Ok, now I'm caught up in time. A couple days ago it was 8 weeks out from my surgery. Two weeks ago I had my second IV chemo session.
When I met with Dr. Witta before this second round of chemo I told him about those nasty painful back spasms. I had even called him during that time and he said if it continues after a couple days he'd put me on steroids. I'm glad it went away. But I asked him about the dosage of that Neulasta, did I have to have a full dose considering my white blood cell counts are always normal? He said I didn't have to, and we both agreed that the dose should be lessened. He said a full dose is 6 mg and that he'd give me only 2 this time. He said most people can't handle a full dose but that he wanted to see how I tolerated it. Wow, he doesn't fool around.
So for the IV poke this second time around I asked the IV nurses if I could have it in my left antecubital but they said it's too dangerous there and the farthest up my arm they could go was only mid forearm. I think it went well this time. I had much less pain than the first time in the wrist. But I still got pretty painful back spasms, just not nearly as intense as the first time. Still bone and muscle pain.
But this round also made me pretty ill in other ways. Three days after the chemo I woke up feeling very weak and dizzy. I didn't think to check my blood pressure but I'm wondering if it was low. I just had an overall unwell feeling. I managed to get a shower and do my hair although I started feeling more weak and dizzy. I checked my blood sugar and it was good. And then it was time to change my stoma's barrier and bag.
After I got started with it is when I knew I was pretty sick. Not nauseated and vomiting but just not doing well at all. But I had to finish, couldn't just leave my stoma bare on my belly. Each time I stood up to go back to the bathroom to finish, I got lightheaded and had to go sit back down. I started get one hell of a hot flash and this went on for an hour. I'm not kidding you. I've never had a hot flash last that long, and I think that's what really made me sick. At one point I was standing in the bathroom determined to try and finish my pouching system when I looked in the mirror and my face was pale green. I could feel myself losing consciousness.
I walked quickly toward my bedroom but before I could get through the door my vision went black but I was still conscious and knew I was facing my bed. Just had to take a few more steps and I'd be at my bed. I remember lying down but am not sure if I stayed conscious or not. I felt like I passed out. Next thing I knew I was feeling perfectly normal again. I was afraid to get up, what if I had another bout again?
Then I shot out of bed from what I knew was going to be a mess in the bed if I didn't make it to the toilet. I got to the toilet, sat down, and water came rushing out of me. Again, there's not supposed to be anything coming out that end! (Dr. Strobos said that my large intestine was closed off).
What was coming out of me wasn't what you would call mucus. It was the same consistency, color, and amount that diarrhea would be. It did have some little bits of formed feces but the rest was water, quite a bit of it. This is why I don't agree that it could still be leftover prep from before my surgery.
An hour or so later I had to go sit on the toilet again, and this time what came out looked like a normal formed stool. But it actually wasn't. It was white and semi-solid. I guess it's just mucus. I honestly don't know what to think.
Because I was feeling perfectly normal again I didn't call anyone, but a friend suggested I do mention it to my doctors. So this past Thursday on my day off work I called my radiation doctor's office. I wanted to know if the radiation was still in me, still affecting me, and perhaps had something to do with this water that keeps coming out of me. Consequently I still have vaginal water "discharge" sometimes. It comes and goes. They checked with Dr. Kemmis, and then came back on the phone to let me know he said there was no more radiation in me and I wouldn't be having side effects from it anymore. The vaginal discharge was because of my hormones still adjusting due to the medically-induced menopause. However, they suggested I contact Dr. Strobos' office to let them know about the dizziness, fainting, and rectal watery output.
They called them for me, and when I got a return call from the surgeon's office I kinda got lectured by the medical assistant for not having called 5 days earlier when this event took place. I told her, "I have so many symptoms going on that I have no idea which doctor to call." I figured the chemo was the main culprit, coupled by that hour-long major hot flash. Those hot flashes are horrible especially when they don't stop. I think the rectal "diarrhea" was a separate thing that just happened to come at the same time as all the other symptoms.
The medical assistant said that it was too late for them to figure out what was going on now that I had waited so long to tell them about it, but that next time something like this happens I need to call them or go to the ER. My main concern at the time was not fainting. But afterwards I was perfectly fine. There was no reason really to call anyone nor go to the ER at that point.
If I have another bout of this rectal diarrhea, I will definitely call the surgeon's office back. She said they might want to do a flexible sigmoidoscopy to have a look and maybe a sample. I don't think anything is necessarily wrong, I just think it's strange that I'm still having this much stuff come out that end. Last month when I called about the rectal output they told me it was possible and normal for some poeple and that it should stop soon. So according to that there's nothing to worry about. Honestly, I think the chemo made me feel weak and dizzy, and maybe I was a little dehydrated . Then with that horrible hot flash that wouldn't quite, that's what caused me to faint. I doubt anything is really wrong.
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