We have no medical appointments or procedures today... a day off. Lisa made a lot of whimpering noises through the night, but after waking up around 7am she said she doesn't feel too badly or hurt too much at the incision site. She's on a hydrocodone pain medication that seems to be working to help her with the post surgery discomfort, and also helped her with sleep.
What's bothering her most right now is a sore throat. She had a touch of that and very bad earaches (both ears) on Sunday. When we met with the surgeon early Monday, he checked her and said what she had was viral, rather than bacterial. He said that the surgery should not be put off because of it -- that common viral infections (cold and flu) do not add risk of infection to a surgical site (they now call that an SSI -- Surgery Site Infection) since it is bacteria that causes that problem. Her throat and ears was confirmed as viral by the Oncologist, and a prescription for an eardrop mix (topical steroids and antibiotic) which have helped somewhat with her earaches, but now her throat is worse and she finds it painful to talk. I went out last night and got her Chloraseptic spray and lozenges, and some boxes of her favorite peppermint herbal tea, and added to our soup supply.
She'll stay on the hydrocodone as needed today. Right now she's putting in more eardrops and may go back to sleep. She says she feels like she should go out and *do* something, since this will be her "last day before having poison in me" (the chemo). If she's up to it, we may go shopping later or out to a movie, or *whatever* she'd like to do.
updated 2pm: This is decidedly a "I just want to rest and sleep" day, which is absolutely fine, of course. I did go get a pint of chicken salad from Victoria's, one of Lisa's favorites for lunch that she was really craving today. She had a good meal before going back to bed to nap. One of the things the doctor has told her she must do, is *eat* and keep her weight up. Lisa jokes that no one has ever told her before to NOT lose weight!
Lisa asked me to check with CCI to find out if there are tv screens in the chemo treatment room. The answer is 'no', but she is welcome to bring a computer, dvd player, mp3 player or a book to get through the tedium of being in the recliner for three hours while they are infusing her with the chemo meds. They also allow one family member to be back there with her, which is nice.
updated 7pm: Lisa woke up late this afternoon feeling much better. We all went out to dinner at Longhorn's, her first out-of-the-house activity for several days that didn't involve doctors.
Michael
