[2:54am]
This bed is inferior to the one I had previously. With all beds, there is a finite amount of time that it can function before some type of back pain is present. The last one was a miraculous 11.5 hours or so! As it so happens, I have just finished my objective evaluation of this current bed. My conclusion? A standard 7-hours.
Fortunately, I have just been fed some Vicodin in an effort to add more "fluff" to my mattress. We shall see. Cardboard plus Vicodin does not a Tempurpedic make. Interesting to note that they decided to allow me "as-needed" access to the good stuff. I guess when I told them about that unfortunate ER visit a few days ago, they thought it might be important to consider possible pain. Glad they did. Previously, I might have eaten a few Tylenol and waited like a good boy. Now, with all other crappiness in-bound, I don't have the luxury or time to be a "good boy." Fix it, I say! :P
Scalp feels a bit strange. So, I just gave myself the good-old hair-pull test. It's started. Onset is more sudden (just noticed it now!) and the amount of hair lost per pinch is FAR greater than last time. This should be interesting! Bets are being taken! Can you guess the hair halflife (Time it takes to lose 50% of current hair)? My current bet is 1.5 weeks.
[8:54am]
Ah, nothing like a fresh shower to start your day properly! It was quite difficult, actually. For example, to wash one's hair while simultaneously holding plastic tubing and maneuvering so that one's port does not get wet...is quite difficult. I got water everywhere. Still, mission complete.
I am so ready for chemo.
By the way, I was thinking about making the title of my previous post a trivia challenge! Basically, some video game quote was swimming in my heard yesterday, and I was wondering if any of the Kentucky gamers I know could guess it. The title refers to a video game quote, specifically for the Nintendo. So what game was it?
[10:15am]
Just started me on the pre-meds: Ativan, Zolfran, and Decadron. Chemo ETA: 20 mins.
Ah man, I'm losing the scruffy little beard hear that I've spent the last two weeks cultivating! Liz was telling me how she liked it, so I've been working on it. I had the impression that the slower growing the hair was, the more resistant it would be to falling out. Accordingly, I visualized myself bald, but with facial hair for a time. Nope, not gonna happen. Bummer. That might've been a "tough" look. All of my hair, with the exception of eyebrows and eyelashes, is being lost at a ridiculous pace. It's cool! I mean, yeah, it sucks and everything. But it's inevitable, and quite an odd experience! In other words: kinda neat. I do find, however, that I have to resist the urge to become a Trichotillomaniac. It can be addictive.
I know there isn't empirical evidence to back this up. But, nevertheless, I find this reassuring. I mean, chemo kills rapidly growing cells, yes? Stanford V did not kill the tumor, and it only killed some of the rapidly-growing hair cells. ICE, on the other hand, is just brutally killing every hair cell in existence. What can I conclude it will do to the tumor, then? Hmmm? :P
[12:23pm]
Not taking a chance with lunch today! I just placed an order for delivery from the local Japanese restaurant -- I feel so decadent!! Mmmmm...
On another note, chemo is pumping as-scheduled. Finally!
[2:20pm]
Just woke up from my food-induced coma. That Japanese food: BEST IDEA EVAH! I'm so happy. They came in with HUGE servings -- I actually couldn't eat in all. Oh well, teryaki for later! While I was eating the nurse came in with the hospital lunch... I felt a bit guilty: "oh, I'll eat your food too!" I ate the pears.
On the chemo-front: I'm getting a bit of what feels like a headache. Meh.
[8:53pm]
So, my first day's been pretty uneventful. No news is usually good news. All chemo was delivered: cisplatin, hydration, mesna, ifosfamide, etoposide, mesna, with no side effects. Except for a weird taste and the mouth and an odd (but perfectly acceptable) "feeling" in the stomach; kinda like "this is not nominal, but ok nonetheless." All in all, well tolerated...
