Cancer warrior

2/20/10

We are now at day 10.  It seems like an eon since we had our former daily routine.  Teri is entering the expected rough patch, days 10-20.  Last night was a rough night, with abdominal bloating and little sleep.  A Vicodin helped the pain but cause lightheadedness.  Always tradeoffs between good and side effects.

She felt lousy all day, walked a little but didn’t eat and for the first time didn’t join Rachel, John, Dad and I in the lobby for dinner.  It was a bad psych day for me as I lashed out at the drive-in librarian who wouldn’t give me Teri’s book that had come in even though I had her library.  Although usually not enforced, it requires a permission slip from her.

She is supposed to wear Chinese red to ward off the bad spirits and with the help of Chinese friends, now has a red shawl, red pajamas, red slippers and red foot rest that has made everything very colorful. 

As I was discussing with Steve, the illness has highlighted the differences between Teri’s world and mine.  She is connected to a concatenary web of family, friends, and neighbors through work, volunteering, community organizations, book clubs, women’s groups, church group, gourmet club, friends and neighbors that makes her whole that is flooding her with positive thoughts, prayer, cards, food, CDs, gifts, pajamas, pillow cases …  Me, work and exercise.

2/21/10

Another struggle day for the cancer warrior (rather than victim or survivor) with the side effects of chemotherapy.  She continues to have 10/10 abdominal pain and diarrhea but the abdominal flat plate last night did show an obstruction.  The stool culture came back negative for C. difficile (toxin-producing stool bacteria).  But she was still symptomatic.  As I listened to the story, it sounded like severe cramping that one experiences with gastroenteritis or food poisoning.  The team prescribed oxycodone a narcotic but last time despite it’s effective pain relief, it made her so dizzy and fuzzy that she was miserable all day.  I suggested an antispasmodic hyoscyamine that we use in irritable bowel syndrome to relieve cramping.  The team said they hadn’t used it but were willing.  At least it wouldn’t have the central effects.  Hey, hey, guess what, she got significant relief down to 5/10.

Rachel made a sign at Teri’s request:  “Cancer free. Kick butt.  A match”.  She has cooked 5 dinners that are stocked in the freezer.  John has cleaned like a fiend. 

After Coco (mother poodle) and Toby (son) died of melanoma and heart failure in August 2007 and Christmas eve, December 2008, I got Teri a stuffed poodle that resembled Toby.  She has been holding it and formally named it Coby, not Kobe. 

After some work, we got the video chat going again on the hospital computer.  Any of you who have a g-mail account and a built-in or external video cam can speak with Buddha babe at bluebird3150@gmail.com.