Chest Throb @ T-giving

I got this weird symptom yesterday -- it started around the time we were eating dinner I think. My chest throbbed -- on both sides, like a band across my chest -- I would say about three big beats, every time I got up, once when I sat on the toilet, and once when I drank a glass of water! Before I went to sleep when it had still not resolved, I called the oncologist on call at my onc's practice, and he had no idea what it could be. The chemo combo I'm on now isn't known to have any cardiovascular side effects, he denied it could be the 4 days of steroids I was on last week (hmmmmm...... ) and thought it might possibly be a late side effect of the adriamycin I took over the summer.

He said not to do any biking or running over the weekend, and to try to get an echocardiogram on Monday. He said that perhaps the cardiologist would try to induce the throb.

I know it's thanksgiving weekend, but I'm pretty sure there will be no sign of this by MOnday (I've barely felt any trace of it today.) I'm worried that nothing will be found out, and I will not know how careful I have to be about exercise for the next few months, and will worry about the next chemo infusion..... and even if this has something to do with the adriamycin I took over the summer how can the steroids not be part of it......? I mean I took them for 4 days -- and barely slept for 5 nights because of them!

Anyway....... I'm bummed because I have an eye appointment on Monday I want to go to -- by bike of course. I will have to change it to Tuesday or Thursday (but not later because I need to see what all those steroids did to my eyes!) I hope this is nothing serious and that they can know that....... I did walk the dog today (a little slower at first, and 3 miles rather than 4) and had no symptoms at all. I've been walking every day for the last few (usually 4 miles w/dog) but nothing more. I had planned to swim one day this weekend, but maybe I will wait now til this is resolved ........ or something!

On the bright side I did feel better today.......... I've been sleeping a lot, and have been having these wonderful meals cooked by my husband. (This is not because of the cancer, either -- he always makes thanksgiving dinner. Am I lucky or what? He cooks every weekend, too, but not like he does at Thanksgiving.) In fact this year he made me this sugar free sweet potato pie to die for. I'm hoping no one else likes it...... I've eaten about half of it, and so far so good! :-) They've finished their pumpkin pie though.......

Yesterday we had a great thanksgiving at home. We had my mom & a wonderful guest I could not believe drove 3 hours each way to spend Thanksgiving with us in the middle of preparing to defend her PhD dissertation ...... I knew her when we were kids, and every time I've seen her since we've been grownups I am blown away....... She's gone of course-- stayed less than 24 hours -- but she was here, really, I didn't make it up!

Anyway if anyone knows anything about chest throbs after or during chemo or anything I'm listening. It was a bit disconcerting to find the onc on call so clueless about it. I was so hoping he'd say "Oh yeah that! It's because of the whatsis -- should be gone in a day or two. Yeah have an echocardiogram to make sure but don't worry." Oh well. At least I should have no trouble getting the echo.

nauseous

So after the steroid buzz wore off I was surprised to wake up on Monday morning with chemo nausea --talk about a delayed reaction! I did forget to push fluids -- next time I will have to remember to drink 2-3 liters a day. I did fine with this over the summer (I ate a watermelon every 2-3 days when water started tasting bad) but it's not so instinctive to push fluids when it's cold out -- and I think the nurse didn't worry about going through all the symptoms with me because I've been through chemo before, and really just a little while ago. (Too bad about my short attention span....)

I think pushing fluids will make a difference -- but I am also considering switching my chemo day from Thursday to Tuesday. Because I need to be on steroids for so many days I was wakeful and energetic and sleepless Wednesday through Sunday, and wiped out on Monday, and still tired today. The sleeplessness might work better Monday through Friday, when the alarm goes off at 6am, with the weekend to rest.....

Anyway that's a thought. And now I'm going to grab a nap and hope I get get out to walk and/ or swim later this morning. It's nice out -- pretty good biking weather! (low 40s) Two days in a row I'm missing it....... and these were the days I had this week; kids are off tomorrow and thanksgiving stuff starts....... On the other hand it looks like it will stay in the 40s through the weekend, so, hmm, we'll see what I can fit in!

Steroid Buzz

I had to take steroids Wednesday through Saturday, and it was too much. I don't even know about my eye pressures yet, though they do feel on the firm side -- right now I'm just talking about the choppy sleep and the crankiness. I anticipated it, and was careful to exercise every day, but I have still needed pharmaceutical help to sleep, every night...... and have never gotten more than a couple of uninterrupted hours at a time (& more often 1-1.5.)

Even so I skipped the last dose, yesterday afternoon. The doc said that the post chemo steroids were about avoiding fluid retention, and that the most dangerous place would be in the lungs -- and that he thought i'd be at a lower risk of it because of all the exercise. We did talk about dropping the last day or cutting the dose next time, if I did fine this time. I will bring that up before my next chemo.......

I'm also wondering whether maybe I should switch chemo days; Thursday is a good day if I'm going to be tired, because I can rest on the weekend -- but if I'm not going to be able to sleep, maybe I want to do it on Tuesdays instead, since I have to get up at 6-6:30 on weekdays.

Course I already made a friend I expect to see next time -- but I'd make others. I did get her email address, so I could tell her what happened.

I'm also feeling bothered by the cold. This is nothing new, though.... just winter, arriving early.