Set Backs

I have to admit it...I overdid it this weekend. Sunday morning I woke up with a very bad pain in my right inside elbow. Upon more investigation, it was red and very sore to the touch.

I was looking forward to getting to church because otherwise, I was feeling pretty good to have a normal kind of day. As the morning progressed the pain increased and then there was a little bit of swelling around my wrist when I compared it with my left one.

I didn't know who to call about it when I got home from church because the lymphnode stuff was related to the surgery back in July and not the chemo/oncology stuff I am doing now. I made a call to the oncologist and explained what was going on. He said he would feel better if I popped into the walk in clinic and had someone actually look at it. Yes, it looks like the start of an infection. So, antibiotics for me.

The doctor was so nice and helpful. She asked me what I had been doing over the weekend and any symptoms I was having with chemo and I had to admit that I made four birthday cakes Friday, went to three soccer games on Saturday and orchestrated birthday parties for four of my children in the afternoon.

I hadn't really thought of it when I came in, but that is probably a bit much in my condition. She told me that with lymph edema it could be any one of those things, a combination or something as small as a hangnail from my newly brittle and cracking nail beds (a chemo side effect that has begun to cause some grief this third round).

Getting used to this new antibiotic has been rough. So much other stuff is in me to keep symptoms under control. It was a long walk home from dropping Matthew to school Monday. By the time I turned to walk home, I didn't know if I would get there. Thankfully, my sister lives half way so I stopped and sat down until the nausea subsided, crossed the street and sat on the neighbors driveway for a bit when I felt I might pass out, and then made it to my own backyard where I sat on the slide for a few more minutes til I could make my way across the yard to the back door.

I rested most of Monday and I think I am getting the hang of the antibiotic...water, water, water! Tuesday I get to have a massage!