Another guest blog today. It has been an up and down day, with unfortunately more down than up. Stine was awake at 0500 and feeling quite hot, and we removed the 5-FU bag mid-morning. This cycle has hit Stine the hardest with quite a bit of pain and what she is calling “chemo head” where she has severe headaches and what I call mental “swimming.” She got up for a bit in the afternoon to do some gardening, which Chess…
I will be your guest blogger today as Stine is feeling a bit weak. Heading into a chemotherapy cycle is like driving into a tunnel. It will be dark, you want to slow-down, and there simply isn’t anything you can do but go forward. Outside of Norwegian tunnels there is a sign that lets you know the tunnel length, so you get a bit of an idea how long you are going to be underground. In Stine’s case, we now…
Just another quick update: Stine is doing better today, but is still quite tired. However, she managed to make it for a walk around the block with Chess and Benjamin and has been eating. There is no pain in her arm or wrist and she hasn’t unintentionally flipped me the bird today, so she is back in control of her finger. Maybe with a bit of luck she can post tomorrow.
The last 24 hours have been pretty difficult for Stine. Her fatigue is greater and her taste has changed so that many foods are bitter- including the Soylent. This is making the nutritional aspect more difficult. Thankfully, her sensitivity to cold is starting to wear off though, so she can now drink room-temperature water (she was really beginning to hate tepid drinks). The rash is gone and she has no lockjaw. We removed the 5-FU pump in the afternoon so I…
Just a brief update on how Stine is getting along midway through her first 48-hour cycle of chemotherapy. She slept adequately last night and her appetite is good (she was just mowing down some “Chicken In A Biskit” topped with a sprayable canned cheese, “Easy Cheese & Bacon”). Her taste buds are sensitive to spicy foods and the bitter flavors are enhanced. She is still quite sensitive to cold- all of her “cold” beverages are heated to 105F in a…