🎵Del Amitri – Nothing Ever Happens (https://youtu.be/TxbIU0X-lCI?si=bnL0kjPYSpXdzDvb)
Just a quick check-in today because nothing’s really happened, and i’ve not done anything daft this week (if I have, I can’t remember it, which probably means the chemo brain is kicking in).
I’ve been doing okay generally, although Friday was an absolute write-off and I was pretty much in bed 24/7 with really bad aches and pains and no energy whatsoever. If I was a battery, or the Duracell Bunny, I reckon I was running on about 1%, and possibly 0.5% by the end of it. Definitely flashing red and desperately in need of a charger.
Thankfully I picked up again after all the sleep, and actually managed a lovely weekend. Went for my bloods, had brunch at Albert’s, then managed a decent walk on Sunday and some time for wine at the pub too. So considering Friday’s spectacular collapse, I did pretty well.
And then today… CHEMO NUMBER EIGHT!🥳
Which means there is now only one more of these weekly ones left to go. Next Monday is number nine and then this first chapter is done before we then move on to the next lot.
Obviously, it couldn’t all go completely smoothly. At the start today a nurse put the cannula into my hand and when the pre-meds started going through it really, really, really hurt 😞. My natural instinct was to sit there and be brave, but I told the husband who in turn told me to stop being an idiot and actually tell somebody.
Good job I did. My hand had started swelling up and apparently the vein had blown! FFS. 😳
Cannula out, ten-minute pause, another lovely nurse found me a decent vein and off we went again. Note to self and tip for anyone going through chemo: when something hurts like hell during the chemo, mention it rather than attempting some stupid display of northern gal stoicism.
The other ongoing excitement is my skin. The rash that had started a little bit the week before came back with a vengeance after last week’s chemo. My arms are covered in red blotches and my hands have been particularly bad, all swollen, red and generally looking pretty horrible. Good job it’s getting to long sleeves weather!
The antihistamines they gave me originally didn’t touch it, despite taking them up to four times a day, so today I’ve been given a different one (fexofenadine 120mg) to take just once a day. Fingers crossed this one persuades my skin to calm itself down.
I also need to give a special mention to lovely Chris C, who I worked with at Very many moons ago and who has very kindly made me two gorgeous woolly hats with pink flowers. I think they’re crocheted rather than knitted, but apologies Chris as I am useless at anything involving wool, needles, hooks or general crafting. Chris thinks with the pink trim you on the top it looks a bit like an areola but it kind of makes me love it even more! 😂
So that’s chemo #8 done ☑️
A flat battery, blown vein, an itchy rash, lovely hats and not a lot else to report.
See? Nothing ever happens around here. 😂
Eight down. One weekly one to go.
Love you all loads.
Sam xx
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