Thank you for all of your emails and Facebook notes of support. Several of you have asked how things are going, so I thought I'd check in now that Step 1 is complete.
As of Wednesday morning I've had three injections of the Rocephin, each one a higher dose than the one before.
The good news is that I have tolerated the medication thus far and have not had any major or minor allergic reactions. (Thank goodness!)
They've made sure that I get my favorite nurse (or nurses) every day. Having wonderful nurses can change the entire experience, and thankfully I've been well-taken care of.
Now we move to Step 2 (starting Thursday morning), which is to continue the IM injections for a few more days and as long as they are tolerated we will schedule me for insertion of a port.
I'll admit that perhaps I went into these injections thinking: "How painful could they really be?" But OUCH! They really hurt. I now see why the nurse feels badly giving the darned things to me and why both Dr. PCP and Dr. Lyme said that it would be difficult to tolerate the injections for more than 7-10 days.
I don't want to rush to a port at all, but I also see that the injections really are very difficult to tolerate. The best description I can think of is that it feels like a charlie horse in my toosh! The muscle pain and cramping radiates down my leg and around to my belly.
I've been icing my toosh and applying heat to my belly! I'm employing my best deep breathing techniques. And reciting the mantra "Three down, seven to go. You can do it!" I keep telling myself that if I can get through the GI attacks which last for hours on end, I can get through the 30 minutes when the pain is the worst from the Rocephin injection! Seriously though...where is the lidocaine that is supposedly in that injection?
As of now, I'm exhausted and weak from the medication. Both are symptoms I expected. I'm also having difficulty with any sitting or standing time. The increased ANS symptoms are also to be expected. Rocephin targets the Central Nervous System (CNS). So far I have not had the muscle and joint pain that I had with the bicillin injections, which targeted the muscles, joints, connective tissues and organs. I was using Zithromax to target the CNS issues, but the Rocephin will be much more aggressive at this.
I'm so thankful that so far I've at least been able to hang out in my new peaceful bedroom and at least be able to distract myself with some fluffy TV when not resting/napping. This is much preferred over those times when I am too sick to do anything but close my eyes and lie still. Hooooraaaayyy for lots of fresh new Fall TV. What are your favorite TV shows? I love this topic!
Otherwise beyond doctoring, icing and heating, meals, some TV, resting and time with the fam, I'm trying to push away the thoughts of 'shoulds' and focus on the task at hand--treatment.
I'll keep checking in as best I can! Thanks so much for your prayers and good thoughts. They continue to buoy my spirits and keep me pressing on.
Blessings,
Emily
P.S. If anyone is an expert in port types/experiences I would like to hear more. I know there are many, many types and it's a bit overwhelming!
Photos: Gerber daisies in our yard. Mom bought these in a pot for me when I moved into my new room. When they stopped thriving, she planted them in the yard. We thought they wouldn't come back, but they did! And they are still blooming! So cheery!
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