June 22
8:00 trouble waking. I’m so tired. Rough night up and down. Strange dream (building some kind of structure…) The alarm sounds and I wake. Missed texts from Joe & Jordon – both checking on me and letting me know they’re praying for me. My heart smiles. Sit up and instantly start coughing and needing to blow nose. Need to use restroom as well. Lft nostril starting to bleed. Ugh. Decide to spray saline rinse up nose both sides to see if it’ll help. It’s helps me expel more green mucus. Yuck. Nose stops bleeding. Coughing up junk too. Coughing fit lasts thirty minutes or so. I’m exhausted now and back hurts. Headache. Morning meds and vitamins taken.
Psalm 121:7-8; 1 Kings 15;
How trauma gets trapped in your gutt
12:00 decided to go get few groceries. Rae helped. Wore out from shopping. Had to rest for quite a while. Decided to go lay down in bed. Ended up having phone be active. Rested but never able to fall asleep. A neighbor called to check on me. Gave her quick update. She wanted to know if I was losing my hair yet. She bought some head covers never wore them and wants to give them to me. Just need to send a kid down to get them. Told her I would.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/chemo-side-effects-natural-remedies-88901
1045 falling asleep while journaling. Body aches from head to toes. Sinuses are. Periodic coughing. nerves stinging. Low back aches. Neck hurts. Headache. Port area still sore. Rt ear throbbing.
Praise
1. Starting to feel little better
2. Able to make dinner without help
3. God’s love
June 23
7:22 woke from strange nightmare. I heard a noise and suddenly woke out of sleep. Ugh! I always seem to wake just as the dreams get good. Woke to a coughing fit and needed to use restroom. Sinuses congested. Throat hurts slightly. Lips chapped. Bad headache. Body stiff and achy. Nerves in legs and feet stinging. Used saline nasal spray to help loosen mucus in nasal passages. Taking Excedrin for the bad headache. I kind of want to rearrange my bedroom to make going to bathroom easier for myself after chemo sessions, but I know that might be too much for me to handle right now. Able to take Dezirae to get her awards, bank run, go to store to get her snacks for camp next week. That wore me out. Chose to work on bulletin for Sunday, made couple phone calls regarding home management, updated medicine chart for Dr appt tomorrow, worked on VBS things.
4:15 Lost track of time. Need to leave soon for church.
6:23 Mom called to let me know that she wasn’t going to make it tonight because Dad wasn’t feeling well and she didn’t feel like she should leave him by himself. I told her whatever she decided that it was okay. We talked a bit. She asked about the chemo session tomorrow and let me know that I was loved and that they supported me.
6:45 Reni came in for church. She started talking with Dezirae. She then abruptly asked while peaking under her safety sunglasses (she got her eyes dilated today) Mrs Melissa did you get your hair cut? I promptly replied, “Yes.” I asked if she wanted to know why. She shook her head yes. I proceeded to tell her while giving her a side hug that I’m starting chemo tomorrow and the Dr said I’ll probably lose my hair and go bald. So I’m losing my hair my way. She giggled.
6:59 Joe asks if I’m up to playing piano tonight. I tell him I don’t know. He says no are you or aren’t you. I told him I won’t know until I try. Playing piano my rt collar bone starts throbbing. My collar bone feels swollen. Did too much lifting today. Joe starting series on stewardship. His first stop the body and mind. Goes a little long, but I don’t mind. Have difficulty taking notes during business mtg. Brain not cooperating. Have to have Joe repeat things for me to understand what to write. We chuckle but it’s quite frustrating. We work through it. After church, decided to finish putting up the patriotic decor. Dezirae helped. I couldn’t reach to put up the banners on either side of baptistry so Joe helps. It’s nice having tall family members. Hehe.
Reach out to a friend to ask ministry advise. I know it’s late, but I need to keep all of me healthy so I need advise. It’s kind of lengthy and I don’t expect answer until tomorrow. Throat is coated white. Throat feels swollen. Still have a lingering cough. Slight congestion. Collar bone aches. Port area aches. Hands swollen and throbbing. Low back throbbing. Legs ache deeply. Lower left leg tourniquet tightening feeling with tingling to foot. Feet tingling and freezing. Nerves stinging. Slight headache. Head kind of chilly tingling. Rt side throat hurts where tubing to port is present.
Thankful for…
1. Able to attend church tonight.
2. Met my 2nd goal in losing 35lbs. My weight is now what it was prior to the lightning strike.
3. I can pray
4. My Mom and Dad are going to support my decisions about treatment.
June 24
5:00 woke needing to use restroom.
1 Kings 15:25-16:34; 2 Chronicles 17; 2 Thessalonians 3:3;
Took morning meds and vitamins. Drank morning juice. Put dinner in crockpot – swedish meatballs.
7:07 applied emla cream to port area and covered with press-n-seal Saran wrap. Saran wrap doesn’t want to stick to my skin. It’s just making my skin itch.
8:00 check in at Dr office.
8:40 finally called back for blood work. Asked nurse for copy of results. She said it’d take about 20 minutes and she’d bring it to me in the room. Back in waiting area. Not sure what’s taking so long my appointment time was at 8:15.
