September 17, 2017 Sunday
I couldn’t go to sleep last night until after 3:30!!! Gee willikers!! Got to stop taking naps. I didn’t wake up until 10:45. That’s just so bad!! I’ve got to get my days and nights straightened out. Since it was so late when I got up, I fixed lunch instead of breakfast. I had the last of the cheese, ham, and bread. That sandwich was delicious but I really think those sandwiches are not really good for me so I will not be buying those foods again for quite a while – I’ll really miss those sandwiches tho.
After lunch, I started some sewing. I finished up some Gypsy Wife blocks and then put the materials for that quilt away and got out the Millennial Garden quilt materials. I made some small joining blocks and then put together the blocks I have finished. I had to make some alterations to make everything fit, but I’m happy with it so I’ll leave it like it is. Then I began the last few blocks. I won’t finish it anytime really soon, but it won’t take me too long, I hope. I really enjoy making quilts like this.
I didn’t stop long enough to rest and take a nap all day long so maybe I’ll sleep earlier tonight. Sewing is quite tiring for me, with all the up and down between the cutting table, the machine, the ironing board and the other materials needed so I feel like I have done some work today. It is not nearly as tiring as yard work or walking, but I had no time for those today.
I have felt quite well today except for the ever present diarrhea. I had an epiphany about my diarrhea – it’s probably not caused, directly, by the chemo meds but those meds are probably causing it indirectly. I suspect the chemo meds have killed off all the good and bad tiny microbes in my intestines and that’s what is causing the diarrhea. I don’t know that for sure, but I think it’s a real possibility. I expect next weekend I will begin taking some prebiotics and probiotics and perhaps these will be able to get my intestinal tract back into better shape. I certainly hope that works. I’ll be sure to let you know.
Tomorrow is the day I’ve been waiting on for quite a while. Sue and I will meet with the surgeon to discuss my options. I’ve done some studying about those options but I expect the surgeon will be my very best source of information and I will probably give his opinions a great deal of weight when making decisions. It would be great if we can decide exactly what kind of surgery I will need and exactly when that surgery will take place. I’m hoping for surgery as soon as possible. I’m also interested to see if there is some kind of test he can do to see if the tumor is really dead from the chemo – I’m not really very hopeful that there is such a test but I will certainly ask. I also have questions about radiation and will ask him those questions, but I think the oncologist may be the best person to tell me about radiation.
Morning weight – 220.2 I think those grilled ham and cheese sandwiches have really added some weight. I’m looking forward to getting back to a simpler, but less tasty, style of eating. Sort of.
Melanie's Journey Through Cancer 