Three Times a Charm

Wrapped third round of chemo yesterday. 37.5% done. Five more to go. I actually feel better than I did on the first two rounds, largely because of my brilliant husband.

You see, though I don't have an addictive personality, I'm somewhat freaked out by the Ambien prescription my oncologist dished out at our first visit. No, I'm sleeping like a baby, I said back in January...now that I know I have a really fantastic excuse for being tired, I'm demanding a little less of myself and accepting an early bedtime before the sink is empty, the laundry is folded and the bills are all paid. Great, take it anyway, he said. It won't always be so easy.

Fast forward and he was right. The damn anti-nausea medication is a steroid that feeds insomnia, I can't sleep on my belly like I normally would so there's lots of tossing, and then there's the hot flashes. So the first two sessions I had very little sleep and the one-two punch of that and the declining red blood cell count meant that by Wednesday when the pump came off, I was just completely exhausted. Thursdays were worse - I wandered the halls at work with a dazed look and wan complexion, and most took pity on me, speaking slowly and in gentle tones so as not to startle me.

This Monday evening however, Steve suggested I give the Ambien a shot, retire early to the spare room where I could sleep diagonally, and crank the air conditioning. I love this man, people. I slept better than I have in months. So well in fact that I decided to rinse and repeat on Tuesday night. Three nights seemed a little much for a drug induced slumber, so Wednesday I skipped the Ambien and still slept soundly, the soothing hum of the A/C in the background. So, while I'm still riding out various other side effects, and there's a general feeling of fatigue, I'm sleeping, and that goes a long way.