Last week, I wrote about adjustments I've needed to make to my training as I get further into my chemo. And, after listening to myself for a few days, things are working out so far. Last week, I did CF on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Friday, I scaled the workout a lot because I was tired, but I got through it.
Saturday, I had a busy morning, but I hoped to fish or walk the dog later in the day. To be honest, I slept in to start the day. Then, went to the farmer's market, got some other groceries, got some dog food, and came home to put everything away. Then, I took a nap.
I woke up from my nap about 4;30 and decided that walking the dog was more important than fishing. The rivers were high and cold anyway. So, I put the leash on the dog and headed out, only to discover that it had just started raining. Rhodesian Ridgebacks hate rain. Well, most of them do, mine included. So, Saturday became a rest day.
On Sunday, I had family coming over for dinner, and I did sleep in again, but I had time for my wife and I to get out with the dog for a while. Not a super long walk - just short of an hour - but it was good for everyone involved.
Then, I spent the rest of the day cooking. I guess I will always wonder how the magnum of 2013 Bourgogne Rouge from Montanet-Thoden I opened for dinner tasted. With chemo scheduled for Monday, I didn't have any of the wines that we opened, although I was very curious about the red wine and it was my only bottle.
On Monday, chemo went just fine. I got some time with my medical oncologist and we talked a little bit about her conversation with Sloan Kettering, and we talked a bit about pain control. She wrote me a new prescription for pain medication and offered to take over all of my pain meds from my primary care provider if I would prefer to do things that way.
I think that my pain medicine is a pain (pun intended) for my primary control provider. She is a mid-level provider, so her prescriptions for opiates are certainly scrutinized by her supervising provider. And, I'm an unusual patient for her - way more complex than the average patient seen by a PA. I consider her to be more qualified than a typical PA, mostly because she also has a Ph.D. in the nursing field, and I like her alot, but it might be easier for her if I move my pain management to my oncologist. So, I'll think about that.
A few hours after chemo, I was in the gym and feeling pretty good. I had my best workout in the past couple weeks too. My squats were the same as the last few Mondays, but they felt pretty easy compared to the past couple weeks. My wife was training behind me and commented that my squat depth was very good (for me). Part of this was that I was lifting enough weight to push myself down deep, but not so much that I was afraid I'd get stuck in the bottom, so I was able to work through the whole range of motion pretty well.
The main workout was rope jumping, air squats and power cleans. I modified the number of reps on each, and got through the workout better than expected, in about 7:25. I'm glad I scaled a bit, but I probably could have done a bit more.
Today is my last day for this cycle taking 8 mg of dexamethasone per day, so I'm guessing I'll feel good enough to do CF again tonight. My primary goal right now is to get 4 CF workouts in the next 9 work days. If I can do that, I'll end up with 10 CF workouts in the 20 business days in April. All things considered, I'd consider that to be a pretty decent month. Not quite as good as the previous three months, but all things considered, I will be happy if I pull it off.
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