9 November 2023
One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post was Dr. Fingado stated that a lot of people never have peripheral neuropathy abate. Instead, he said that a lot of peoples’ brains seems to accommodate and people learn to live with it. That was not good news for me.
Last night before I went to bed, I decided I better take a Tramadol and Temazapan. My fingers stilled ached so later I added two Advil to alleviate the inflammation. It seemed to work.
What a difference a good night’s sleep makes! Maybe I’ve turned the corner on the Taxol effects. I had a little more energy this morning as I got out of bed around 4:30 am. My watch says I got 6 hours and 17 minutes with a little over 1 hour as of REM and 4 hours and 37 minutes of deep sleep.
Dare I say it? My neuropathy doesn’t seem as bad. It’s not great but isn’t as bad as yesterday. Or maybe Dr. Fingado is correct and your brain corrects for it. I also don’t seem to be staggering around the house due to lack of balance this morning.
Usually, when I get out of bed, I spend the rest of the day with a runny nose and spend most of the morning clearing blood clots out of my nose. So far this morning, nada!
Maybe this daybreak is a new beginning? Keep your fingers crossed for me.
This morning is fasting for blood draw. I hate fasting. It interrupts my routine. It’s not like I’m gonna die of starvation but I like my morning routine. I also get to fight I-95 morning traffic to the doctor’s office.
The main reason for the blood test is to test for cortisol. It’s a hormone produced by the adrenal glands (they sit atop the kidneys) and it is sometimes referred to as the stress hormone. Dr. Jellinger was concerned about the amount of prednisone I was taking for chemo and wanted to make sure I didn’t go cold turkey and suffer adrenal drop. Hopefully, it’ll turn out to be normal levels. I’ll know in about a week.
After the blood draw, I’ll head back and stop by the neighborhood Publix and pick up my Declofenac prescription for my pinkies.
Well, it took two trips to Publix. I was there a little after 8 am and the pharmacy part didn’t open until 9.
My energy level is good today. I began my yearly cleaning for Thanksgiving by attacking a set of shelves that I keep canned goods. I figure if I do a little each day, I’ll have everything ship shape for Turkey Day. Even though my energy level is up, my stamina is not. I had to sit down, work a crossword puzzle before completing the task. I get out of breath and a little dizzy, particularly with the stooping down. At least I got the one lower cabinet done. Next is the upper cabinet, one cabinet at a time.
I’ll probably nap this afternoon and tackle another cabinet.
Stay tuned!
