OK, I am officially tired of being a chemo patient. Only about thirty hours into this and the routine has gotten old. A lot of the things I was told to expect in the first couple of days have already come true. Some not quite the way I had expected.
I am tired all the time. The doctors were correct about that. And I do sleep all the time. What I didn't realize is that it would only be for about an hour at a time. All night it would be fall asleep, wake up an hour later. Stay awake miserable and tired for ten minutes or so, then fall asleep again. And again, for only an hour. And it isn't just at night, it's all the time. I just get incredibly tired during the day and fall asleep. Waking up and I think that's OK, I have finally gotten my share of rest, then I look at the clock, and it's only been about an hour. I think the atomic clock should call me to check their accuracy. Luckily, I usually manage to fall asleep just when there is something I really wanted to watch on TV. This gives me the opportunity to see it new all over again when it gets repeated sometime next month or whenever! Not that I am getting bitter about all of this or anything.
Why I am not sleeping well? Have you ever had a big Italian meal, fallen asleep on the couch right after, and woke up with that overwhelming garlicy/metallic taste in your mouth? Yeah, that's been my life for about the past twenty four hours. Not just after I wake up, but also when I take a deep breath, when I cough or sneeze, or sometimes even when I blink. I swear it is that taste that has been waking me up. Luckily, that should end sometime tomorrow or early Monday.
The nauseousness should end about the same time. The medicine they gave me works great for five hours! The only problem is I can only take it every six hours. At least the when my stomach starts shaking like an unbalanced washing machine on a Harley, I know it's about time to take my next pill. The related side effect has come true as well. You get hyper sensitive to smells...and tastes. Something may smell soooo good, then you taste it and it's just "blah". I ate a slice of my favorite cheese and it tasted like I was eating a hunk of wax. The basenjis enjoy that side effect because it usually leads to more treats for them. But there is one more side effect that is just the icing on the cake that smells good that I don't want to eat....
Chemo patients mouths start drying out. You aren't allowed to use any conventional mouthwash because it can just cause your mouth to dry out more, so what do you do? You rinse with water and salt! Yes, when you are already nauseous nothing will get your hunger back like gagging on salt water. The recommendation is that you rinse with the salt water gagger every two hours when you're awake and every four to six when you are asleep!!! So if I do happen to get a good night's sleep I am supposed to wake up in the middle of it to gag?!?!
Oh well, at least I am on the healing road. This is the last major challenge in my treatment, so I am glad that when all of the insomnia, gagging, gargling, and garlic taste ends, my cancer journey should be a lot easier. Well, I think I will make this a shorter one today. I am sure it's about time to gargle-gag and take a nap, and judging by the way my stomach is dancing, it's also about an hour away from my next pill too.
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