Steady As She Goes

It occurred to me that I've been writing interior monologues lately and not providing many specifics on the state of my health. I feel pretty darn good. I have had 9 radiation treatments out of 30 and one round of chemotherapy out of four. My appetite is rapacious. Acupuncture and pills so far have spared me gastro intestinal side efffects like nausea, esophagitis, etc. My energy is pretty good considering that my body is full of toxins. I'm up at 6:30 and have been managing whatever I need to manage -- driving, shopping, socializing, cooking, cleaning -- as long as I get a short nap in the afternoon. I start to fade around 9 or 10, and am usually in bed by 10:30 -- early for the old me, but certainly a reasonable hour for the contemporary me. As a rule I'm sleeping well, with one exception last week that I think was due to an over-long afternoon nap.

So far the most annoying side effect has been a rash that began on my chest and has now spread to my back. Benadryl did nothing for it, hydrocortizone seemed to help, and last week the acupuncturist gave me calendula cream for it, which I have been using since Thursday. In the great scheme of things this is a very minor issue.

I'm taking magnesium supplements now, since my last blood work showed a deficiency. I remain on folic acid, which protects the good tissue from the effects of the chemo.

I've tried out a few yoga classes at Gilda's and found a couple I like. Today I plan to do some yoga at home, given the weather. I feel I'm not getting quite as much exercise as I should be getting, and I need it to build up stamina. The effects of this treatment are cumulative, and they tell me the radiation starts to take its toll somewhere around treatment#10-#15, so we shall see what the coming week brings. For the time being, steady as she goes.