Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday June 18th; hot and humid

Okay Kit, you asked for it; I have changed some of the look of this blog page and checked out Photo Booth again. I find it hard to take good shots with it, but there it is. So here are a couple of shots for you, but I'm not putting the wig back on tonight; it gave me a headache today.

I woke up with the headache, actually, probably from the pollen and mold in the air. I had it under control for most of the day, down to a dull throb in my left forehead, but late afternoon it really ramped up again. Taking the wig off helped, some homeopathic remedies helped more, and a large slice of watermelon kicked it's butt. I'm feeling better now.

Dave thinks the headache stemmed from me getting overheated today, and it's possible. It's in the mid 90s here right now, and although we have had some short, cooling storms each afternoon over the last few days, it was blazingly hot as I walked to the car after work this afternoon, and then Dave and I went out shopping for a couple of hours. Each time we got back in the car, it took a few minutes to cool down and it feels like the body banks some of that heat. I don't mind being hot, but the humidity is wilting. And whatever part of it led to the headache, I could live without that.

Mouth sores are a Chemo symptom that patients are warned about; so far, I haven't had that, just the on and off oral neuralgia - mouth and tongue pain - that I have had for a couple of years now. It's actually been somewhat better lately. But yesterday and the day before I had some bumps inside my cheeks and lips...they sort of felt like warts rather than blisters...very annoying but not painful. But today they seem to be gone. Maybe it was an allergic reaction to something I ate. I'm sure it would be wise for me to write down everything that passes my lips, but so far, I haven't been doing that. Yeah, I really ought to. I might be surprised to see how much or how little of the foods I know are best for me I'm actually consuming.

When I committed to the Chemo experience, I set my goals at a level I thought I could manage: go to work, walk my dog, write my blog. And I'm pretty much doing that, writing and dog-walking almost every day, going to work 5 days a week. And keeping a more active social life and more household activities than I expected to. So far, so good. I even got to do some massages the other night, which felt really good. I love my work. But I am definitely not as high-energy as I expect I would be were I not undergoing this chemical regime. Or maybe it's an over-50 thing. Maybe I've been under-rested for years and now that I'm giving in to the need, I'm more aware of needing it. Whatever. I had a few nights of not sleeping well (took half an Atavan the last 2 nights to help, and it did), but in general I'm getting a lot of rest. Will nap this weekend, in between gardening, cooking, housework, etc.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Girl you rock!! I know firsthand how debilitating this all can be and from the sound of things you are doing great. I think of you often Adie and send you lots of love.

Caryn

klactu_barada_nicto said...

Wow... gotta say that I truly like the zero hair shot! Much better than the short hair. It seems as if, for the first time, all of your true beauty shines through! Pure and undisturbed by the whims of hairstyle and color and makeup.

Thanks for sharing. Hope that you will continue to update your pix as the days roll on.

And hey, you are entitled to a headache or two. Your vessel is getting blasted by all these chemicals in addition to the challenge of daily life stuff.

Proud that you are already looking at the seeds of equivalent benefit of this journey. As you know, fear is living in the future, and you seem more in the 'now' than ever before. Keep shining.