Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Miles To Go Before I Sleep


















My last chemo treatment is scheduled for tomorrow.  Hooray!

That said, I am apparently dealing with taxotere toxicity at the moment, which has resulted in severe itching on the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet, and general skin pain and itching pretty much everywhere.  Ugh.

Let me just say for the record that this sucks. 

Hot baths make it worse, benedryl hasn't begun to help to cut this, and am now dealing with a hefty daily steroid dosage for a few days to try to help my body cope with the ick.  Meanwhile, I'm chugging copious amounts of water and trying to eat lots and lots of fruits and veggies to help flush out my already overburdened system to make things work properly tomorrow.  I feel like I am sloshing from fluid retention as my poor system attempts to cope with all of this, but there is nothing for it but to keep doing all the right things and hope my body finds some equilibrium somewhere by the end.

The good news is that my last chemo session should be able to proceed as planned.  Thank goodness for small favors, eh?  The last week or so has been a rough, rough slog, but we are surviving it. 

Nothing for it but to grit my teeth and keep pushing forward.



Am planning a crockpot of BBQ for sandwiches and baked potato toppings to last us a couple of days.  Have been doing a bigger crockpot meal the day before chemo throughout all of this, and it has worked out well to have leftovers that can easily be reheated for the day of treatment.  I often don't care a lot about food for several of days after an infusion, but it gives me peace of mind that Mr. ReddHedd and The Peanut are well fed even if I'm living on popsicles, fruit and broth for a bit.

Today will be a tidying and nesting day for me, in an attempt to corral our clutter before chemo knocks me flat again.  Miles to go before I sleep today, but I am so looking forward to finishing chemo tomorrow.

God willing and the creek don't rise as my granny used to say...good thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated.

(Adorable photo via Moyan Brenn.  Looks a lot like our dearly departed Rascal used to when she was tiny.  So cute!)

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