Hey everyone! Thanks for all the comments. Sorry I don't respond to them, but I don't think I even know how to. Well chemo is done. A lot of people ask me what it is like. So I wanted to list all of the symptoms that I've had so you can see how "FUN" chemo was for me. I hope I never have to do it again. Chemo is different for different cancers so this isn't necessarily what other people experience during chemo.
Symptoms:
- Lots of nausea (of course with occasionally up-chuck-o-ramas)
- Restless legs at night (super annoying when you want to just sleep)
- Fatigue (I never used to take naps but I do now all the time. Go to bed at 8 and wake up at 8 during chemo)
- Cold sensitivity (I could not drink anything that was even room temperature or it would hurt my mouth and throat so badly. I could touch anything cold or it would sting my hands and feet. This was, for a while, the worst symptom.)
- Mouth sores (Not too bad actually. I would just swish some salt water a few times a day and they would go away pretty quickly.)
- Really sore hands (This one was so weird but my hands would get so sore they would turn purple and I could even touch anything. It really put a damper on getting to play video games.)
- Chemo brain (I seriously have such a hard time focusing on stuff. Can't multitask or even pay attentions sometimes and very forgetful.)
- Diarrhea (umm yeah)
- Reflux (My throat would burn really bad but I got some medicine and it stopped bothering me completely.)
- Taste buds died (Food became a disgusting thing. I never wanted to eat and still am getting over this one.)
- Thrush (This turned into possibly my worst symptom near the end. My tongue would turn completely white and everything tasted even more horrible on top of the taste buds thing.)
- Cold sores (They stink.)
- Hair loss (I'm really lucky I had thick hair before or I would have had to shave my head I think. Every time I wash my hair I get a ton of hair on my hands. Hopefully this comes back soon.)
I also wanted to thank everyone for the meals, gifts, support, prayers, and everything else. It really means a lot to us. We have been blown away by the love others have shown us and have learned that that is pretty much what life is all about. I hope I can get back to normal and start helping others a little bit more.
So now I'm in remission and am supposedly cancer free. Every 3 months I will get a blood test called the CEA. Normal people are at 0-5. I was at 23 before surgery. Now I'm down to 1. I will get a CT scan every year. So yeah I got to drink that gross stuff and they put an IV in and it makes you feel like you're peeing your pants. I will also have the luxury of getting rectal scope exam every 6 months. Nothing is more comforting than being exposed and violated.
Going to the doctor and feeling like crap have become very normal to me. But I can't wait to move past all this and get back to a more normal life. (I don't re-read what I wrote so sorry if it's messy.)