8:50 finally called back to chemo treatment area. Weight 189. Able to make nurse smile 😊
Someone suggested that I get a chemo port pillow for the car. I researched the pillows and cringed at how expensive they were so I googled how to make them and made myself one. I had extra material so I made an additional four pillows to donate for others to use. I gave them to the nurse upon entering the chemo treatment room. She was tickled pink and put them in the donation basket for patients. Nurse commented about how large they were. Some of the ones in the basket are tiny. The one’s we donated are the black and white. The material says “faith, hope, love” 😊
I have a semi private room – chair 14. It’s probably because I’ll be here for about 4.5 hours. There’s a snack station with chips, crackers, ensure, and plethora of drinks. Cannot drink most of them because they’re sugary sodas. They do have bottled water and apple juice. Glad I brought my own purified water.
Saw couple of wigs on one of the nurses counters. Joe made funny comment that I could become a red head if I wanted. At first, I was like I don’t know. After I thought a moment, I replied I could have fun with it and turn some heads that way. Joe replies, you already turn heads. Awh, my sweetheart ❤️.
Bp taken. Bp 111/70 hr 80
Given two anti nausea medicine and steroid to help prevent reaction prior to the chemo treatments.
While receiving one of the anti nausea medicine the outer sides of both arms suddenly have an icy chilling sensation starting at elbow and moving to shoulder as well as outer thighs from knees to hips. Weird.
I cannot recall rest of what I wrote.
1057: dumb journal erased half of what I wrote earlier. Now I have to try to remember it.
1057: nurse started first of the two immune therapies. These are because of the HER2+. I’m to watch for possible allergic reactions.
10:59 Told Joe I was feeling lightheaded.
11:00 Joe asked nurse if it was normal for me to feel lightheaded. As nurse was coming around the corner, I started choking on my water. One of the nurses ran into my room in almost a panic state. Immediately asking if I was okay. I told her I was just choking on my water. She gave sigh of relief. Second nurse came over to check. Asked if lightheadedness was because of the choking or before. I told her before. She checked my bp.
Bp 101/64. I told her it’s dropped so that probably why I feel lightheaded.
11:20 Joe’s playing with my chair. It has heating and vibration options. Told him to keep the heat on because I’m cold.
11:27 Joe left to go get some food at cafeteria. He’s going to see what he can bring me back.
I’m getting sleepy.
12:00 chemo drugs now being administered. Neuropathy increased
2:30 Heading home now in a thunderstorm ⛈️ 😮 So far no signs of allergic reaction to medicines. Chemo port area very sore. It bled little more than expected so they put gauge and bandaid on it. Neurolast placed on left arm. It will inject medicine in 72 hours. Joe informs me that I got that backwards. It 27 hours. The medicine will help my body build up my white blood count. It gets too low they would have to prolong treatments.
2:45 kids surprised me cleaned house, and decorated my recliner with my blanket, chemo bear, a strawberry dragon fruit drink from Dunkin and snacks. Seeing the blanket and bear together it dawned on me that the patterns match. How cool is that.
Took lunch time vitamins plus Claritin as directed by Dr. It’s to help combat the possible bone pain caused by the neurolast. Only have to take for 5 days at a time.
3:56. I’m exhausted and going to take a nap.
Stinging chilling nerve pain throughout body. Lightheaded. Chemo port area stopped bleeding but is sore. Center of chest chilling stingy sensation. Rt side lower tummy aches. Icy Frost bite feeling in feet, but I’m hot overall.
4:04 eyelids are starting to itch. It stopped after I itched them.
4:40 I’m hot and feel like I’m starting to break fever. Temp 98.7; hrt 99; bp 118/78
4:55 woke myself up coughing. Need to use restroom. More lightheaded and dizzy. Chilling sensation in abdomen.
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/chemo-hair-loss
6:30 got up to try to eat dinner and drink liquid. Ate slowly. Dizzy. Chilling nerve pain randomly throughout body. Drank chocolate milk with D.E. and chia seeds. Sipped on drink kids got me.
Hr 92. Bp 118/78.
7:20 my tummy is starting to hurt. Joe suggested I go lay back down in case I need to use restroom. Taking vitamins now.
7:44 feel like I’m going to be sick. Let Joe know. Researching nausea medicines. Taking generic zofran and nibbling on saltines.
10:59 well, I’ve managed to keep my cookies so far. Ended up printing a medicine tracker for help knowing when I took what.
Symptoms so far are: lightheadedness, little dizzy; neuropathy with chilly icy burning sensation throughout body – level 4/5; nausea – aided by ginger chews, saltines, and zofran; front of stomach pain; exhausted. Still can manage to do light things, but family only wants me to rest.
Thankful for:
1. Caring cancer team
2. Loving family that’s also a good support team
3. God is with me withersoever I go (Joshua 1:8).
4. Promises in God’s Word that can apply to me and my family’s situations
5. Can see God working in Jakob’s life
6. 1st chemotherapy session went fairly well, but not without incident. Lol
Pray for:
1. Jakob and Bri to be able to come and help with VBS
2. God to turn Jakob’s work situation trial into a blessing
1119p tummy feeling bloated and it feels like indigestion is about to activate.
1130 about to try to fall asleep when a girl we used to be houseparents for reached out to talk. We had good chat and caught up. I’m so glad she’s okay.
Neuropathy is keeping me awake.
