Okay, Round Two: Port made a huge positive difference not dealing with arm pain. Woot!
Side effects came on stronger, faster - all during the last 30 minutes of infusion. The nurse slowed down the infusion from the start to moderate, based on the last round, but to no avail. I was there from ten in the morning until after 4 PM.
Temperature sensitivity is kicking in at room temperature; the big problems seem to be related to the last hourly visit to the ladies room and that cold toilet seat. I can cover my mouth and breathe through my hands - to no avail. It's the butt cold.
Last toittie break, I refrained from putting my butt on the seat and did not get the throat shut-down. Go figure.
Other side effects: eye twitch, left eye went into half closed position, claw hand, forearm weakness, floppy ankles, developed a lateral 'S' lisp, and had a hard time forming words. Otherworldly feel. First bite, painful tears. Nurse and hubby said they observed nothing weird about my talking or walking and nurse says she has never seen these types of side effects. Eyes were obvious to them both. I spoke to her about the emotional crash from last time - she proposed cutting back on the steroids next round, but ended up giving me an extra shot of steroids to get me home. Oncologist is proposing staring oral steroids day prior to counteract the side effects - if I can stay on the Ativan and get some sleep the emotional crash may not be as big a deal.
I ate quite a bit Thursday - snacked in the clinic, had a Subway sandwich for lunch, and a Stoffers meat loaf and mashed potatoes; yesterday Cornish game hen for bkfst, mac and cheese for lunch and salmon and pesto pasta for dinner, topped by a bag of Ghiradellli semi sweet kisses in bed at ten PM. About 80 oz liquid consumed Friday. Am downing big soup mugs of warm water cut with Gatorade - side effects Friday were completely manageable - they seemed minimized or maybe I am just prepared, or possibly less hyper-vigilant. Oncologist says side effects will be minimized by getting the chemo out of the system ASAP with liquids. I was able to hold a regular fork and didn't have to use plastic. Hubby is getting bolder in the kitchen and trying to cook for me. A couple funny mistakes, but he's survived. When this is all over, I think he'll enjoy taking cooking classes with me.