I got the IV in my left arm again and had no problems. I was still so happy I could take IVs and not have to use a port. The side effects this time around were a little worse though. Fatigue, body aches, and more extreme sensitivity to cold. I had severe hand cramps for days where my hands would freeze into a tight claw hand. Everything eventually slowly fades and it’s my third week after chemo which feels the best. But then it’s back for another round.
Dr. Witta sent me for a barium enema with fluoroscopy because of the pain I was still having. He wanted to make sure I didn’t have a fistula. It was a very unpleasant experience but it showed everything to be working correctly. And I learned something. All that colon mucus that’s naturally supposed to come out, doesn’t. It sticks to the sides of your colon and becomes hard. It collects and clumps together and makes your colon act like it’s got a lot to push out. So the colon goes through its contractions like usual but it can’t get the mucus to move because there’s no water.
This barium enema at the hospital not only cleaned me out there but kept cleaning me out for several days. I’ve never seen so much mucus in my life. It taught me that I needed to be hydrating my colon. Why didn't anyone suggest this to me?? So I texted my surgeon asking if it was ok for me to give myself home enemas, and he said it’s perfectly fine.
So now that’s what I do. At first I was doing it about once every week or two. It hydrates the colon, loosens up all that mucus, and then flushes it right out. It’s kinda painful because it stimulates the intestines, and the contractions go on and on and on. The pain I used to have around my tailbone area goes away after I’m cleaned out.
I’ve been able to sleep more than just a couple hours at a time and that’s been so good for my mental state.
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