We have again learned what we both think is the great lesson of this whole this experience, which is that when things get worse they still can, and often do, get better. That was true of the original surgery in August, 2018, and was true through several phases of the chemotherapy. It has now proved true again.
Things got a lot worse the night of my previous post (Oct. 30 to Oct. 31), during most of which I felt absolutely miserable. Mainly I felt nauseous, which was especially distressing because up to then my digestion had been fine. My talent for having medical problems arise on Friday night had not failed me. I did speak to an after-hours nurse at VNS in the middle of the night. She advised me to take a Compazine, which I did, and it may have helped. I slept fitfully and was relieved when morning finally came. I skipped breakfast.
I had taken just two of the Ritalin tablets that had been recently prescribed (Thursday and Friday), and I had heard that it sometimes has unwelcome side effects, so I decided to stop taking it. I hope that was the source of the problem because it has been easy to remove, but we shall see.
I was being cared for by the world's greatest non-nurse practitioner who served me a perfect light lunch. I had still felt lousy that morning but, despite that, had been able to sleep a great deal in the morning, and after lunch continued to sleep every time my head hit the pillow. The same perfect non-nurse practitioner served a perfect light supper, which went down without pleasure but without trouble.
We were both worried that having slept all day would interfere with my sleep at night. Not to worry. Not only did I sleep all through the night (with the normal number of necessary interruptions) but my sleep became quite restful, and I became much encouraged.
(Oh, and that was the night everyone got an extra hour of sleep!)
This morning I am feeling very weak. My pulse rate is very high. But I ate my breakfast, a bowl of oatmeal, with very good appetite. Unlike last night, I will go to bed tonight without expecting an ordeal of dread of feeling sick all night. Also, I think I will soon return to the wonderful diet, all home cooked, I have been having all along. That is no small hope, and that is why I feel things are getting better. And, as you see, I am able to sit up and write coherently. When I'm not asleep.