To Peel n' Strip or to Layer...Round 2 with Interferon-the 'c' word Day 184

Another Friday morning; all morning, spent at LRH!   It was quite a morning yesterday, not really anything more than we might have anticipated, except for the "you already have your prescription and know we're doing the first injection this morning?"!
I guess a little miscommunication happening here!  It all worked out and thankfully will not need to return to the hospital Monday.
The injection itself really is very easy.  I will admit that at the moment she asked me to go ahead and inject I was for a millisecond thinking, "NO WAY!", and then without further thought simply and very quickly with conviction 'stabbed' my belly!  I didn't actually even feel anything, until of course the needle was in and then there was a noticeable sting.   Hold and push down the depressor then a few seconds more, and all done!   I can do this.   With anything like this you will of course do what you have to do!
Not so bad at all.    It's the side effects that cause a greater sense of fear than the needle itself!!

We feel good as we leave the hospital and are happy to be meeting up with my friend Nancy and her little boy.  We will pack a picnic next time though in making sure I have something to eat before the drive home.   I do have some rice cakes with me and water and that gets me through until I am home.  We had a visit for about a half hour then walked together toward the car and she lives very close by to where we are parked.
We were to have stopped for lunch at the Mandarin today but now that we have our "Drug package" with us and it needs to stay cool we will have to do that another day.   The hospital did provide us with an ice pack to keep it chill while we enjoyed our visit with Nancy, but beyond that it's too warm out and especially in the car, to be much longer.

I am found approximately two hours later-by the effects of the Interferon.   The side effects of the  injection; half the dose of the I.V I had received for a month, catch up with me as we arrive home.   I lie down for approximately 1 1/2 hours and on waking it starts.   The oncologist said there are likely to be MORE; MORE!?, fever and chills than before but the hope is I will sleep through the majority of it!   It's like clock work or right from a text book.  The remainder of the night sends me into fever; low grade @ 38.4, chills/shakes, sweats and very lethargic.   I'm either pulling on an extra blanket; can't get warm enough, or at one point peeling off layers of clothing; too hot!
Just something John might have dreamed up...my randomly stripping off in the living room in the middle of his television viewing pleasure!  LOL!   Sadly for him the pleasure stops after the stripping!   He couldn't have gotten any closure if he tried, I'd have fought hard to keep anyone from touching my hot then cold and then hot body!   Poor fellow.

Having headed to bed before long I worked again at getting warm and every trip to the washroom throughout the night induced further chills and shaking.   It was a long ol' night and I'm sure if I had any accurate measure of how much sleep I actually benefitted from it would be quite minimal. Upon waking this morning the 'standard' headache wakens with me!   This appears to be my new "norm"!

Today is a new day and the last of the side effects seemed to wear off late this morning, so we're hoping the remainder of the day will all be good.   It's our 28th Wedding Anniversary today too so even greater reason to hope for a little "feel good" to celebrate!   I do hope I am afforded an appetite today but appetite or not the Rib fest is on and for John's sake we WILL go!
He's been such a great support through all of this and deserves at the least a really good feed of pulled pork and maybe some onion blossoms or corn on the cob! Had I the funds, of course there are many other wonderful things I would love to surprise him with, but this is good for now!  : ]
Appetite Please!!!!!   xo