CYCLE 6 DAY 17
Well two days into the roaring 20s and I make my first cock up. I leapt from my bed before 8:30 because Sainsbury’s is delivering. Well after an inane morning news programme followed by the trials of a sick koala it turns out they are due on Friday. At least by now the dishwasher is on as is the washer with my latest pile of dirty clothes. The place is tidy so I abandon ship and head for the gym with my kit and portable office. I settle in and set about writing my bit for the CP on the 24th. It takes a time to do this with a lot of editing. I cannot be hanging around on the day with too much faffing so I get it to a reasonable length. All this while I eat eggs Benedict and drink hot chocolate. The Wi-Fi at David Lloyd is antediluvian in speed and in the end I give up trying to use it and plug my phone into the computer and transfer stuff from one to the other as I try and organise the things I need to. I feel momentarily tech savvy. All of this I could have done at home but I need to avoid getting stir crazy and I have a sense that I would not have completed my writing task while at home. I am happy to spend the day here and meet my partner later to actually use the gym. For some strange reason there are fewer distractions here. Apart from the Snickers bar that caught my eye at the bar, but at this time of year when I am abstaining most sweet things catch my eye. Its par for the course. It will go on for a few weeks and then it will pass me bye as I get on with things. The hope is that by this time I am beginning to see some results such as a loss of weight. I guess this is part of my current patience learning.
In the meantime I need to a bit of research to find out if there are any side effects of coming of the steroids I am on. On the 7th of this month I stop taking any steroids so I need to know what to expect. This latest curiosity is prompted by a comment by my partner who in conversation said I could not just come off them. It sounded like she knew something I did not. So I need to find out as part of my “Knowledge is power” approach to managing my cancer and its treatment. Apparently the prednisolone needs to be trailed off; no one told me that, unless my dosage is so low it won’t matter. Withdrawal symptoms include; weakness, fatigue, decreased appetite (yippee), weight loss (Hurray), nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. The withdrawal symptoms can allegedly be difficult to diagnose. The good news is that short term usage is unlikely to induce withdrawal symptoms. I reckon that the 126 days of my chemo cycles is short term, even given the 18 days of block doses that are included in that. So if I am l lucky nothing will happen, if I am not lucky my appetite will reduce, I will lose weight, feel a bit tired and have the shits for a bit, which looks like a win to fat boy! So I reckon that’s a win win situation, roll on the 7th of January. With luck my Civil Partnership clothes will fit me better on the day. Well that was research well worth doing; it’s cheered me no end. The one thing that worries me is that no one has talked to me about coming off my steroids, just like no one told me I had to self-inject for five days each cycle. It would appear that it’s what people don’t tell you that is the biggest problem. I suspect that they either think someone else will have done or that there is just too much to remember that it’s usual to forget bits. I suppose it’s all part and parcel of the learning that goes with joining the cancer club, like the institutionalised sexism of assuming men would not want wigs and that women would be more affected than men. Where’s my false beard opportunity? And what about a merkin?
