So M has gone to Holland to see his family, and we’ve sent Lily to the kennel because I’m coming off my prednisone taper and it’s just been too difficult for me to get her out 3 times a day when my head is elsewhere.

But I’ve done pretty well with being home alone. And I’ve had friends checking in on me, so it’s not like I’m really alone. I have a comfy bed, crochet to do, TV, and the Internet and plenty of simple stuff to eat. I sleep a lot when I’m coming off my prednisone taper. Prednisone is a fabulous drug in many ways, but the side effects can be quite awful. It creates a stress-like environment in your body, so that your blood sugar rises, you fill with fluid and it impacts all of your muscles. My teeth feel very long, my eyes don’t focus and I just feel fuzzy all over. Add that to the anti nausea drugs, you’re a drooling, constipated mess. I’m sure I’ve written this all before – I fear I begin to be redundant.

But at the end of the taper, things start to feel better, and it really only takes a day or so to feel normal again. But, you have to be a little careful emotionally because of mood swings. The first time I went off prednisone, I had this manic feeling. Rushing around, wanting to eat everything. And then you can tank and feel depressed. You can also be depressed when your counts drop because you’re just tired and lacking energy. So the key here is to simply listen to your body, and don’t expect yourself to do too much at any one time. Nothing is so important that it cannot wait.

I also have strange food cravings. For the last few weeks I’ve wanted to eat asian inspired things – noodles and broccolli in soy and ginger with shrimp, dim sum dumplimgs. Pesto. Garlicky and green, clear flavors for the most part. Wonder if that has something to do with how the chemo impacts my mouth lining. So I’ve been eating shrimp and chicken and salads. Yummy. And dark, dark chocolate. Might as well eat what I want. More about that in another post though…….

This time, i also tried to drink a lot of water before chemo and during my taper. I think it helps a lot with flushing out the crap. The only small annoyance is that I have to get out of bed at 3 AM for a potty break. But that’s ok… just sleep some more after.

And M will be home tonight, Lily will be home tomorrow, and Eileen comes in two weeks for a long visit. In two weeks I have my last big chemo, to be followed by 12 smaller dose ones. So we’re moving forward.