Climbing out of the abyss

I started my second cycle of chemo last Friday.  Regretfully, this round hit me harder than the first time through, and it's been a tough week.  Part of the problem was that I had concert tickets for this past Monday night, and on a night where I should have been resting, I was at SPAC in Saratoga, NY seeing Dead and Company.

Ever since then, I've been playing catch-up on my sleep, and struggling to get by at work.  But, day by day, things have been getting better.  Today is the first day I've even considered going to the gym in the past week, although I'm guessing I'm going to opt for rest instead.

I was due for another infusion today - the less toxic drug only.  But, somehow the hospital screwed up and didn't get the drug in stock, so they had to delay things until Monday.  That means I don't get the weekend to rest and recover right after the chemo.  But, because it's the less toxic drug, I'm hoping I'll feel pretty decent next week, even with the infusion on Monday rather than Friday.

I did talk to the hospital a few times this week.  I've honestly felt so bad that I barely made it to work a few days this week.  I was hoping there was something that could be done to alleviate the fatigue and nausea.  They couldn't really help for this round, but they have some ideas going forward.

Today, the hospital finally got back to me on those issues, and they want me to really focus on taking more of a steroid next round, plus more medical marijuana.  I've been nauseated, unable to eat, and not sleeping well despite being tired.  My doctor is convinced that the medical MJ will make a big difference if I can just get that down the next time around.  So, we have a plan for the next round.  This is the first time ever that my doctor has actively advised using marijuana.  She never flinches when it's time to sign for my medical MJ card, but she's never really advocated for its use either.  This time, she is actively suggesting that I use it more.  So, I will.

Hopefully, by not having chemo today, I'll feel better this weekend.  It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend, and I'm hoping my wife and I will get out and do some fishing.  Plus, we have our normal weekend trip to the farmers' market and some lawn work to do.

Other than that, life moves on.  I'm just trying to have as much fun as possible, take care of my body, and make sure I can handle the demands of work.  It's been a tough week, but I made it through.  Hopefully the next two weeks will be much better.

Here's a link to an interesting article that I read this week.  While the author has a completely different illness than I have, I really identified with the article.