Post Treatment: Week 2 - Sunday
This past week has seemed like a full and busy week. As well as returning to counselling and my part-time work I have been concentrating on contributing more actively to the running of the household. All these months Carol has fairly single-handedly kept up everything. In the past, I have occasionally mentioned doing something like mowing the lawn – but haven’t mentioned that’s ALL I did. It’s been Carol carrying everything in our house. I am grateful and fortunate to have had such support. But clearly time to shift the balance. And I am beginning to when I can. (Managed to sort out the broken light fixture in the downstairs toilet after several days of putting it off.) (Although I am mentioning only that – this time I have been doing other things as well!)
I would describe my experiences over the week as unsettled. I am having trouble finding and maintaining my equilibrium. At some stages during the treatment I did find ‘equilibrium’ – I felt fatigued, limited and reduced but had a sense of being on an even keel with it. At the moment some days feel good and other days I feels as weary as I did before.
There have been days this week when I was feeling like the fog was lifting and I was able to anticipate and think things through; then I would discover I had completely forgotten something obvious and realised the fog still lingers.
I had a terrible bout of insomnia one night – last checking the clock at 4:30 am before finally falling asleep. Unusual for me.
Most unsettling has been my face. (Can’t resist pointing out others may have said the same thing before.)
The itching and scaly drying skin continues. A raised skin surface, like a welt, appeared on my cheek on Wednesday. Red patches have flared up in several places and my skin feels like sandpaper. It is all very itchy and the constant irritation of it led me to take a Piriton on Thursday morning. Having avoided any medicine or proprietary drugs over the whole treatment period this was most unlike me. Spoke to Mynurse about taking the Piriton (just in case). She is right in her comment it will make me sleepy. It has, but not like the heavy-duty stuff I have been taking over the past year.
I am not sure what this itchy red irritation is about. I like Carol’s view that it is the toxins and waste products of the medication de-toxing from my body – some through the pores of my skin. And the toxins are irritating sensitive skin and causing a reaction. I suppose this will be confirmed – or not, when I see Mynurse tomorrow.
Yes, I am due for the appointment tomorrow where I will hear the outcome of my end of treatment PCR. Although I can entertain the notion that it won’t be good news, I have a belief it will be clear.
My appetite hasn’t changed although I think my sense of taste is changing – I found something or other very, very spicy this week. I haven’t experienced such strong tastes for a while. I also notice I am hungry sometimes – not like the ‘no appetite’ I experienced consistently through treatment. But I haven’t wanted to eat any more food than I have been over the past few months. And my weight has not altered. I am mindful of comments that others have made that the weight goes back on after the treatment stops. As I am happy with my ‘new shape’ – which is just like the ‘old me’ several decades ago I am not looking to gain any weight – and my BMI and weight remains within the “Ideal” category.
Haven’t been round on the blogs or the Forum much - I am sure there is a lot to catch up with everyone’s news and really need to be sure I have enough time set aside to read and enjoy. Will be doing this soon.