Old Habits Die Hard

When I had lasik surgery 7 1/2 years ago, I thought I was done with glasses. Well, besides having to use reading glasses these days, I am. But the habits going with glasses didn't go away immediately. I still sometimes find myself reaching up to rub my eye, sliding my finger up as if to go under my glasses to do satisfy the itch. Well, today after my shower I went to the counter, reached for the brush and had it inches from my head to brush my hair. Funny thing is, I rarely brushed my hair. Maybe after drying and styling it, but it wasn't the first thing to do after a shower.

This time around has been SOOOOO much better. I need to re-read my post describing that week, but I remember telling Jeff on Saturday (9 days later) at about 2:00 "I feel like I just woke up". Thursday I came home from the infusion and felt a little tired from having just sat there for 5 hours. Stacy was so sweet to come get me and sit with me (in a hard chair) for most of that time. I made her leave when I took a nap. As soon as they hook up the Benedryl, I am out. She brought back some pumpkin steamed milk and some Noosa   We came home and my neighbor Winnie had offered dinner that night. She not only brought some yummy spaghetti, salad and bread, but a friend of hers had sent her a purse filled with goodies that she donates to breast cancer patients. It made it sink in a little more that I am one of "Those People". I slept well, and Friday was able to do normal stuff until about bedtime when I got really tired. I even rode my bike with the girls to school in the morning.

Friday night our dear friends the Olson's came from Snoqualmie, Shar had some P90X training on Saturday in Spokane so the whole family came (minus K who stayed home with crazy puppy-in-training). We made them stay with us, knowing that at my worst I would just hole up on the couch or bed, but the rest of the family would not bother me as I didn't feel sick last time, just energy-less. Saturday I got up with the familiar feeling of dizzy, disconnectedness. I was able to make pancake batter and then go rest, eat a couple pancakes, rest, sit in the living room, go rest, etc. It never really got worse than that. I didn't have the heavy, can't move my arms or get comfortable feeling like last time. I did stay away from everyone and they were mostly gone. Steve and Jeff took all the girls up to Green Bluff and went to some farms. The girls had two teams and filled 2 vases with flowers. I had to decide which team won. They got a box of apples, had doughnuts and had a great time. They spent the rest of the day just playing inside and out. It did get a little loud but I wasn't trying to sleep at all, if I had tried to sleep, they would have left and gone to do something else. Sunday morning, was just a crepe breakfast ala Steve before they left. They made dolce de leche and left the canned milk on the stove on low overnight. We are lucky it had to be in a large pot of water, or I hate to think what would have happened. Sunday, I stayed home from church of course, A did too as she "wasn't feeling well" and puttered around so much, Jeff and N finally left without her. The priest quorum was so nice to send some young men over to prepare and serve me the sacrament. We actually all partook as A was home and the other 2 missed because the were late having waited for her.

Monday and Tuesday I was feeling pretty good. I still had that dizzy feeling, but I was able to focus enough to read a little and even watch some TV. The time went by faster because of that. I did the laundry. I wasn't able to last time. That is not a big energy sucker as I just have to put a load in, change it, then take it out. I folded when I had the energy. The girls bring up their baskets and take their clothes anyway, so that was normal. I just took longer because I rested and did the loads when I felt like getting up. Tuesday I did towels and sheets like normal, same thing. Yesterday I had so much energy that I completely cleaned A's room. She must have picked up a spider or some bug from camp because she kept waking up with bites on her arms and legs. It could just be a spider having come in from outside. She slept in the guest bed for a couple nights while I quarantined her room. I brought up all the soft stuff in increments - from her room, to the dryer for 20 minutes to the guest room. I got it all finished yesterday, vacuumed her bed, floor, base boards and dusted, put everything back and it better be done! It felt so good to do that. Today, I am just a little unable to completely focus, enough that I decided not to drive to the Post Office. But my friend Luci drove me and we stopped at the store on the way home. Not only is it nice not to have lost 5 full days of living, but it was SOOOOO boring to not be able to do anything. I couldn't read, focus on TV, play games anything. I was completely unable to be satisfied with anything. Food didn't make me feel full - of course I couldn't eat much as everything tasted so dry and my mouth was dry anyway. This time, I still have a dryness to my mouth, but I can tolerate it or overlook it and eat. Things don't taste normal and some normally yummy things don't taste good. That is still going on but not to the degree it did last time. Water wasn't as disgusting this time, maybe a little for a couple days and not 5 like then.

What I did differently: (besides pray harder). I remembered the steroid Friday night which I forgot last time (took it Saturday morning), I automatically took Tylenol PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I took a sleeping pill on Monday night. I was able to tolerate, so I drank more, water. I also had just started with the L-Glutamine mixed with lemon oil and vitamin D last time. This time, I have been taking it for 4 weeks, so hopefully that has helped. I also started Vitamin E and B-complex about 2 weeks ago. I think the build up of the supplements and the being able to sleep better has been a factor in the way I feel. When I met with Dr. Sri on Thursday morning, she asked was I wasn't looking forward to. I told her the complete fatigue and disconnectedness was what was actually scaring me. I did not want to experience that again. I also learned that I was not actually getting a lower dose of the Perjeta and Herceptin. But that it was just the timing that was shorter. It cut off 90 minutes of the total infusion time and I thought it was because it was a lower dose. They just give it to you slower on the first go around. My blood work looked great. I go in this Monday just for a blood work-up to make sure everything is bouncing back as it should. My face looks better than it has. It is slowly getting better. I am supposed to call her at the first sign of a flare-up. And I also had regular diarrhea last time. Nothing that concerned me as I know that is my body's way of flushing out the bad stuff. I wasn't dehydrated at all, and it wasn't constant. But I am supposed to call her if it is something that goes on for more than a couple days. Nothing to report as of yet.....