Search This Blog

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Overly Cautious, For Once

Throughout the time that I have been treated for ovarian cancer, starting with my post-operative course after surgery and up until the present, I have not been lucky when it comes to side effects.  I have had prolonged recovery periods, two episodes of infection, one of them quite serious, a wound infection that surfaced almost two months after my initial surgery and various fluid accumulations that have led to pain and discomfort.  Not an easy course.
So when I developed nausea and vomiting in the absence of chemotherapy last week I was hesitant to ignore it.  After all, the last time that had happened I landed in the ICU within four hours of it all starting and spent the following day going from one procedure to another to try to rectify the problem.  I did end up getting hospitalized briefly, largely based on my history of bad luck, but also because of some abnormalities on tests, but it was refreshing to not have the worst happen.  My symptoms all improved quickly and within 24 hours I was on the street again, feeling a bit worse for wear, but happy not to have my gut shut down for once.  I nibbled cautiously on food for the next couple of days, but did manage to have the sense that I might not always have the worst outcome possible each and every time, that I might actually be getting stronger.  I am not going hog wild on that sensation, but it did feel good.  the hospitalization also gave me the opportunity to apologize to all the people that had taken care of me on my previous hospitalization, which was long and miserable, feelings I was not hesitant to share with my health care team.  Many times did I say sorry over the short day I was there.

No comments:

Post a Comment