21 October 2023
Yesterday just has to be my nadir. I don’t think it can get any worse. The hydration did not “rejuvenate” me and last night the neuropathy in my feet, hands and knees was excruciatingly painful. My watch says I had 9 hours and 51 minutes of sleep but I don’t think I ever drifted off until early morning. I took a Claritin (joint pain), a Tramadol for pain, and over time 5 Advil (pain) and used the Diclofenac gel – all to no avail. I continue to try to massage fingers and toes in hopes it’ll go away. The pain was at time acute and then at times achingly enough to prevent drifting off.
Physically, I’m about the same as yesterday which was not good at all. I told Barb yesterday I was walking the way I did when I was on board the CGC Reliance when we were at sea – with legs spread apart for balance. After we would get back to shore, I would weave back and forth in place with wave motions to the point I’m sure the people of Corpus Christi thought all sailors were drunks. I caught myself one time in a movie theater after a sea trial rolling in place with the motion of a non-existent ship.
To make matters worse, I forgot Jimmie’s birthday. My calendar had 5 entries for yesterday (two doctors’ appointments) but the one at the top of the list was her birthday. I haven’t been writing cards lately but I knew to call and just forgot. I feel terrible about that. It brought me to tears so I must be on an emotional edge with all this pain. I called her today and she was understanding but it hurt that I had forgotten.
My brother Archie sent me a book that I received yesterday. It’s titled Outdoor Yarns and Outright Lies by Gene Hill and Steve Smith. It reminds me of another book A Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick F. McManis, one of the funniest books I’ve ever read and about camping experiences. I’ll take pleasure in reading Outdoor Yarns and Outright Lies. As a bonus, I got to talk a while with my brother. I love talking with him as we swap lies about who Mother liked best and “do you remember” stories.
I managed to change bed linen and put a wash on but I think house cleaning will wait until another day.
I had two sets of blood tests yesterday so I was pretty well analyzed. For those keeping up with my tests, here’s the breakdown of the normalities/abnormalities. There are a lot more tests they did but these are the ones that stood out as either good or bad.
| Test | My Score | Normal | Comment |
| Magnesium | 1.6 | 1.9-2.7 mg/dL | This is always low so they give me the maximum amount IV |
| Microalbumin Creatine Urine Ration | Normal | indicator of kidney health | |
| White Blood Cell | 4.4 | 4.5-11.0 K/mcL | Always low for me with chemo |
| Red Blood Cell | 3.79 | 4.30-6.20 M/mcL | Always low for me with chemo |
| Hemoglobin | 11.2 | 14.0-18.9 g/dL | Always low for me with chemo |
| Hematocrit | 33.6 | 39.0-55% | Always low for me with chemo |
| Glucose | 135 | <200 | Not bad for me after a meal |
| ALT(SGPT) | 10.6 | 7-52 units/L | indicator of liver health |
| ALT (SGOT) | 77 | 13-39 units/L | indicator of liver health |
| Total Protein | 6.1 | 6.4-8.9 g/dL | Always low for me with chemo |
| Triglycerides | 153 | 0-150 mg/dL | |
| Cholesterol | 128 | <200 | Thank goodness for statin drugs |
| Urinalysis | Mucous | Abnormal | possible sign of urinary tract infection |
| A1c | 8.0 | <5.7% | This is actually lower than the October blood test for my endocrinologist (8.6) |
| Mean Bld Glu Est. | 183 | <126 mg/dL | This means I have diabetes – duh! |
| PSA | 1.13 | 0.00-4.00 ng/mL | Lower than last time which is a very good sign |
I’m trying to stay out of bed for a while but I’ll probably take some more pain medicine to alleviate the pain associated with the neuralgia. If there’s any good news, it seems the neuralgia in my feet is now back to just the toes and the balls of my feet. Yesterday, it was the entire foot.
Stay tuned!