Diary: 29th July 2014

Bren is through his first seven days post-chemo. It has had its ups and downs. He has had headaches and felt unwell but only threw up the first night after treatment.

He was fine until around 11 pm, and then he threw up violently until about 3 am. He slept until five and then started throwing up again. After getting him back in bed, he slept again until I woke him up and helped him to the car in time to check out at 10 am.

The car’s motion brought on bouts of nausea that were difficult for him to cope with, even with anti-nausea medication. Stretching our four-hour trip home to about six hours, we stopped several times to wait until Bren thought he could keep moving. It was daunting to think he would have to go through this two more times, at least. There were three cycles in this round of Chemo. God let one round be all he needs to get where he needs to be to have the tumour removed.

I struggled to give him the injection he needed to take 24 hrs after his Chemo and was grateful to Val, our neighbour and a retired nurse, for doing it for me. We are lucky to have two bathrooms, as the kids and I can’t use Bren’s — the toxic waste he is getting rid of harms our health.
Mood swings are among the side effects of his medication. And although they aren’t that noticeable to us — he is struggling with them. Chemo brain, similar to baby brain, wasn’t something we expected. I had not heard of it and didn’t know that was what Bren was experiencing before reading it. I know I probably shouldn’t, but I google everything. Bren is good-humoured about his vagueness, but I know it frustrates him to feel foggy-brained and struggle to find the right words in conversation.

His lowered immune system is worrying as bugs are always going around. We had to be extra careful this weekend when Tyz came down with a cough, runny nose, and a temp of 39.8. She has been so unwell, but I am equally worried for her dad because if he catches it and ends up with a temp of 38 degrees, or more, we have to get him straight to the emergency department. Suffice it to say — we are staying at home and keeping our distance from just about everyone for now.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I didn’t think the chemotherapy would make Bren as sick as it has these first few days. Not for the first time. We were told it gets worse as more treatments are had. I was pretty naive to think the first one would be a breeze. He is starting to feel better. He is more like himself and is up and about. Thankfully he has colour back on his face; he is playing his guitar and teasing me again.
I’m exhausted.
We have a cupboard full of hand sanitiser and glenn20 and a fridge full of fresh fruit and veg — our home is our safe place. We are taking the next eight days to rest, recover and prepare for the second cycle.
Our new normal has begun.