Having chemo for the first time is like waiting for a bomb to go off. They prepare you for all the possible side effects. The ones that are almost a guarantee (exhaustion) and those that are rare (nail changes, etc). You talk to others that have gone through chemo, you hear stories of those who were up and practically back to normal in 3 days and those who were down in bed for 2 weeks. You wait and wonder. When will the symptoms come on? Which ones will I have? How severe will they be? Will I be able to work next week? Take care of my son? Eat? All these questions and more swirling around in your head as you wait.
For me the first thing that hit was exhaustion. As I said I felt fine Monday evening, but Tuesday morning the exhaustion was setting in. I slept all day, woke for a few hours in the evening to see my son, then back down and slept all night into the late morning. It was strange to sleep that long and wake up just has exhausted. It was an exhaustion like none other. It was like having the flu during finals week times 10. My organs felt tired. I didn't know I could feel my organs until that moment. I slept all day until Tuesday evening. I then left with my little brother to go to my other brothers house for Thanksgiving. I laid on the couch and watch my son be entertained by his cousins. It was nice. But still, no other symptoms were coming. I was still waiting to see if a bomb would go off. Would my mouth break out in sores? Would my hair fall out this treatment? Would nausea set in? As the days progressed, exhaustion proved to be my foremost symptom. I felt nauseated once, but in my case, that could have been the pregnancy!!
Though the nausea didn't prove to be an issue, I did have NO appetite. It was easy to forget to eat, a first for me. Nothing sounded good and I just wasn't hungry. I had to force myself to eat. Chemo burns through your protein. You need a lot of protein--which is hard because pregnancy is hard on your kidneys. A high protein diet is ALSO hard on your kidneys. I need to find a balance of getting the protein I need to replace the cells being destroyed by the chemo, but not over tax my already working overtime kidneys. I do this with no appetite by drinking spinach protein shakes every few days. Spinach, blueberries, milk, and whey powder. Not awesome tasting, but not that bad. I can usually get it down.
As the days went on the exhaustion slowly decreased, but a few minutes of activity and I would need to lay down. What was unexpected was the mental exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion is something I know I'll be facing throughout, but to be mentally exhausted--is a strange feeling. They warn you about it, "Chemo fog," and it sounded a lot like pregnancy brain. So now, my poor brain has 2 strikes against it--chemo and pregnancy.
Monday, December 2, I had to return to work. Though i wasn't going into the office, I was able to telecommute, I really worried about my ability to work. Plus--were there still symptoms to come? Or, was I over the worst of it? No one can say.
For me the first thing that hit was exhaustion. As I said I felt fine Monday evening, but Tuesday morning the exhaustion was setting in. I slept all day, woke for a few hours in the evening to see my son, then back down and slept all night into the late morning. It was strange to sleep that long and wake up just has exhausted. It was an exhaustion like none other. It was like having the flu during finals week times 10. My organs felt tired. I didn't know I could feel my organs until that moment. I slept all day until Tuesday evening. I then left with my little brother to go to my other brothers house for Thanksgiving. I laid on the couch and watch my son be entertained by his cousins. It was nice. But still, no other symptoms were coming. I was still waiting to see if a bomb would go off. Would my mouth break out in sores? Would my hair fall out this treatment? Would nausea set in? As the days progressed, exhaustion proved to be my foremost symptom. I felt nauseated once, but in my case, that could have been the pregnancy!!
Though the nausea didn't prove to be an issue, I did have NO appetite. It was easy to forget to eat, a first for me. Nothing sounded good and I just wasn't hungry. I had to force myself to eat. Chemo burns through your protein. You need a lot of protein--which is hard because pregnancy is hard on your kidneys. A high protein diet is ALSO hard on your kidneys. I need to find a balance of getting the protein I need to replace the cells being destroyed by the chemo, but not over tax my already working overtime kidneys. I do this with no appetite by drinking spinach protein shakes every few days. Spinach, blueberries, milk, and whey powder. Not awesome tasting, but not that bad. I can usually get it down.
As the days went on the exhaustion slowly decreased, but a few minutes of activity and I would need to lay down. What was unexpected was the mental exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion is something I know I'll be facing throughout, but to be mentally exhausted--is a strange feeling. They warn you about it, "Chemo fog," and it sounded a lot like pregnancy brain. So now, my poor brain has 2 strikes against it--chemo and pregnancy.
Monday, December 2, I had to return to work. Though i wasn't going into the office, I was able to telecommute, I really worried about my ability to work. Plus--were there still symptoms to come? Or, was I over the worst of it? No one can say.
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