Except, it looks like that headache I described earlier transformed into a fever. Just a few moments ago, I realized that I had that all-too-familiar "burning eyes" sensation that has always been my personal fever indicator. It sounds worse than it is: just a kinda warm, uncomfortable, headachey feeling in the eyes. Anyhow, I'm benchmarked at 100.0F on the dot. But, I'm sure it will go away -- I just had the etoposide, and I have experienced temporary fevers due to the drug before.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
Unfortunately - you're in the best postition to win the bet on hairloss as your rate of hair loss will fully depend on how much hair pinching goes on.......and why are you only going for 50% hairloss? I have an image of a monk-like hairdo now with 50% coming off the top..........;o)
Sorry you're awake at such a horrible hour of the night, but glad you're keeping me away from the housework!!
*Enjoy* the poison when it comes.........Vx
Friend of your Mom, from Ky.
There is a special mattress that you can get that might be helpful for your back while you are in the hospital but it has to be ordered by the doctor and may not work for you. I don't know what it is called but they should know. I won't tell you what my mother called it.
Your mom gave your blog info to me. I laugh with you and I cry with you, no wait, I cry for you, you don't cry. So, I suppose the next time you need to cry, I can cry for you, I'm good at it! Oh yeah, I pray for you too! Is it OK to say that?
Halesky - Of course it's OK to pray. Thank you, and welcome to my corner of the interwebs. :P
V - The 50% hair loss thing is just so that I can use the scientific term "half-life" to describe the exponential decay (loss) of my hair.
I imagine the first chunks of hair come out very quickly, then, as the total amount of hair decreases, the amount of hair lost per day decreases. Until you have a few remaining persistent hairs that just wont go. So, at what point have you lost sufficient hair to win the bet? Once you lose *all* of your hair, or most of it? The 50% marker is an attempt to accurately quantify this moment. It's also a way to amuse myself :P
You have always been one to quantify! Also to gamble with yourself on when something would happen!
Thanks for the explanation, Austin - I think?
I'm going to stick to pom-pom waving (Go Austin!) and leave you to the whole scientific bits.
When I wave my pom poms in my comments you can visualise me looking blankly at your posts, nodding with a puzzled expression - yup that about sums it up!
Go Austin, Go!!..........Vx
It's Adam
Exactly what quote is it I should be examining? (as a KY gamer) so do you have your laptop with you at all times in the hospital? I would be playing games all of the time =D By the way, how does one measure the quantity of hair? Do you just eyeball it in the mirror?
You're right, Adam -- a qualitative measurement such as eyeballing is too inaccurate. But, I'm too lazy to start counting hairs or weighing them. So, I'll just say, "when it looks like 50% is gone."
The quote is the title of my previous blog entry. Except, instead of ICE, it is a word that rhymes with it.
so between TJ, Dad, and I, sadly we can't determine what the quote or the game is. The closest thing we could figure was "No Dice" but thats just a guess
-Adam
That is correct. "No Dice? What a drag." It's from Super Mario Bros 3. It occurs when you beat a ship-level while equipped with a hammerman suit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zISrj1l4fpU
Just me,
Sending love -
B
Hey Austin, (Rusty)<- had to
Greg here..was good talking to you the other day..I can't remember if it was after I got out of the hospital or before I went in for an infection in my leg..but anyways my hospital be was ok for the first night..but that angle in the mattress is a killer..well I just wanted to let ya know I was here..your mom gave me the blog address..Hang in there. When you get through all this, beers on me ! Although I am not the beer champ I once was..keep up the good work..and humour. and if I know when and which hospital you'll be in I'll stop in for a visit.
take care !
Hey there Austin!
Just found your site via Bekah's. I haven't had a chance to read much, but I like the style and rhythm of your posts. I'll be back to read more.
Wishing you success w/ ICE!
Heya Greg!
Thanks for stopping by! Yup, it was after I talked to you that the whole resistant (refractive) tumor & BMT thing came up. So, a lot has changed since then. Don't recall hearing about your hospital stay -- hope the infection got handled OK.
Hey Duane!
Welcome, and thanks for the kind wishes!
Post a Comment