Always Something New

Yesterday I went for my one week post chemo check up with my nurse practitioner, Joanna Losito. I was concerned about this appointment because I knew something had to change. I had such a terrible time with all the pain. The nausea was not fun, but the pain was so terrible and constant. I cried every night and morning wondering how I could get through another night or day. Sometimes rocking in the chair helped a little. Going out for walks were good, but sometimes I would grow so weak that we couldn’t really go far. I felt like a prisoner in a terrible nightmare, and I just wasn’t sure I could do this again. Joanna did sit down with me and went over my symptoms. We can do things like extend the steroids to help with the bone pain and try Zyrtec in place of Claritin. I felt good that there were some things to try. I am still overwhelmed about doing this again.

Another symptom that I have been dealing with since Sunday was itching in my private area. Tuesday I called in about it but they said I needed to see my general practitioner about this. When I got this Informaiton I had just arrived for my PT appointment. Mitch drove me to my appointment on this day since I had such a terrible night. We were there a bit early so we walked up to the internal medicine floor to find out that Dr Prodromou was no in that day. I took the next available doctor. Mary Marcos. We only had to wait 30 minutes after my PT appointment, so we just sat in the car and listened to a Calm app that Allie put on my phone. What a blessing this doctor was. She was passionate and thorough. It turned out that it was not a vaginal yeast infection for a skin one. So she called in a prescription. I think it is just starting to work.

Along with this I told Joanna that I wondered if I was allergic to the pain meds since I started to break out the night I took them. She took at look at the “rash” on my neck and one that I had over my shoulder blade and said that this is Shingles. I couldn’t believe it. I kept wanting to scratch it during the appointment and she kept telling me not to. It may be a lower case since I had the old shingles vaccination. How I wish I had listened to my daughter, Rachelle, a couple years ago and gotten the new one. I had asked for it on my last physical, but he said I can’t have it since I am in treatment for cancer. Mitch has helped me put cold compresses on it. That along with the meds, and it appears to be drying up.

My hands have been hurting too along my knuckles so I thought it was from all the handwashing.  Joanna took one look and said “that looks like eczema”. I started to treat it with cortisone, and it appears to be doing better.

I need to learn to call in these symptoms as they come.

After my appointment I went to Walgreens to pick up the two meds that I needed to start right away. There were only a few waiting when I arrived, so my timing was good. I knew that they may need to fill the second one, so I mentioned that I was in my nadar from chemo and was going to ask if they could call me if I waited in my car. But the pharmacist heard and said that she was doing mine right now. She came over and got mine done and I was out of there fast. It was so kind.

The evening was so hard. The itching was persistent. Worse than any other time. But I got through it and today is a bit better. I am still not comfortable, but I am making progress. Sleeping was not easy since the band to my CPAP machine goes right where the next rash has been. I took it off after a couple hours and just tried sleeping a bit elevated. Mitch slept in the other room so I could have the full bed to myself.

I just want nothing else to go wrong. PLEASE!!!!! Honestly, prayer is the only thing that really calms me down when I am emotional and overwhelmed and in great discomfort.