FEELIN' OKAY SO NOT THINKIN' ABOUT LYMPHOMA MUCH (REALLY)

Friday, April 17, 2020

I'm pushing myself to write in my blog more frequently. Part of my writing splurge is the desire to share my Lymphoma experience and the recent spate of entries may have been fueled by steroids. One of the reasons I chose to move my experience is to share more freely the specific drugs I may be taking, reacting to the drugs, as well as my general state of being. Another reason is I don't trust Facebook to stop selling my/our info to my/our enemies and thieves.

Those of you who may have linked to my blog earlier may notice I have pulled a couple postings about impermanence. They need some work.

7:30 PM

Finishing up today's post as to how the day has gone so far. Waking up, more specifically getting out of bed, I felt a slight tug in the left stomach area, which led me to believe I have an exact location of where the B cell is hiding out. My left side and near the lower end of the rib-resection surgery where it is still numb to the touch. There was resistance to taking a deep breath, but I laid in bed taking slow deep breaths to break through the resistance and I did. The resistance was very mild, minimal. Since then breathing hasn't been an issue.  Sleep quality was questionable. The dexamethasone, steroid, really effects sleep start. Last night I went to bed around midnight, but it may have been another 2 hours, or more, before I actually attempted sleep. Groggy this morning, but I took my steroids relatively early(11 AM, which is probably not early to some folks), which requires something in the stomach, so a half bagel preceded the ingestion of my steroids. Slowly, but surely, the steroids kicked in. A second drug I am concerned about is levofloxacin. Some of the side effects are tendon pain, nerve problems, peripheral neuropathy (I have mild tingling in my thumb tip, in my index finger tip, and mild tingling in my middle finger tip) sleep issues, and definite muscle instability not preventing walking, but a definitely mild unstableness. The muscle instability not comfortable to experience, psychologically.  I did take a walk with Lizzie down to the river. Went slow down the hill and even slower going back up the hill. I haven't done much exercise since then due to my sense of instability. Yesterday, Dameon and I walked to the mail box and then back past my home into the forest at the end of the lane almost to its end, then back home. Approximately a mile round trip. Most walking or any exercise I have done in a while. Perhaps today was my body telling me I needed a rest day.  I have wound the cranky meter up a few times. Most of the crankiness was cursing under my breath. I take the Levofloxacin every day in the morning. I took my last dexamethasone dosage, 40 mg/dose(8-5 mg pills per dosage), this morning. Sleep aid and sleepy time tea with Ganja butter to combat the sleep issues.  No real pain issues throughout the day.

Next chemo session is this coming Tuesday, 4/10, Day 8, in Cycle 2, and no steroids before and after, yay.  Two days later, 4/10, I inject myself with Zarxio to combat neutropenia, low white blood cell count. Neutropenia has not been much of an issue for me throughout treatment. During the chemo cycles white blood cell production predictively decreases around day 10 of the 21 day treatment cycle, so the Zarxio is injected, by me, to promote white blood cell growth in order to fight off infection.

Until next time, PEACE OUT.