Are you my BFF?

My Oncologist told me the two things to watch out for this time are bloating and body/joint pains. Doesn't sound so bad, right? I mean, versus nausea the first 3 cycles which I didn't even experience. It's been 3 days since chemo cycle 4 and I've felt normal ... until I woke up this morning.

As soon as I tried to get out of bed, my back felt off. It was like I had exercised the day before. HA! Exercise? What's that? I've never even been inside a gym, let alone, do brisk walking on a regular basis.  So in my mind I knew this could be a chemo side effect. So much for good luck? Nah. I'm still not complaining. Sure, it feels uncomfortable. But really, if it's something that can be addressed by a pill, I'm okay.

Although I'm not a habitual pill-popper, there's a bit of comfort in knowing that when things go bad and I can't bear the pain, there's something I can take to make me feel better.

My doc says I should take Biogesic 3x a day for a week if I have to, and today I did. It's basic Paracetamol anyway so it shouldn't be terribly harmful. She says that if it gets too much to take, then I can shift to Arcoxia, which is a really intense pain killer. I took this for about a week right after my surgeries and it really helped. But I'm not too okay with taking it on a regular basis (kidney issues, hello). I know people who are regular Arcoxia fans for extreme things like migraine. Luckily, I don't have that issue.

It will have to be Biogesic for now. Perhaps, a 2-hour massage later on during the day will also do me well.

P.S. A friend who ended her chemo treatments last year and is now in remission tells me she experienced the bloating more than the body/joint pains. It IS different for each cancer patient, so please take everything with a grain of salt and just be vigilant about your side effects. Make sure you're prepared for anything and in everything ... just give thanks. This will all pass!

HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY!