Monday, March 11, 2013

Rashy Monday Rambles

Friday, I started developing a rash all over my arms and torso.  I guess the side effects have started.  I've dug out a little notebook and started a chemo journal of all the effects and happenings.  I figure it might help at my appointments.

Sorry for the pic of my fat, fat leg here.  I promise you that I am indeed wearing shorts.  I hope no one is having breakfast at this moment.  Anyway, you can see some of the rash.  It's worse on my arms and belly.  The arm pics didn't come out so well and I refuse to inflict the sight of my fat, white belly on you all.  No need to lose readers over this cancer thing.

When I went to get my IL2 shot on Friday, I told the nurse about it and she told me to take Pepcid.  I know the look that I gave her was incredibly rude, but by that point I had been scratching all damn day.  Really?  She laughed at me and said most people do that same thing every time she says that.  She says that Pepcid is a histamine blocker and good for rashes and the like.  Okay, but I've been taking Benadryl all week long, and I still have this damn rash.  I think we're talking more than just a little excess histamine here.

Then she finally takes a look at my back and stomach and decides to call the doc.  Doc says that it's probably a reaction to the IL2, so no shot for me on Friday.  Instead, I get a prescription for steroids.  Yipee.  I'm actually taking the same pills that Kosh takes for his flea allergies and excess scratching.  Only my doses are bigger.  Every day cancer bonds me with my cat in new and interesting ways.

I spent the weekend working on a lot of stuff.  I have tried to get a few posts ready, so that you all have something to read about besides chemo this and chemo that.  Cancer or no cancer, life still goes on.  There are videos to watch, comics to read, blog posts to write and soap operas to stew over, after all.  Not to mention junk to buy and sell.

Speaking of which, restocking at YesterNook fired up my sales there, which was nice to see.  Peddler's Mall sales have started to hit the level that I need them to be at, just not every day.  I'm realizing that the need to keep that large space restocked is going to be critical, and that I need to have more items in the 10-20 dollar range.  I'm going to be shopping for the higher end of things this summer, I guess.

Another one of my favorite church sales happened over the weekend.  I've always loved this sale.  Tons of stuff--a whole auditorium full, in fact.  Not much furniture, but lots of other stuff.  I bought a set of cross-stitch Precious Moments framed pics for a couple bucks each.  PM peaked a long time ago as a collectible, but it's perfect flea market fodder.  I actually sell a lot of PM stuff.  Go figure.

I also got a kids' puppet stage for a dollar!  Woo hoo!  We ended up making two trips through the place.  As we were leaving the last time, the ladies  at the check out table asked us if we were coming back again!  Love little old church ladies!  (And their pricing!  Most of the stuff in my big, big box was a quarter or less.)

Ever since the chemo, I've been feeling a little off.  It's kind of hard to define, actually.  The best I could do for Keith was say "I don't feel like I'm supposed to feel."   It's like some little reminder that something is happening in my body, but so far it's just a little unease.  I'm wondering if it's going to increase as time goes on or not.

2 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

Wish I had some wisdom here. Hope your dis ease (and your rash!) go away soon.

Shara said...

You are like the Energizer Bunny, Eddie. You just keep going and going and going. You keep going, okay? Thinking of you and wishing you positive energy.

*I have had a rash on my eyelids for a couple months. I have no idea (and obviously no Chemo) why I have had it. I'm going to try the Pepcid thing. Why not?