So, I thought since I haven't really addressed any of those questions I would do so today. Just to give you an idea of how my week runs while on interferon treatment. As a side note, I do have one more week left of treatment. I was supposed to be done last week but had a week off since my white blood cell count was too low (like really low). That was one fabulous week!
Anyway - here you go:
This is what happens everyday.
At noon, I take 2 Tylenol. Pretty exciting.
At 12:30, my bestie's mom brings me to the hospital. We get there at 1:00 and I check myself in. Sheryl (my fabulous nurse) then comes out, gives me a really big hug and leads me back to start my treatment. On the way there (the walk there is short) she asks me how I'm feeling and if there is anything new the nurses need to know about. Then, I get comfy in their many recliners and she gets me all set up. They hook me up to an IV through my PICC line with 1000 mL of saline. Since I usually get fevers with this treatment, they want to make sure I am well hydrated. After about an hour, I am given a drug called Indicin - it's like an ibuprofen. Then, they start the interferon treatment which is hooked up to an IV. It takes about 15-20 minutes. After that, they finish up my 1000 mL of saline and off I go. We usually get out of there at 3:00-3:15.
Now, this is what I feel like Monday - Friday.
Monday: I get my blood drawn so they can check on those vital things they need to check to make sure I'm healthy enough to have the treatment. No, it doesn't hurt. I have a PICC line in my arm - it's like a semi permanent IV that is threaded through the vein in my arm all the way to the heart. Super cool. Can't wait to get it out. Showering is a challenge. Heck, showering has been a challenge since I had surgery in May. Anyway, after we get the results back, they start the treatment. This past Monday, about halfway through the interferon going in me, my bum started to hurt. Crap. That's my fever trigger. Then, about 10 or so minutes later, my muscles start getting all tense and all I do is stretch. It's really weird. I feel like a cat with all the stretching I do. But, that's my body's response to my muscles going a little haywire with the treatment. By the time we leave, I'm pretty wiped. But, not wiped out enough to go to Costco this past Monday. I love that place. It loves my wallet too. After getting home, I'm feeling achy and my temp is at 100.0 degrees F. Yuck. I take 2 more Tylenol and then two hours later I take 2 ibuprofen and two hours later 2 Tylenol...then when it's time for bed I take 2 Adavan so I can sleep.
Tuesday: This past Tuesday was BAAAAAAD. Usually when I take Tylenol and Ibuprofen every two hours it keeps my symptoms at bay. My body had another plan. Instead of the meds lowering my temp, my temp kept getting higher. I was miserable. I was hoping to sleep it off but my body wouldn't let me. Grrrr...it can be really frustrating. My skin hurts from the fever and I get really tired. By 10:00 that night, my temp was finally back down to normal. Thank goodness.
Wednesday-Friday: The rest of the week is usually really good. Besides feeling annoyingly tired I don't get the aches and the fevers on these days. Thank goodness. Really thank goodness.
Other random side effects: Muscle fatigue (which I have dubbed "noodlyness"), loss of appetite, loss of taste (those two suck - I love to eat so that made me sad), loss of focus (I couldn't read or watch t.v. I couldn't focus long enough to enjoy it).
As for the random questions:
No - I will not be losing my hair.
Emotionally I can be a train wreck. One of the side effects of this treatment is depression. Yay... I never thought I would even say this but I'm grateful that I have experienced post partum depression after my last 3 kids. Otherwise I totally think I would go bonkers right now. I recognize the signs of depression and that helps. It's dumb and frustrating but it won't always be like this.
My kids are doing well. My two oldest, T and E, have really stepped up their game. I am so proud of them and feel guilty as well. Their summer was fun but was spent helping me take care of their younger siblings. They also learned how to cook eggs, ramen noodles and macaroni cheese. There was a point during the summer that T was in charge of making sure K ate breakfast and lunch and E made sure his little brother, I, ate breakfast and lunch. They thought it was cool at first. Then it got old but they carried on. Seriously - Jeremy and I have really awesome kids and we feel very blessed and humbled by them.
As for my husband - he's my favorite super hero of all time. If you want to know how to selflessly serve others without complaint - come spend a week at my house and watch my handsome husband. I really don't know how he does it. He's basically been a single parent since my surgery in May. Yet, he makes sure I get the rest I need. He sleeps with our youngest sometimes at night so she doesn't climb into our bed and wake me up. He rubs my back. He cozies up to me when I get the shakes from the fever so I can get warm. He makes us dinner. He takes all 4 kids to church, BY HIMSELF, so I can get some much needed rest without any interruption. And, he's TIRED. I can't wait to be done so we can go back to being a mom and dad team again. I love that guy!
Well, that's that. One more week. I can honestly say this has been the longest 4 weeks EVER. But, I'm almost done. Then another journey of the treatment begins. I'll just continue to take one day at a time. Thank you all for your love, friendship, prayers and thoughts. It really does mean a lot to me. So, thank you!
Me and E standing in front his artwork at the Cancer Care Center
