Sunday, February 12, 2012

Post Chemo Update

Hi All – I am sorry for the late update, as many of you have been wondering how I’ve been feeling since my first chemo treatment on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

I am happy to report that I’ve been doing very well and have experienced minimal side effects. After Wednesday's chemo, I went back to work and was a bit wired for the rest of the evening due to the steroids. On Thursday, I woke up feeling pretty good and had my Neulasta shot (It boosts my white blood cells.) that afternoon. I hung out with my nurse for a bit talking about our children, constipation, and gripe water (Yes – I know, what an interesting topic). Once the nurse administered the shot, I asked if I would experience any side effects and she said – perhaps “bone pain.” This obviously startled me – I have no idea what “bone pain” feels like…“What?!?! Bone Pain? What does that mean?” She explained as best as she could, but I still wasn’t convinced. After a few seconds of contemplation – I looked at her and said “Well, I’d rather have bone pain than cancer, so it’s OK.” She laughed and we continued with our in-depth conversation about constipated babies.

Some other side effects I’ve experienced:

** Blurry Vision – Thursday, Friday, and early Saturday. It has now subsided.
** Foggy Mind – Friday and early Saturday.
** Lower Back Achiness – Saturday and Sunday. I assume this is what my nurse means by “bone pain.” Well, it’s not bad at all. It just feels like I have a small dose of the flu. Something, I can certainly handle.

On Saturday, my dear friend and Yoga extraordinaire, Kelli, came over. We practiced different yoga techniques and meditation. After our hour long session, I felt 100% better – mentally and physically. (If anyone is interested, I will ask her to write down exactly what Yoga styles we do during each session as they do differ depending on how I feel that day.) This past Saturday, we focused on a lymph node cleansing technique. We were doing back bends, headstands (I’ve never seen someone do such a graceful headstand in my life – she literally looked like a flower blooming. However, I will not comment on what my headstand looked like as there are no words to describe it – “flower” and “blooming” it was not).

At the end of the session, we attempted restorative yoga. I highly recommend this therapeutic style of yoga to anyone who is seeking mind and body relaxation. (If anyone is interested, I have provided the link for Flow Yoga in Leesburg, VA – http://www.gowithityoga.com. Please search for Restorative Yoga with Kelli Audibert.)

So far my first treatment has went rather smoothly. I know that I cannot realistically expect the remaining five treatments to be the same, but I can only hope for the best and continually remind myself – this too shall pass.

2 comments:

  1. You are such a strong person, and how awesome to share your experiences and pass on healing techniques with everyone! I have you in my thoughts and prayers all the time!

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  2. So glad you are doing well. I picture you at home doing yoga. My yoga instructor says that yoga is not suppose to be pretty. That you are to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk. And if you fall that's ok. Thinking of you tonight and praying for you.

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