First Chemo - Day Four

Boy, yesterday was rough. No nausea, thankfully!!!!! But my head hurt worse than I've ever experienced, and I've had headaches every single day since that auto accident 36 years ago. Finally took a Fioricet - which has been my fall-back for years when the headache is overpowering. It helped - it at least broke the screaming barrier and brought it down to barely tolerable.

Spent most of the day in bed - I hurt everywhere, but mostly in my chest and neck and shoulders. None of the suggested remedies helped at all.

I knew I needed to eat, so finally got up and made one of my favorite comfort foods (not chocolate in this instance!) - ramen noodles, spaghetti squash, spinach and leftover chicken, with a little wasabi mayo (from Trader Joe's) for spice. That's when I realized that my taste buds have truly left already. I didn't expect that, for some reason, until later - after more build up of the stuff, or something. Now my tongue just feels furry, although it still looks normal, and everything tastes bitter. Gonna be a long five months...

Also, my tongue has begun to blister - you know those painful little bumps you get sometimes? Well I have about a half dozen, so far. Looked it up online, and apparently there isn't much that can be done. One of the prescribed aids is Zovirax, which I've taken in my past life for cold sores, herpes. Damn - does that mean these things are herpes?? That I can't even kiss anyone for the duration?

That one earned a phone call to the chemo parlor - they assure me that these blisters are not herpes, and are simply a reaction to the chemo (simply?) and they can help me with them. They are calling in a prescription for 'miracle mouthwash', which 'should clear them up in a couple days'!!

Then there's the headache - I just spoke with sweet Linda at the chemo parlor and she told me the headache is a reaction to the anti-nausea drug, not the Neulasta, and that it's also fixable. My Fioricet will help, but not prevent them. So I'm also getting a drug to take an hour before chemo which will mitigate the aftermath. Hopefully!

So, with all that info, I'm feeling better today. And I truly am feeling better today. The muscle aches are tolerable - I hurt in so many places every day anyway, what's one more - the headache is just a normal dull ache as we speak, and my spirits are back up.