Day 3 Second Chemo Round - Managing Side Effects

Going through the various chemo rounds is a learning process on what to expect and how to manage the side effects. I guess I can also say that I remember some side effects from 5 years ago, such as losing my hair. I continue to lose a lot of hair each day. I've been blessed with very thick hair so it isn't looking patchy yet. I just look like my hair has been thinned by the hair dresser. It is a bit of a downer to have to shake out my pillowcase each morning.

I learned from my first chemo round how to deal with this nausea which is more severe than I had 5 years ago. Today, I've managed to keep it under control by using the prochlorperazine (supplemental anti-nausea meds). I have also learned that I need to keep my hydration up which is a challenge when you fall asleep for 2 hours which equals about 4 glasses of liquid that needs to be made up later. I also learned from the first round of chemo how to get the 10 Dexamethasone pills down each morning. Today, I used my Activia Yogurt Vanilla flavour to get the pills down. I put a small amount of yogurt on the tip of the teaspoon and stuck 2 pills into it then topped it up with more yogurt. They slipped down without dissolving and I enjoyed my yogurt. The yogurt also helps balance out my stomach with all the fast growing stomach cells being killed off by the chemo.

Today, I think I managed my side effects well. I'm also making sure that I'm eating the foods that will hopefully help to keep my white blood cell counts up along with the protein to keep my red blood cell counts and platelets up. I will also continue to include ingredients in my diet that will help to battle thrush. For the foreseeable future, everything that I eat and drink will have no "empty" reasons. They will be foods that will help boost my system. Here's hoping it will work.

Today, I had a small amount of time where my brain was struggling to make sense of things. Part of this is the side effect of the Dexamethasone that makes my act like I've had a large dose of caffeine. I did find that when I went for my nap this afternoon, my brain was a little more clear afterwards.

So in the scheme of things, today was an OK day. Here's hoping that I can keep from sinking into the dark pit in the next two to three days.