18 October 2023
Today seems to be a good day. I ran some errands and managed a morning walk for the first time in quite a while (1.3 miles). I filled the jeep with diesel and dropped off my old phone for rebate at the local Fedex store.
The weather was perfect at 59° F. That’s soon to go away but we are scheduled for another “cold” front in a few days. It certainly makes walking a pleasure. I’m not sure about the swimming yet. I don’t have the energy for that.
Last night was interesting. I normally start the night with a down comforter on the bed because I’m cold. I later remove it as I begin to warm up. Last night I started out hot and removed the comforter first thing. Then I got even hotter and decided to turn on the ceiling fan.
When I had an electrician last in to work on the fan I didn’t pay attention to the speeds. On high and medium I get a rasping sound as the blades circulate. I decided to turn it on low. I was kneeling on the mattress to reach the cord to turn the fan on low and got hit with a bout of positional vertigo and fell off the bed.
My elbows, my tail bone and my head took the brunt of the fall. Seems I don’t bounce as well as I used to. I fully expected some blood, particularly on the elbows since they hit the hardest but the worse seems to be soreness today.
I had an experience like that years ago when I was in San Francisco for a National Education Association Representative Assembly. I was staying in a hotel with a hot tub. I slipped getting out of the hot tub and fell and hit my elbow. It bled like crazy. I figured a bandaid would work. I waked the next morning to a bloody bed.
The clerk referred me to the University of San Francisco Medical Center. I took the bus, waited in the emergency room forever and then had the doctor chastise me for getting into a hot tub anyway with all the bacteria associated with public hot tubs. He stitched me up. At the time my insurance card seemed to be accepted but when I got back to Florida there was a significant charge because my insurance was only good in Florida, not California even though it was the same company.
Lately, I’ve also noticed I’m unsteady on my feet. I’m walking in a stilted fashion and sometimes lose my balance. I’m sure it’s the Taxol. That’s another reason to be glad it is over.
Last night was the peripheral neuropathy was less than usual. I think that might be due to the Diclofenac gel I’m using on my hands and feet for joint pain. It’s back to the usual today with the numbness but that could be due to yesterday’s chemo.
For some reason, my internet service is going in and out. I periodically have to reload web pages. It’s been doing that for a couple of days. Remember, it changed the name of my server a few days ago on a whim. Who knows what’s going on with ATT?
I think I’m going to just chill today and enjoy the feeling of well being. Why I feel well the day after chemo, I don’t have any idea. Usually Thursdays and Fridays are my worst days. Hopefully that will change with the every three weeks of Herceptin.
Stay tuned!