chemo fatigue

I so wanted to make it to georgetown to see my chemo buddies today -- but I had so much trouble getting myself up and awake that the day is too much gone for me to do that AND get the car to the mechanic, which is important given the drive to the Catskills tomorrow.

I'm worried about that too -- we're psyched to go to Steve and Liz's wedding!! (Steve is ALan's cousin.) However, I don't love driving, and 6.5 hrs each way is a long time, and there really isn't another reasonable way to get to the Catskills. Steve hooked us up with some other people around here to try to carpool with, and we were going to rent a minivan -- but it fell through because they wanted to leave early and Matthew needs to go to school first. At least he has a half day so we can leave at 12:30..... It makes sense -- the wedding weekend starts with a barbecue on Friday night, which we will probably miss (We might have made half of it with other drivers for me to trade off with -- but they have a shot at making the whole thing.) AND schools around here are uptight about missed days --especially high school. (Em would have missed the day happily -- but she's in 6th grade. Matthew's in 10th, and has 2 tests on Friday....)

ANyway. I have to get going so I can at least get the car to the mechanic. I guess I'm not surprised to be tired -- I did bike 70 miles in the past 2 days -- however, it feels like the deep exhaustion of chemo fatigue, when I get up from a nap with effort and an alarm.

I did all that biking because the weather's been perfect, and the biking has been wonderful -- and I knew I wouldn't have a lot more chances before the trip this weekend, the weather changes, and I go to MInnesota for surgery -- after which I definitely won't be recovered until it's cold. I will still bike in the cold (as long as it's not icy) but it's a whole different thing then. I'll have to dress carefully or I will be cold. (Too few layers and I'm cold -- too many layers and I sweat and the sweat freezes and I'm also cold. It's tricky!) Meanwhile I have been icing my knee -- though it has been fine -- so it won't go out again like it did last Wednesday.

Meanwhile I am sad to miss seeing my chemo buddies. Next Thursday for sure -- it's my last chance to catch 3 of them there. And I won't miss because I have an appointment with a radiation oncologist at 9:30 just a few flights below.

improved energy

My body aches are still there but not so bad and I am taking medicine less and less often. The dose of advil I took yesterday pm lasted 24 hrs. It was enough that I thought i was done, but then the aches came back tonight -- and i really did feelsorta bad for a little while while I waited for the next dose to kick in. Nothing like before, though.

And the energy -- okay, this is not the way you want your energy to present, but it's how mine often does, though it hadn't in awhile, so it's telling. This is what happened:

I didn’t get the workout I usually get on Friday, because my knee started to hurt on Wednesday's bikeride. I went to the chiropractor Wed afternoon (I have a great chiropractor who fits me in.....) but it was worse than he thought because it bothered me on Thursday when I was just biking to Georgetown for transportation. The point there is that it's waaaay fewer miles. I biked 37 miles on Wednesday and 12 on Thursday, 6 each way with a break in between for hours, since after my MD appt I went upstairs to visit with my chemo buddies.....

So okay, short ride on Thursday and nothing else because I spent all my time hanging with the chemo buddies, Friday I swam, and then I only walked on the weekend, 4m each day. People make fun of me for tracking it so carefully, but keep reading..... Last night I had a harder time sleeping than I anticipated, even for a Sunday night after sleeping later hours on the weekend. I mean, I almost slept for the 3-4 hours I was in bed. I kept waking up and checking the time, and when the alarm went off I was not even upset; it was more like, Good, I can stop trying to sleep. And then I got up and after the kids went to school I made almost all of the phone calls (appointments and other medical and travel type obligations) that had been hanging over my head.(almost because I remembered later that there’s one more I have to do.) Of course I didn’t reach everyone and expect call backs (which will all come in tomorrow when I’m on my bike, no doubt.) Then I ate, went to my chiropractor, and went to the pool and swam 90 lengths, a mile and a quarter, for the first time in months….. maybe since before the chemo. I did this on I don't know what sleep -- and no caffeine or chocolate..... That's the energy I remember -- sometimes.

I had planned to go to bed early tonight to make up for it – but I haven’t. I will soon. Of course it's not early anymore. It’s nice to feel like myself again, though it includes the need for careful balancing of exercise and life to avoid the trouble sleeping. (Call it a preexisting condition. You didn't think I was so diligent about exercising all the time just because, did you? I'm thinking it's somehow related to the ADHD. The H part, especially.....)

On the other hand I have been having awful indigestion. No particular cause I can find, either – it seems like my gut would rather I had a snack at dinnertime than a big meal. (I’ve heard that works better for us.... ) THis happens to me sometimes but not all the time, and I can never figure out why -- what food, what quantity, what else to look for. Sometimes it's a bug -- and Em did complain about a stomach ache.... but we're being careful these days, and I haven't been sharing her food and bugs -- though I guess I could have caught a bug anyway.

Okay I'm off. I'm planning to ride to Bethesda tomorrow and ride with the Bethesda Babes. I need to take my knee to bed and be good to it so it lets me.....