Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Radiation Day 17

Yesterday was see the doctor and weigh-in day.  It was a better experience than last week.  First I lost two of the three pounds I had gained.  Yeah!  And the doctor gave me a prescription for Ambien to help me sleep.  He seemed a little irritated that I'm not sleeping - but he might have just been having a bad morning.

I'm worried about how I will react to the Ambien so I'll wait until Friday night before I take one. That way I can tell how it impacts my mornings. It's not going to do me much good if it works too well and I over sleep - missing my radiation appointments.

Didn't get to walk yesterday, but a parent at my school is now offering a Zumba class on Tuesdays.  I was exhausted afterwards, but it felt good. I'm not very coordinated and so I look like a crazed chicken whenever I try to do the routines. It's a testament to how much I want to get exercise and how much I trust my co-workers for me to actually do this class in front of them.

Last night, Patrick's middle school held an 8th Grade Learning Fair to highlight things the students had learned during the year.  Each student got to pick two or three projects to showcase.  Parents were given a brochure with signature lines. If they talked to a total of 10 students and got their signature, then their child would get an extra 10 points to be used for any class.  It was very interesting.  Three or four of the students I talked with had done a project on photography.  (Patrick researched Kevlar.)  I learned that the 5 second rule for dropped food is really not a good idea.  I saw an awesome project on the Bay of Pigs - the display board was as tall as the student.  And I met a very nice young woman who had moved to Colorado Springs from Canada. She was very proud of her first report on American History - it was about George Washington.

Of course my favorite display was Patrick's.  He showed off his research on Kevlar, his project on the U.S. Constitution (making sure to tell everyone that it was his dad who had burned the hole in the paper when trying to make the paper look old) and the pink ribbon he painted for me in art class.

It was very crowded, which was a little overwhelming for a woman experiencing random hot flashes and fatigue. But, I was prepared.  Once I had talked with ten students and taken Patrick's picture, I snagged a semi-quiet corner near the door and a cool breeze and pulled out my ever present book. (One of the girls that talked to me about her display, told me she was reading the same book. I'm such a book geek, I get really excited when kids want to talk books. )

Even though I'm out of energy by 5:00 p.m. every day,  I'm glad I went to the Learning Fair and didn't play the the fatigue card and stay home.  Of course, I was asleep before 10 last night - too bad I was awake again by midnight and several times after that.  Not to worry - Friday is not that far away.
Patrick with the beautiful ribbon he painted for me and wearing Dad's Tigger  tie, which he tied himself.

3 comments:

  1. Glad your getting out and trying I live life as normal. I admire you and always have. YOur a very strong person and you will overcome..love ya , dana

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful day, radiation or not. I am glad you got the Ambien. Here is my two cents: don't give up on it if it throws you for a loop, at a minimum you can take it on Friday and Saturday nights and get two good nights sleep. In case your doctor did not tell you, DO NOT take it with alcohol (not even a small glass of wine), I know three people including myself who had mild to severe bad experiences with Ambien and alcohol. If it doesn't work for you, maybe ask him about Elavil, it is often prescribed for sleep problems and it worked great for me!

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  3. Jan Barber-HemphillApril 6, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    Glad you talked to the Dr. about your sleep problems. He was probably irritated because getting enough sleep is SO important to your body's ability to heal itself. I've run into the same problem when I'm having a flare up and have to take corticosteroids. Ambien has worked well for me, but you have to make sure you give yourself at least 8 hr. for sleep or you will wake up feeling groggy.

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