After more drama then necessary I got my Terceva on Thursday night. I read through the side effects. This is not something I was prone to do prior to starting chemo. But the side effects are different then other meds I have taken before and these have a potential that seems much important to be aware of. And some of the ones for this chemical are quite interesting. I have already mentioned the acne rash, which of course at 55 I am really looking forward to. Then there is the loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, and unusual hair growth. Oooh, now there is an interesting one. And what does that mean? Hair growing out of my ears or nose? On my back? A full beard, that could be a nice look with the acne rash across my cheeks and nose. What if my eyebrows grow 6 inches in an hour? Ms Moon suggested that I carry a pair of scissors around just in case I need to trim unusual hair growth when I am out in public.
OK, I am not really concerned over unusual hair growth. I am a little anxious in general to see what kind of side effects will come. So far with the chemo I have been pretty lucky that the side effects. For the most part I have not had a lot of side effects or very severe.
This is one of those drugs that you have to take one hour before you eat or 2 hours after. I know that is simple, but it is amazing how complicated I can make that. But to make sure that all went well, I ate my dinner at 5. Jeez that is way too early to eat. And then took my first pill at 8:30 pm and went to bed. I thought any side effects listed that could be a problem may be minimized if I was asleep. Also some of these side effects would be easier to deal with, if I have to, by being at home and close to the facilities.
I woke up at 3:30 in the morning holding on to the bed as the room spun around me. It felt like I had a mild case of food poisoning. That is a normal reaction to taking pills for me. But not the first one. So with some trepidation I took the second pill at 6:30 before I left for the Opera House. By the time the show started a little after 8 the food poisoning symptoms were gone, and I felt fine.
Maybe taking the chemo and then laying down is not a good idea. Maybe I need to take the pill around 6 or so each evening and then eat later. I swear I can not eat at 5, so I can take the pill earlier and then wait for the two hours to eat, and then lay down. That might work much better. We will see.
So we have an ending today. This is the last day of Steele. And oh my, are we going to have quite a last day. I need to get ready and head to the Opera House so that we can have a performance at 1:30. then when that show is over we will set the tables for the dinner prior to the 8:00 performance. Yes, Community theater is very glamorous.
And we are all exhausted and by tonight after our final performance there will be little puddles of weariness where people once sat. But it has been a good show. The ladies have been amazing. Every night they get out there on those boards and say their lines, or something close enough, and then deal with deep hard raw emotion. And then flip from raging or tears right into laughter. And to grab your audience and bring them along with you on this ride is a pretty exhausting thing to do. And these ladies have done it beautifully, night after night. I am in awe of them. I sit in my little dark corner and listen. I can not see them, I can only hear them, and in the dark the roller coaster of emotions pull me along and I feel a part of this amazing thing that we do.
But right now, I am a human doing and I will get ready and go to the Opera House and be a part of this wonderful and amazing world of fake believe (one of Jack's famous sayings). I will work hard to be supportive of the cast, and I will help to set tables, check the theater for trash and run my lights. Maybe it is the balance of being and doing that I have off.
Break a leg ladies, and lets do this thing. Together, working as one to bring smiles and laughter and tears to our patrons.
OK, I am not really concerned over unusual hair growth. I am a little anxious in general to see what kind of side effects will come. So far with the chemo I have been pretty lucky that the side effects. For the most part I have not had a lot of side effects or very severe.
This is one of those drugs that you have to take one hour before you eat or 2 hours after. I know that is simple, but it is amazing how complicated I can make that. But to make sure that all went well, I ate my dinner at 5. Jeez that is way too early to eat. And then took my first pill at 8:30 pm and went to bed. I thought any side effects listed that could be a problem may be minimized if I was asleep. Also some of these side effects would be easier to deal with, if I have to, by being at home and close to the facilities.
I woke up at 3:30 in the morning holding on to the bed as the room spun around me. It felt like I had a mild case of food poisoning. That is a normal reaction to taking pills for me. But not the first one. So with some trepidation I took the second pill at 6:30 before I left for the Opera House. By the time the show started a little after 8 the food poisoning symptoms were gone, and I felt fine.
Maybe taking the chemo and then laying down is not a good idea. Maybe I need to take the pill around 6 or so each evening and then eat later. I swear I can not eat at 5, so I can take the pill earlier and then wait for the two hours to eat, and then lay down. That might work much better. We will see.
So we have an ending today. This is the last day of Steele. And oh my, are we going to have quite a last day. I need to get ready and head to the Opera House so that we can have a performance at 1:30. then when that show is over we will set the tables for the dinner prior to the 8:00 performance. Yes, Community theater is very glamorous.
And we are all exhausted and by tonight after our final performance there will be little puddles of weariness where people once sat. But it has been a good show. The ladies have been amazing. Every night they get out there on those boards and say their lines, or something close enough, and then deal with deep hard raw emotion. And then flip from raging or tears right into laughter. And to grab your audience and bring them along with you on this ride is a pretty exhausting thing to do. And these ladies have done it beautifully, night after night. I am in awe of them. I sit in my little dark corner and listen. I can not see them, I can only hear them, and in the dark the roller coaster of emotions pull me along and I feel a part of this amazing thing that we do.
But right now, I am a human doing and I will get ready and go to the Opera House and be a part of this wonderful and amazing world of fake believe (one of Jack's famous sayings). I will work hard to be supportive of the cast, and I will help to set tables, check the theater for trash and run my lights. Maybe it is the balance of being and doing that I have off.
Break a leg ladies, and lets do this thing. Together, working as one to bring smiles and laughter and tears to our patrons.
A bit behind on readying your blog Kathleen...I need to catch up. Take care and thinking of you and Mary with the last performance today. Hoping you have very few or any of the side effects...the glass is half full!
ReplyDelete"say their lines, or something close enough"
ReplyDeleteHaha! That is me. I weave and I wander and sometimes someone has to throw me a rope to pull me in.
Oh well. It is done, it is over.
Oh honey. Let us sleep.
I am catching up here also. I have read a lot about the play over at Ms. Moon's. Glad that it has gone so well. Unusual hair growth could mean a lot of things!
ReplyDelete