Hair Woes

Well the day has arrived. This morning when I got out of the shower, my hair was uncharacteristically tangled. When I finally got the first tangle out, it came with a large clump of hair. Everything I read about hair loss said that it would happen about 2-3 weeks after the first chemo. For me it has hit exactly 14 days after my first chemo. Not sure how well you can see in this picture, but I combed my hair later in the day today and as you can see, the hair is still falling out at an alarming rate.

So, we are off on a new adventure of hats, scarves and turbans. I’ll take some pics to post here in the next few days or so.

A little work accomplished

Today went fairly well I made it to work and saw my first client. My second client was in home and I felt too lightheaded to drive but as it turned out they needed to cancel. So I went home and laid down for a few hours. I was able to get up and do a little puttering around the house off and on. I feel a lot better than I did but still nowhere near 100%. I expect the curve to continue upward though.

Latest Chemo Side Effects

This is Sheri’s mom, on a cruise, attempting to post updates for her.

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Written 9/18/2023 8:41PM
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Well, I managed to get myself to work today. I’m extremely exhausted, weak and moving very slowly. I was able to see 3 clients in the office, then 1 at their home before I had to end my day. I had to call off on one client. I’m not going to be up to my early client tomorrow either.

I have a bone scan tomorrow at 1100 and when it’s done so is my day. I will try to rest.

So far, the flushing and sleeplessness has resolved but now I have the gut upset, exhaustion, and bone pain. The bone pain is from the shot I get the day after chemo that stimulates WBC production.

Hoping I’ll feel a little better tomorrow and more so by Wednesday. Just taking it day by day right now. It’s so surrreal!!

Thanks for listening! 

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Written 9/19/2023 5:04PM
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Today I had a bone scan to get done so I had to get up and shower. That was difficult. I am still exhausted and having bone pain. The Advil takes care of the worst of the bone pain, so that’s good. My bone scan was at 11:00 and I’ve been resting since. I don’t feel too bad as long as I don’t try to exert myself. I have company on the bed with me~ [photo of Sheri with her pup]

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Written 9/23/2023 1:37PM
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Two days ago I had to go to the ER due to having a fever and sore throat. Both the Covid test and the strep throat test were negative. All my labs came back at expected levels for where I am in the chemo cycle. I had an appointment with the oncology PA yesterday (Thank goodness for Zoom!!). She gave me a prescription med for the diarrhea and two doses this morning seems to have knocked it out. The abdominal cramping continues. The PA said it should resolve as the diarrhea resolves. It makes it very hard to move because that’s when it hurts. It hurts to roll over in bed and to pull/push myself to a sitting position.

The exhaustion seems to be getting better slowly. I’m not sleeping as much during the day and when I’m awake and laying in bed, I can hold my phone for more than just a minute or so. The PA encouraged me to drink more fluids and that would help resolve the fatigue. So far today I managed a 20 ounce container of tea and a protein shake and am switching to water now. I’m trying really hard to drink more because I know I need it but it’s hard when things taste weird.

I really hope I can make it to church in the morning. Just because I want to go but also it’ll be like a test run for Monday, being able to be out and about.

The bone density test I had on Tuesday came back showing I have osteopenia so we may have to adjust my chemo or treatment meds to account for that. Also, I need to take more Vitamin D than I was taking so Kenn got some from Walmart when he picked up my prescription.

Thank you all!!

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9/25/2023 10:07PM
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Went into the doctor’s today for some extra IV fluids and labs. They’ve scheduled me to come into the office for both of my non chemo weeks, for extra IV fluids. Not sure what lab work was drawn.

It took the whole weekend with the new meds to control the diarrhea but it seems much better now. I still have the abdominal cramping, hoping that resolves soon too. I have much more energy (though nowhere near normal). Managed to go with Kenn to get the calcium supplements I need, but had to stop and rest several times. And I move so slow!! It’s crazy.

Will try to update tomorrow about how the day goes. Thanks!

Tomorrow I hope to be back at work. It’s only 2 clients so it should be an easier way to ease back into the flow.

Chemo #1 side effects

Well, I was doing good with very mild side-effects until about half-way through the day today. My face was flushed and I had a mild headache, indigestion, and dry mouth. All very tolerable and manageable. This afternoon though, the fatigue has set in. I’ve sIept on and off since 230. I finally took some migraine medicine (can’t take Tylenol right now due to elevated liver levels) and got rid of the headache. I’m attempting to post this from my phone while lying in bed. I’ve had chills, plus I’m still flushed from the steroid. The flushing should go away tomorrow.

In good news, I got this lovely scarf from a charity that uses the scarfs to share women’s stories of their cancer journeys. You use the scarf until you’re done, then send it back along with your story and the charity cleans it and sends it to another person. Here are a few pictures ~

So, that was my cheery item yesterday. Today has been a day of rest. I’m hoping and praying I’ll feel up to working tomorrow. Thank you for your support!!