I Don't Like Side Effects

I finished my chemo treatments several weeks ago.  I'm still experiencing the side effects.  That does not seem fair to me!  Call me naive, but I think that when I'm officially done with chemo, the side effects should be gone immediately.  Their purpose has been served and they are no longer necessary.  I'm perfectly fine not being reminded of my chemo journey.  But no - they continue to hang around like leftovers in the back of the fridge.

Okay, I'm really glad my lungs are working as expected now that those toxic chemicals are no longer being syphoned into my body.  It's good to be able to breathe.  My eyes aren't watering as much anymore and that's nice. I feel like my brain is clearing up so I don't have to wear a name tag just in case chemo-brain causes me to forget who I am.  My voice isn't as hoarse as it was a couple of weeks ago.  I'm not as exhausted as I have been.  I am very happy to be rid of these side effects.

What remains?  I have numb feet and hands.  I still don't have signs of hair regrowth on my head.  My eyebrows haven't gotten anymore "there" than they were before. I continue to suffer from Bald Eye Syndrome.  I'm still fatigued and I do have some lapses in memory. My multitasking abilities have not completely returned. Oh, and I'm still sharing my body with that darn port-a-cath (aka: Bottle Cap with Claws). Am I whining? Absolutely! I feel like I've earned the right to whine.

So, what am I doing about my numb hands and feet?  I do a lot of typing and hand massages.  This seems to work well.  My hands are much less numb then my feet.  I think I might have to practice typing with my toes just to see if I can get the feeling back in my feet.  I do take a lot of hot bubble baths because my feet feel much better after that.  The bath is for my feet...even though it is my favorite way to relax; I'm not using my feet as an excuse to take more bubble baths.  Don't look at me like that - I'm serious. The bath is for my feet!

Chemo-brain is getting better.  I play boggle on my phone to help exercise my mind and get it back in shape. Oh yes - that's part of the recovery process.  Just because I've always played games on my phone does not diminish the therapeutic benefit my mind is getting from  playing boggle on my phone. I'm getting that look again.  Trust me, the game is good for my head!

I believe that the bubble baths will also cause my hair, eyelashes & eyebrows to start growing.  I think I should take a few extra baths a week just to make sure that hair regrowth gets the support it needs.  Why do I think baths are good for regrowing hair?  Well, think about it.  We water our plants and they grow.  Just apply the same principle to hair.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make that connection...sheesh.

What's left? Oh, I still tire easily.  I deal with this by relaxing as much as possible. I haven't had to resort to naps yet, but I'm not ruling them out. What? Just a minute, my son is saying something.  He seems to think that therapeutic relaxation is just an excuse for being lazy?!  I'm offended and will not dignify that statement with a response.

In order to work within my multitasking restrictions, I have learned to do one thing at a time and do it very slowly. This allows me to accomplish something without too many mistakes or issues.  I hear a noise...  No that is NOT the same as gold bricking! The very idea! I need to go somewhere private while I finish this - humph.

I ignore my port as much as possible.  That thing is on its way out. It will be gone on October 6th and I will be very happy to see the last of it.  There's not too much I can do about the port.  I have had to curtail exercise so as not to aggravate the port.

In order to live with the remaining chemo side effects, I have had to type on my computer a lot, take many hot bubble baths, get hand massages, practice relaxation at all times, accomplish one task a day - very slowly and not exercise.  Between all of these very difficult things, I need to fit in playing Boggle on my phone. This is a very intense recovery regimen, but I'm getting through it as best I can.  Huh?....What do you mean it sounds like I'm on vacation???