Rough Week

I was really hoping the side effects would have started wearing off by now, but that’s not the case. Today was a really bad day and it started around 8:00 this morning with the rectal pain and didn’t subside all day. I’m tired of writing about the pain, but it’s a part of my life right now so I need to share what I’m feeling. It’s very hard to describe, but I’m going to try. Imagine having the urge to have a BM and you head off to do your business, but you can’t. Nothing there. But in the process there is very deep rectal pain that just feels like it goes to the core of my insides. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. And this went on all day, about every 20 minutes or so. But I made it through the work day and have felt somewhat better this evening.

But I’m looking forward to the weekend because it means that there are three more days between me and my last radiation treatment!

Better Day Today

I stayed home from work yesterday because of the rectal pain and it hit again last night pretty hard. But today was a better day and it was just “there”. My hands are now starting to peel from the sunburn so I guess that’s a good sign that the chemo is starting to wear off. I’m only getting up once or twice a night now, which is a good thing because it means I’m getting more rest.

Relaxing Weekend

Marcia and I spent the weekend in Denver and overall it was very relaxing. Friday night we walked the entire length of the 16th Street Mall and when we got back to the hotel, I was totally exhausted. It just hammered home that I’ve got to work on getting my strength back. Saturday we had breakfast and headed out for the day, but after about an hour I got extremely nauseous and even munching on snacks didn’t help, so we went back to the hotel.

I got back in bed and slept until around 2:00 or so and then went back out again for some lunch. I felt better the rest of the day but didn’t want to push things so we just hung out in the room and I read and dozed off and on. Woke up this morning with some rectal pain that’s just kind of there, but tolerable.

It really was great for me to not have to do anything, so I got a great deal of rest, which I really needed. Although we got back today after grocery shopping and I slept for another 4 hours or so, but still not feeling too bad. This coming week is hopefully the last week of the really strong side effects and I look forward to getting past this week.

Bag Is Gone

Turned in my chemo bag yesterday and got my deposit and drivers license back. Just kidding. I had been so used to the bag, that not having is not that big of a deal. Go figure. The rectal pain is still there, almost always, but today was the best day of the last three for sure. I found out that at the end of the day today, I couldn’t sit down any more because my posterior is sore.

I received confirmation that my surgery is June 20th at Penrose Main here in Colorado Springs. I’m really looking forward to the surgery to find out what the status is of the tumor and lymph nodes. Best case is I’m back to work on the 2nd of July; worst case is back to work on the 9th of July.

Sunday Was Bad

Sunday was absolutely the worst day yet. Woke up feeling kinda blah, but not all that bad. Marcia and I had breakfast, then went grocery shopping and that’s when the rectal pain started hitting me in waves, about every 15 or 20 minutes. It literally was the most intense pain I’ve ever felt and as we were leaving, it doubled me over in the parking lot.

We came home and I laid on the couch the rest of the day, but quite frankly I don’t remember much (even though all the kids were over for Mother’s Day) and I think I went to bed around 7:00 or so. I know Dr. Padata said I’ve got about two weeks of this left but I hope that it’s not going to be this bad.

On the up side, today was my last radiation treatment, and tomorrow I give my bag back. Woo-hoo. If I don’t sound all that excited, it’s only because I’m not looking forward to the rest of the side effects. Give me a couple of weeks.

On The Home Stretch

The end is finally near for my treatments. I get my last radiation treatment on Monday and I turn in my bag on Tuesday afternoon. It’s been a long six weeks for me. Yesterday I was pretty fatigued but I’m hanging in there and waiting for the suppositories to take effect as I think that will help with my overall fatigue. Pain just wears you down.

My daughter Kelly surprised Marcia and I with a gift yesterday. She purchased a weekend stay at the Hyatt Regency in Denver next weekend as a getaway weekend! What a cool thing to do for us, and we really appreciate it.

Today was a decent day, but I’m looking forward to getting some rest this weekend.

Winding Down Treatments

Today was a much better day than yesterday. I stayed home yesterday because of the extreme pain in my rectum and it was a very difficult day. The latest side effect from the radiation is the urge to have a bowel movement (BM), but when I do, it’s really nothing more than clots and tissue from internal hemorrhoids that are being irritated by the radiation. And the pain is excruciating.

But I talked with Dr. Podata about it yesterday and he prescribed some medicated suppositories that are supposed to help, which is the good news. The bad news is that he said I’ve got a couple more weeks of this particular side effect. Oh boy.

But I’ve got 4 more treatments and then I’m done for now. Then it’s surgery in late June, and then back on the chemo for another 4 to 6 months.

Side Effects Still Peaking

Sure don’t want this journal to sound negative all the time, but I’m just tellin’ ya what I’m feelin’. And it hasn’t been great. Sunday was another difficult day because of the rectal pain; in fact it’s kind of become of the focus now and I’m whatever minor aches I’m having now are completely secondary.

The good news is that I’ve started back on my regular salad regimen, at least for a few days this week. I had my first salad on Saturday and it was wonderful, and I’m hoping it will help get my BMs back to normal as well. I did sleep pretty good last night and only got up once (that I remember anyway) so when I the alarm went off at 4:45, I was out.

Tough Couple of Days

The last couple of days have been rough because of the extreme pain in my rectum area, both from my hemorrhoids and the side effects of the radiation in the same area. I’ve never been to take medication, but I’ve been pounding down the Tylenol quite a bit just to get somewhat comfortable.

6 treatments left and then it ’s six weeks off until the surgery. Dr. Anderson has tentatively scheduled the surgery for the last week in June, but I’ll get the final date when we see Dr. Anderson the first week in June for a final exam.

Starting Week 5!

Today marks the beginning of week 5 of my treatments! Met with Dr. Huff for my weekly exam and he said things are progressing fine. The last couple of days have been rough because of having to get up at night to put udder cream on, but the up side is that in the last 12 hours or so, the burning on my hands has subsided significantly. It’s probably a cyclical thing and that I’m not out of the woods yet for all the side effects.

At this point, I’m just wanting a full night’s sleep and maybe I’ll get it tonight if my hands don’t burn! Dr. Huff also said today that after my surgery, I’ll be back on chemo for 4 to 6 months, on a higher dosage, but less often. I’ll still have my bag buddy, but I’ll probably only have it for 2 days out of 7. But he said, we won’t know for sure until after the surgery and if the tumor and lymph nodes have been taken care of.