Health
Radiation finished on Tuesday, the last blast of 10. Fatigue continues to be the main side-effect and I spent most of yesterday falling asleep and waking up and falling asleep, oh, until some time around 9:30pm. A long day, and one in which I decided to not take the anti-nausea which I think was a mistake as I felt miserable. (I think I might have felt miserable regardless).
I'm coughing a lot, a nagging thing that we are hoping is either a reaction to the protein supplements in my smoothies (that has happened before but that was serious protein unlike the Sustagen I have been taking), or perhaps just a cough. Mostly we fear it is the cancer that is blooming in my lungs that is causing the cough however.
If it's not one part of your body trying to kill you, then it's another.
On a huge upside though, I had my blood tested shortly after I began radiation (so that means the radiation is not really affecting the outcome of the blood results). I realised I wasn't getting worse with the jaundice/bilirubin problem and I began to hope (as I think I may have previously mentioned) that my bilirubin levels which were at a level of 400 (a waiting game for the liver to collapse under pressure and go into failure) may have stabilised. It was even better than this. The bilirubins had dropped from 400 to 164. Still in jaundice land, but the pressure on the liver had dropped a hell of a lot. There is now white in my eyes again, my hands are more pale than yellow, the foul taste in my mouth and throat has eased.
So where does this leave us now? I need to wait another couple of weeks and get my bloods redone and touch base with my radiologist concerning the outcome of the treatment. Depending on bloods who knows? My SIRT specialist is a little concerned that my liver might be a high risk for cirrhosis after all I've done to it, especially the recent radiation, however it was only a palliative blast I was getting.
And none of that covers my lungs. Or the continuing congestion that is my abdomen, packed with organs pressured by infected lymph nodes. I am fairly uncomfortable in my skin these days, but that has been the case for at least four months, since all this began, that final descent into where I am now.
At least I think I shall make Christmas now. That was a date, I felt, that I was in serious danger of not making.
I'm coughing a lot, a nagging thing that we are hoping is either a reaction to the protein supplements in my smoothies (that has happened before but that was serious protein unlike the Sustagen I have been taking), or perhaps just a cough. Mostly we fear it is the cancer that is blooming in my lungs that is causing the cough however.
If it's not one part of your body trying to kill you, then it's another.
On a huge upside though, I had my blood tested shortly after I began radiation (so that means the radiation is not really affecting the outcome of the blood results). I realised I wasn't getting worse with the jaundice/bilirubin problem and I began to hope (as I think I may have previously mentioned) that my bilirubin levels which were at a level of 400 (a waiting game for the liver to collapse under pressure and go into failure) may have stabilised. It was even better than this. The bilirubins had dropped from 400 to 164. Still in jaundice land, but the pressure on the liver had dropped a hell of a lot. There is now white in my eyes again, my hands are more pale than yellow, the foul taste in my mouth and throat has eased.
So where does this leave us now? I need to wait another couple of weeks and get my bloods redone and touch base with my radiologist concerning the outcome of the treatment. Depending on bloods who knows? My SIRT specialist is a little concerned that my liver might be a high risk for cirrhosis after all I've done to it, especially the recent radiation, however it was only a palliative blast I was getting.
And none of that covers my lungs. Or the continuing congestion that is my abdomen, packed with organs pressured by infected lymph nodes. I am fairly uncomfortable in my skin these days, but that has been the case for at least four months, since all this began, that final descent into where I am now.
At least I think I shall make Christmas now. That was a date, I felt, that I was in serious danger of not making.