Cycle #3: Day 9

**One administrative note: I do not usually post on the day about which I am writing. I take notes on individual days so that when I start to write I can refer to them, but as you read this, the salient date is the title of the entry, not the day of its publishing.**

The first week following Treatment #3 has been difficult:

1. The dexamethasone that I take for the first 4 days of treatment really disrupted my sleep. For four consecutive days I woke up at 2 am and was totally unable to go back to sleep. Also, I woke-up completely drenched in sweat. I am not talking about a bit of perspiration....my spot in the bed looked like the chalk outline of a body on a murder scene, which a child subsequently coloured-in with a crayon. It was very unpleasant. Two days after stopping the dex I began to sleep normally again, but four nights of sleeplessness takes a toll.
2. My blood pressure has been very high again. Usually 200/110, even with a doubling of my BP meds.
3. My body has been quite achy in the spots where there are prominent tumours. For me this has meant stiffness and pain in my neck, left hip, back, and right femur.
4. I have had a cough that is neither worsening nor improving. It is causing a real shortness of breath that I notice when I talk and walk. While 1-3 above are definitely related to the chemo, this one I am not sure about. I have two two-year olds and they are constantly bringing colds/flus/coughs into the house, and this may just be one of those. I have already decided that if I still have the cough in 4-5 days, I will ask to be seen by my doctors.
5. Yesterday I had a fever for about four hours. I usually take my temperature at least once per day and until last night it was always normal. Last night it went from 99 to 100 to 101 in about 45 minutes, and then it stayed at 101 for a few hours. Then it subsided. This is sort of what happened during the first week after Treatment #1 but the numbers were a bit higher this time. Since it went away so quickly I probably will not mention to my doctors until I see them next.

This morning, which is Day 51, I feel better than I have for most of this week. I definitely still have the cough but 1, 2, 3, and 5 (above) have resolved. We'll see if today is the transition-day for the much more enjoyable weeks 2 and 3 after treatment.