Glad you are enjoying your TV.
You will be worn out next week Dreamy.
Thoughts and prayers go out to you - As always.
Iāll feel a whole lot better once my CT scan is over on the 12th - Iāve had a few of these before.
Weāre staying at an hotel near Hull for the weekend, just to break the monotony of being at home. What a gorgeous day itās been too. Only a couple more days before your CT scan Ffosse, I know you have a busy week but then hopefully you can relax for a while.
It is the wait for results that drives me crazy. Keep us posted Dreamy.
How lovely Val, glad you are having a good time.
Thanks Val J and Sweetie.
This morning I got my blood taken and tomorrow I go for my CT scan. Iāve had one twice before but always get lost as itās in the main hospital out-patients dept which is hard to navigate. Itās at 3:15 so I neednāt have an early start.
Chemo on Wednesday, just the same, the nurses all know me by now; some of them recognise me from 2 years ago. I donāt actually feel much different after chemo, just wanting to get home quickly.
Thursday is simply an appointment with my G.P.
Itās the going into hospital for 4 days from the 21st I dread the most. Iām never comfortable there although the staff are all very cheery. Iāve got a couple of long books to read (well 1 book and an audiobook {my first} so should manage to keep my mind occupied). Iāll make sure to keep posting on here.
Iām sure Iāll miss some of the World Cup - there are TVs in the hospital if youāre lucky to get a single room but they are tiny, itās like looking at a postage stamp. The one I recently bought Iāve become quite fond of and spend around 2 to 3 hours watching each day. I got a 32" Sony - just the cheapest HD one in Argos - which, although small by todayās standards, is quite big in my small living-room. I really enjoyed the French Open and watched most of the matches.
Apart from all that my biggest problem is fatigue: I think itās all catching up with me, and if I leave my seat to do something mundane like putting my clothes in the washing machine I can get out of breath quite quickly. Today, walking to the doctors then the chemist (there are some drugs like the painkillers which I pick up weekly) and back really took it out of me. I think itās the cumulative effects of the chemo and Iāll feel better once the course is finished.
I did get out on Friday, visiting John Lewis to return a faulty set of headphones and choosing a new pair. The difference between the old pair and the new was Ā£119 - they offered to refund me but I opted for store credit and bought some clothes. I think Iāve got about Ā£10 credit left - enough for a coffee and piece of cake sometime. It was nice to feel normal again, simply an ordinary shopper, but my back was killing me.
My chest infection seems to be getting slightly better and Iām continuing to take the new tablets until the course ends.
I hope you are continuing to do well, Val J, and will soon be better.
Thanks for the update Dreamy.
I used to take my own DVD player to the hospital.
Try and take things easy today, worry will just make things worse.
Youāve given me an idea: I could download films from Netflix onto my iPad and take that into hospital with me.
Yes, that would be a very good idea.
The thing I disliked most was being hooked up 24/7 with 2 cannulae - it really restricts movement. One is the saline/bicarbonate of soda; the other is the Methotrexate. Last time I made the decision while dreaming to bite through my drip (luckily it was just saline). I must tell the nurses this time if my Methotrexate can be started at around 9am (itās a 12 hour drip) so I will be safe whilst sleeping.
Good idea Dreamy, make a list of things to tell the staff.
Just reading an earlier post Ffosse and fatigue is definitely my biggest problem at the moment. I too get out of breath very quickly and next time I have my chemo, I will ask if there is anything I can take to help me. Itās now 11 days since my last chemo and Iām just beginning to feel a bit better.
Thinking of you this afternoon with your CT Scan Ffosse and isnāt your sonās appointment coming up soon Sweetie.
Yes, the fatigue is the worst part - itās being completely overwhelmed by tiredness and lack of energy plus sudden breathlessness upon activity.
My CT scan today went very smoothly - no problems at all. The worst part is having to drink that much water over a fairly short period of time. But I arrived early and was seen quickly, the procedure itself being problem-free. Nothing like as bad as an MRI scan.
Iāve got chemo tomorrow and after that, and my in hospital chemo from the 21st to 25th or so, Iāll only have 1 more chemo session on the 4th of July.
That should be it - no more procedures. The nurse I spoke with today said that the fatigue will lift sometime after the last chemo which is good news.
2 years ago I had very few symptoms from the chemo so this is new territory for me but at least I can now see the end. It seems a very long time from the beginning of February when I was first admitted. My chest infection is getting better, too so I must make sure I finish the course of antibiotics.
So has had his CT scan - Still waiting for results.
Glad you are feeling better Val.
Thanks for the update Dreamy. I will be away when you are in hospital. I may just log in to say hi. x
Good luck for tomorrow.
I had my chemo session and it went well if a little slowly. Iāve been given the injection I normally keep in my fridge and the nurse at my GPās injects me with it on Fridays.
This time, though, itās a Saturday which is a little odd. They said they would make arrangements with a community nurse to come out to my house. Iād rather not but must do as Iām told, I guess.
Also, the drugs in my dosette box look a little different - thereās still a shedload of prednisolone (steroids) but also some others that I donāt recognise including two large pink tablets I must take an hour before breakfast in the morning.
At least thatās it for this week (apart from my GP visit tomorrow which I donāt mind). The next thing will be my hospital stay from next Thursday onwards.
I bet you are glad that is over Dreamy.
Try and relax now:lol:
I will. The clinician explained to me today that the chemo causes a core weakness so it feels like nothing is supporting my back and neck outside; I was glad to get that explained to me because Iāve had terrible back and neck pain but it is just the chemo and nothing else.
Iām going to watch some TV now. Iām also buying a new sofa soon as this one is 11 years old and has sunk in several places - itās beyond fixing.
The bank holidays throw my routine out and last time I needed to have my chemo pump removed on a Sunday! The hospital arranged for the district nurse to call but half an hour after she was due, she called to ask where I was. I was supposed to go to the hospital but nobody had told me this!
A new sofa, sounds lovely.
Poor you Val, and how confusing for you.
I wouldnāt mind an update on both of you - please:lol:
Forget Sofa, get yourself a riser/recliner chair - much more comfortable and will, if you let it, in one direction, actually lift and tip you out of it. In the opposite direction you can almost lay horizontal. Iāll guarantee, if you get one, youāll manage to fall asleep watching your TV. - itās that comfortable!!!
I need a sofa for when I have company, and Iām not sure where Iād put the riser/recliner although Iād love to have one. My living-room is small. In the meantime, Iāve arranged the comfiest part of the sofa directly opposite the TV. And Iāve got the TV hooked up to my hi-fi speakers which are placed quite far apart giving a good stereo sound. (TV speakers are rubbish). Itās strange because Iād had the hi-fi for nearly a year and never used it, preferring headphones for music, so itās good to finally have a use for it. Right now Iāve got the World Cup on.
I saw my G.P. again today and she increased my pain medication once more. Iām now on 20mg tablets of Oxycodone twice a day plus the liquid if I need it. Iāve certainly been in more pain recently, perhaps because Iāve had a relatively busy week but my back and neck kill me, especially when Iām standing or walking and sometimes, when Iām sitting down, I just canāt get comfy. My sleep and appetite are fine, though.
Ward 1 phoned me and told me to forget about a nurse coming out on Saturday to give me the injection which is in my fridge, but to hold on to it and take it with me to hospital next Thursday. That makes sense though Iām not sure why I couldnāt have had my G.P.'s nurse inject me on Friday - that was what happened last time. Still, Iām finding myself a little anxious about my hospital stay - I managed fine last time (apart from the night-time biting of my drip). I must just get on with it. And Iāve got a week free from any appointments coming up; 4 days consecutively was a bit much.