Day 16 - 3rd Chemo Cycle

Today was a fairly quiet day.  I am tired today.   My cheeks are still achy from smiling and laughing so much yesterday with my good friends that travelled from afar for a visit.

My alfalfa sprouts that I planted on Tuesday are already sprouting!  It always makes me feel good when I see my seeds start to poke through the soil.  I think this is because it is a sign of new life and the beginning of Spring.  I can't wait to use the sprouts on sandwiches and in salads.

I had a very good friend over for tea this afternoon.  I've missed her while she was ill with a cold and then busy.  It was nice to catch up over tea.  We used to get together once a week to play flute and oboe duets.  I really miss that.  Until my voice is stronger, I'm afraid to play the flute as in November it seemed to affect my throat.  When I mentioned to my friend that I miss seeing her weekly and playing flute with her, she reminded me that this is most likely a temporary break from playing together.  I hope so.

I think I have a new side effect showing up.  I've developed some mouth sores inside my mouth.  One of them is quite painful.  It woke me up during the night.  When I first met Dr. Meyer, my oncologist, on January 4, he gave me some pamplets on each of the medications that are part of my chemotherapy.  In each pamplet, there is a description of possible side effects, uncommon side effects and most rare side effects of each drug.  Along with the descriptions, there are suggestions on what to do to ease the side effects and when it is necessary to contact the doctor.  Anyway, the mouth sores are quite common side effects.  So there I was a 2 a.m. looking up what to do to treat the mouth sores.  The suggestion was to rinse with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 250 ml of water.  I did that at 2 and it was very soothing.  It allowed me to sleep the rest of the night.  I'll have to remember to do that again tonight just before I go to bed.

I'll probably have another quiet day tomorrow.  On quiet days, I spend my time knitting while I watch television or listen to music.  When I need a change in activity, I switch to reading.  I have one book on the go and some magazines to catch up on.  I still have several books patiently waiting for me to pick them up and start reading.  Thanks to my many friends and supporters, I have many opportunities to sit quietly but still keep my mind occupied and my hands busy.  Without those activities, I think I would go insane.  It has always been very difficult for me to sit quietly.  I'm slowly learning how to do this.