Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Vidaza Shots: Round II

Round II of the "shots heard 'round the world" is now over. Well, maybe "the shots heard 'round the block." I'm sure the neighbors can hear me moaning over my aching arms.

The going got tough during the beginning and end of this series. Spent most of Monday sleeping, as did I on Saturday—and on Monday again. I sincerely hope this doesn't represent a trend in which I'm going to lose basic functionality for 7-10 days a month.

It's also hard to imagine that my arms can sustain this kind of needle attack month after month. Last night I had to keep them akimbo, away from my body, lest the contact cause sandpaper-like aggravation. Walking around with my arms held out, I must've resembled a scarecrow.

Cast me in the Ray Bolger role in The Wizard of Oz.

There have been, however, some proverbial victories over the mundane:
  • took all the shots in the arms; no leg shots required
  • bruising from the shots is much less
  • blood counts are sustaining normal/low-normal levels
  • finally conditioned myself to remembering to take the Zofran, the anti-nausea meds
The drugs create an interesting, but all too typical, medical dichotomy.

Vidaza is known to cause diarrhea.

Zofran is known to cause constipation.

Do they cancel each other out?

Hard to tell. But, I'm eagerly ingesting Metamucil gel caps in hopes of maintaining some balance.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say "eagerly." Really, now, who eagerly consumes Metamucil?

Oh, and then there's the daily dose of acidophilous that I've self-prescribed. (In case you haven't been watching daytime or late-night TV lately, "probiotics" is the latest rage and all kinds of probiotic foods are being advertised as "promoting digestive health.") Leave no stone unturned, say I. Or pill unswallowed.

Altogether, the digestive processes seem to be functioning more or less okay, so I guess I'll keep the pill-downing routine intact.

Whether all of this will keep me intact is a whole 'nother issue.

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