7th Treatment

Well, it seems that the steroid was the reason for the lack of body aches, fever and chills Tuesday night, and my suggestion that it should become a permanent part of the IV cocktail fell on deaf ears. On the way home from treatment we stocked up on Gatorade and Powerade though I've yet to crack open a bottle. Till we got home, my headache was gearing up to be another good one and I could already feel the body aches starting. I sat in my chair, dozing on and off till 6:00, then headed upstairs for my Tylenol. I saw the bed, and figured I didn't feel like fighting it and crawled in. That was it for the night. I got up once around 10:45 for two more Tylenol and that was it till the alarm went off this morning at 7:00. In bed for 13 hours - no wonder my back is stiff! I can't believe I actually slept that long. I still feel lightheaded and kind of weak, so I plan on staying home this morning to try and get ahead of this hydration plan once and for all. I'm sure that a little food in my stomach will help me feel stronger. I even made a cup of coffee to try to jumpstart my morning.

7 down, 12 to go

Note to self

From now on, either stay awake or have someone ready to wake you up four hours after the start of your treatment so you can take another double dose of Tylenol. The same goes for four hours after that. Don't skip it - ever. When the nurse suggests that you take additional Benadryl at home for the rash, don't wait to see how it looks in the morning. Just take it. Never underestimate the power of the interferon. Just because you don't have aches/chills/high fever yet, does not mean they won't be here within minutes. At least consider going to bed at 6:00pm and staying there till the next morning. Continue with the Rita's Italian Ice therapy ;-).

1st Night

Well, I survived - not that I didn't think I would. The chills got as bad as I've ever had with the flu and I was burning with fever. It was hard to sleep because I just couldn't get warm, even with socks, a sweatshirt, and an extra blanket. I took two more Tylenol around 11:00pm. At some point during the night the chills stopped and I could just feel the fever - I was able to take off the sweatshirt. Now, the fever seems to be gone, and I'm just left with a bit of a headache; the body aches are gone. This is doable if it's as bad as it's going to get.

I decided to stay home from work so I can better gauge how I feel throughout the morning. I had a slow start, and decided to keep it slow; now is not the time to be rushing about trying to beat the clock. I plan to work on a few projects this morning and keep my email open till it's time to leave for the next treatment. If tonight goes the same as yesterday, I plan on going to work tomorrow.

1st Treatment - only 18 more to go

Happy 29th wedding anniversary to us today!!

I started my IV treatment around 2:30 today and was in the car headed home by 4:50. While I was well enough to drive, I really appreciated having my husband there to do the driving duties. Apparently I'm lacking "good" veins and now expect the needle "stick" to be the worst part. They left the IV needle in my arm for tomorrow, so I'm hoping it lasts till the appointment.

With the shawl Mary wove for me in hand, the treatment started with two Tylenol and then a syringe of Benadryl, nausea medicine (lasts for 80 hours - same as what chemo patients get), and fluids. They really stressed fluids and suggested that I start carrying a bottle of water with me everywhere (and drinking it!). Finally, the interferon drip began. I left feeling half decent with a slight headache and quite chilled. They told me that the side effects tend to peak after 4-6 hours, so I plan to be snuggled under the covers by then and sleep through it.

Now, a few hours later, I've just taken two more Tylenol. I can tell that I'm feverish, which explains the chills, and my body is definitely achy. So far it's like the flu without the sore throat and hacking cough, which makes it bearable. Having had the flu a few months ago, I can say that it's not as bad as that experience though I could really use a hot sauna right now!

I'm going to wrap myself in a few blankets to try and get warm. I'm counting on Murphy, my cat, to help me out ;-).

1 down, 18 to go