I couldn’t write properly on the second bag, so thought I would wait until this morning. Goodness me, this is brutal. The eye stings kicked in on the second bag about 15 minutes in. You get a feeling like you have soap in your eyes, it only really hurts if you cry, so don’t watch a sad film when you are having chemo as it hurts like hell!
The disorientation/drunk/discombobulated feeling 59 minutes to go on second bag totally floored me. I had to call the nurse as I felt very wobbly/chest palpitations and my heart was pounding so loudly in my ear it felt like I had my daughter playing drums in it. They checked my heart rate and said yes it was very elevated, but that the feeling tends to go within about 15 minutes. Thankfully, with 49 minutes left on the bag, they were right, the feeling had totally gone.
By the end of the bag I had a dry cough, almost like a muscle spasm and the hot flushes started back again. My hands were bright red and very sweaty, again very normal apparently. Thankfully, most of the immediate side effects come and go quite quickly. I did feel so very bloated, but I suspect that is from the amount of fluid (albeit chemotherapy) had filled my whole body up.
The last bag didn’t start until 21.15 and by then I was so tired (we had arrived at the hospital at 8am…) by this point my appetite had gone completely and I felt sick and shivery. It didn't bode well for a nice night sleep. The last bag was attached to me at 22.
30. This one will stay on me until Wednesday. Your little baby they call it……I call it my ball-ache! It is a small ball that is attached to me via my port and it slowly feeds the remaining chemotherapy in over the next 46 hours.
My night was as I figured it would be…..Hot sweaty night, uncomfortable. Strange dreams. Teeth and mouth feel funny like I have been clenching my teeth all night. They had to change my bed sheets at 3am because they were soaked through. Everything ached, even down to lying on my side.
I woke up this morning to the nurse checking my obs. They have ordered me some tea and toast, but honestly….the thought of it is making me heave already. My hands are hurting and typing this is stinging like the feeling you get when your hands are thawing out from the cold…she has just told me I need to eat or they will not let me home on Wednesday. I have asked them for some grapes and watermelon to see if I can stomach that as the feel of the toast in my mouth feels like I am trying to swallow a mouth full of cotton wool….