Week of Sept. 28 Update - feeling ok and 17 treatments to go

gratitude from the questions at each appointment/call:

State Health Plan:

Do you have someone to take care of you? (yes!)

Do you live in a safe home?(yes)

Can you cover your medical bills and prescription costs? (yes)

Neuropsych:

Are you happy? (Yes)

Do you feel that you still have things to look forward to? (so much!)

Physical Therapists:

Do you have any numbness on your left side? (no)

Can you bathe yourself and generally take care of yourself? (yes)

Current side effects of treatment, in order from most frustrating to least:

My drunk left side:

It's slow, uncoordinated, and I walk to the left. I’ve been assured that this functionality will return once I finish treatment. I had a false sense of progress before I started treatment when stuff was starting to work better, but they had warned that it would get worse before better, as the radiation causes additional swelling. And I’m in the thick of it right now - 12 more chemo pills and 18 more radiation treatments (October 21 - Last Treatment!), though the effects will likely remain for a few weeks after radiation concludes. Needless to say, it's very frustrating to send signals to your limbs and they just don't respond the way they should.

PT started last week, and its going to be a very frustrating yet necessary endeavor.

Though, one of my frustrations in this yesterday was not being able to clip my heart rate monitor, then I realized that Im still able to get on the peloton most days, so I need to consider it a win to clip in.

My bald spot:

Something else they said may happen….I’ve had some tender spots where the radiation enters and yesterday, I noticed some hair loss in the shower. I’m not too bugged by it at the moment, as it will likely grow back and its nothing I have control over, so best not to focus on it.

Fatigue:

My fatigue is noticeably increased and she said it will likely continue for awhile. My PT, Annalise, says that radiation is the gift that keeps on giving! :)

Nausea:

So far, only one nauseous day.. Luckily, my ever vigilant care-taker has dialed in my anti-nausea plan with med timing and oatmeal. He also cleaned my bathroom today from top to bottom, does my PT with me (even though Im not the most pleasant while doing it). Brad is my hero❤️.

Countdown begins:

17 radiation treatments to go!

9 chemo pills left in the first round (of daily chemo)

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