What’s my body up to

Well I’m about to start the second cycle of the PAD regime. I wasn’t sure how it was going to effect me as everyone is different. I’m not on my Dex at the moment and have come right down from the high I have when on them. I don’  have much energy at today for doing much. My Hickman line is still a bit funny, I got it checked last thing on Friday at the hospital before they all went home. It had been bleeding again after it was cleaned up on the Thursday and by Thursday night it was the same as it was in the morning, so I just wanted to make sure it was ok. After speaking to Jen and the others it was felt to leave it as it was, as messing around with it, would only make it bleed again. It’s bled more over the weekend, I can see the blood filling up under the clear plaster, but I think it is just spread over a wider area and has finally started to dry up.

The wound in my neck where they have tucked the loop of excess line in is irritating me and a bit sore. I’m sure that when I move my neck it pulls on the line further down in my chest and is what keeps making it bleed a bit. It restricts my turning and looking up, but I will just have to put up with that for the next few months.

My stomach hasn’t been doing too good, probably because of all of the tablets I’ve been taking, but as some of the side effects are constipation or diarrhoea I’m never too sure if I should take Movicol to make me go to the loo or not. I’ve steered away from it at the moment and just seeing how it goes, and I think I have made the right choice!!! I will leave the rest to your imagination….

My hair is starting to fall out, only a little bit at the moment, but I think by next week it will be gone. The info I read said it will start to fall out in three weeks, and there not wrong, it is exactly three weeks since starting on the PAD. I’ve noticed that when I shave it isn’t as much and if I can pull bits of my hair out. The first bit of my hair to fall out is the same as last time, which, lets just say I notice when I go to the loo!

I’ve also had a bit of a cough the last couple of days, but I think it is a good cough. With my neutrophils being low and my immune system not working properly, I’m always worried if I am getting and infection. Although I’m not coughing as much today, yesterday it was most of the day. So how could I tell if it was a good cough or a bad cough. Well I found out that if your coughing up sputum and it is just clear, then it is normally the sign of a start of an infection, however if your coughing up any yellow/green sputum it means that the body is fighting any attack and that yucky stuff has done it’s job, just don’t try swallowing it again … errr yuck. So as my sputum wasn’t white, I think I’m on to a winner and it is my body trying to fight back whatever it is that is attacking today. I was obviously worried when it started because of the problems with my line that I have. At least it is Sunday today and I will be back at the hospital tomorrow to get it all checked out.

I hate going in to Hospital to stay and I worry that things are always going to go wrong at the weekend and then I have to go in again, which ends up being a nightmare!

Tomorrow I have the chemo pump again for the next 4 or 5 days as well as my Velcade, dex and the rest of my usual stuff. It will be interesting to see how my platelets are as I was fully topped up prior to the weekend and my blood count I’m hoping is OK as well.

Let’s see what this weeks challenges are….