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| With Walt & Dad on Bennett Ridge |
I'm sorry to report that my headaches returned for the first time in almost ten weeks last Sunday. I was hoping that the alternative therapies that I'm doing along with the apparent effectiveness of the chemotherapy were at the very least, controlling my symptoms. After a rough night and twelve miserable hours in bed on Sunday, we spoke with the doctor and I went back on my favorite steroid.
It may make me miserable but fortunately, it continues to be very effective at controlling the swelling in my brain. The good news is, we minimized the dose that I haven't experienced insomnia as a side effect as I did previously. The bad news is, I discovered a whole new steroidal side effect: hiccups. Yes indeed, I've had the hiccups for almost three straight days. They would pass for a half an hour or so and then restart. I'm happy to say that I've gone four days now without another episode so I feel like I'm in the clear.
The last six weeks have been very tough and our lives still feel pretty turned upside down while strangely on hold. My MRI on Wednesday should at least break us out of that regardless of the results. We're looking forward to getting to the next stage and getting on with it.
I've been a rather poor communicator recently but I truly appreciate all the messages and encouraging words. Here's hoping we have some good news to share next week.
I've been following the list of books you've read and I want to say thank you, in particular for the current one you're reading. As the shameless SF native who doesn't know how to live anywhere outside of this 7 by 7 square mile area, or outside of 60 degree weather, I appreciate learning about the Infinite City. I'm also glad to learn about the golf book even though I'm not a golf person. It's a great gift idea for golf friends.
ReplyDeleteLearning that you can do both, get regular sleep and manage the swelling effectively while taking the steroid, is very good news. Minimizing symptoms and insomnia sounds really good for day to day comfort. And needless to say, it allows to you think clearly about your next move. I'll be waiting for your next post to learn what you and Steph decide to do. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next MRI will show continued progress with the current treatment, and that returning to D.C. to work again seems doable. Vicky