Janet's blog

The new anti-sick medicine, aprepitant, was a capsule packaged like a horse pill and taken before the paclitaxel infusion started. Trying to peel off the layer of side-effects that were due to this new addition wasn't simple. As some of my bored friends will attest, I am unfamiliar with mind-altering substances. But this stuff must have removed some inhibitions. While feeling like I could have fallen asleep at any time, I still managed to be garrulous, loquacious and possibly, loud. Marvellous 'sitting-with' friends put up with this during the treatment. And it seems it only took a small sign that the taxi driver home was a talker, and I was off again. Christopher was lucky once we got home. A glass of Ayran and a bit of parkin, and I was out like a light on the sofa for three hours. I had to get up after a couple of hours to go to the loo, which involved crawling slowly up the stairs. Down wasn't quite so bad. I was supposed to take this stuff again for two more da...

Chemo 3 is set to go ahead - bloods on Tuesday still had good ("amazing" in fact) red blood cells but white blood cells dropping as predicted and are now just skimming the bottom of the normal range.  Still, that's good enough for another dose of poisons. It's a bit of a dismal prospect. I've been getting more energetic as the last dose has been wearing off. Today I dealt with the dishwasher engineer, carried out a full allotment site inspection, did some allotment work, walked the dog, made dinner.... Just as I'm getting into my stride again - tomorrow I'll be indoors most of the day and have to be taken home in a cab, all wobbly, and then there'll be a week of slobbing about and rationing activity. Hey ho... A few adjustments are going to happen tomorrow - I'm going to get a higher dose of chlorpheniramine  as pre-med and they're going to start the paclitaxel off more slowly, in an attempt to avoid another acute reaction; and I'm goin...

I look like my granddad...