy I jumped the gun on thinking that my treatment cycle was over and I had hit no major kinks….
At the end of every cycle I get a shot called neulasta. According to PubMed Heath: “Pegfilgrastim is used to reduce the chance of infection in people who have certain types of cancer and are receiving chemotherapy medications that may decrease the number of neutrophils (a type of blood cell needed to fight infection). Pegfilgrastim is in a class of medications called colony stimulating factors. It works by helping the body make more neutrophils.” (here)
I had strongly thought this was the culprit to many of the side effects I was feeling. Turns out… I am right. It started late Thursday night. Back pain, spasms, nerve pain, bone pain… don’t know what it is. It feels like someone is stabbing me through my lower spine for a few seconds. Goes away for about 5 seconds and comes back. This pain is what put me in the ER. After the IX chemo I had this and thought my kidneys were dying. Thankfully I had some dalauded and oxi. Dalaudid is like the break through and I have to maintain a steady dose of zofram (to keep from throwing up) and oxi. I didn’t sleep all of Thursday night. Had a small nap Thursday and didn’t get any sleep until about 3:00 this morning. It’s finally going away. Every now and then I have a jolt.
Now, I’m left feeling like yuk. Now my hips, chest and shoulder hurt. Not to mention I have a sore throat. Not sure if I have sores in my throat or its just a sore throat. My lips are dry. Cracks and bleeding. I have areas of a weird rash that itches like crazy. My hands feel completely numb and my feet feel like the don’t have any strength in them to walk.
My resolve…. I’m not getting that shot any more. I understand it’s purpose and use… but the side effects aren’t worth it. I could understand the chemo doing this….but that shot is worse than having the flu.
So, minus feeling like a bag of crap…..
Amanda and I have found a really good banana bread recipe. It was really easy for her to make. The first loaf we made got devoured by the dog. Yes, you read that right. We won’t talk about how we all feel about it. The second loaf came out really yummy. I love it when banana bread comes out of the oven… you let it sit for a few minutes…. then cut a piece off and smoother it with butter. Not plastic cow (margarine) but real butter. We also made corn bread to go with our 15 bean soup. The cornbread was ok. Need to be a bit sweeter and needed honey to go with it. Everyone enjoyed the bead soup. It was just a mix of dried beans (I soaked over night), spicy sausage, peppers, and onion with a bit of celery and spices.
I’ve been looking and creating a list of Christmas Goodies to make this year. Trying to hit each note my family likes: peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate, pretzels, and white chocolate. Trying to find new treats we’ve never had before. I’m also looking for some new count down ideas.
I’m looking forward to going to visit family for Thanksgiving. I think it’s going to be a special holiday this year.
The Polar Opposite of Normal 