Monday September 22, 2014

So today is officially 12 days since my diagnosis of cancer.  Stage IIB colorectal cancer, T3, N0, M0.  I'm excited to start the chemo and radiation.  I'm a little nervous about side effects.  My oncologist said I shouldn't lose my hair.  That's good.  But I'm nervous of getting nausea or headaches.

The kids and I started packing the house.  A lot of friends, and friends of friends, have volunteered to help us move.  We've planned it for the weekend of Oct 11th.  I have no idea how I will be feeling, so I'm just trying to get everything packed and planned out as quickly as possible.

The pain still comes each day, heaviest in the evening or if I sit too long.  Since I'm guilty of over-sharing anyway, let me describe it.  The kidney-area pain hasn't been as bad.  I'm wondering if I had a little infection or stone that passed on its own or if the pain is from the hydronephrosis.  I still get sharp pain in the area of the top of my butt crack (the medical word is "natal cleft" by the way) going into my body.  And I'd say the most pain is a sharp pain right at my anus going up into me.  It really hurts to sit normally, so usually I have to lean to the side when I sit.  It also hurts to lay down on my sides for too long so I sleep a lot on my back, but that hurts too.  I kind of raise one leg up and lean a little to one side when I lay on my back.  That helps a little.  I have cramps all the time.

I still have thick bloody pus come out once in a while--not that it leaks out or anything.  Just when I use the toilet and feel like I need to have a bowel movement.  I've been feeling constipated too, and although I get urges to have a bowel movement it's usually only blood that comes out.  I really think I'm a little dehydrated so I'm trying to drink a lot of water.  I am dizzy a lot.  I don't really have an appetite and haven't been eating as much as I'm used to.  I get nauseated if I eat much.  Back before the appendectomy I weighed at most 154 I think. (My weight goes up and down a few pounds easily).  I loved to eat, would over eat, snacked a lot. But I just can't do that anymore.  Nowadays I have to make myself eat a little something at least just to keep my blood sugar from getting low.