Separate checks and balances

[desperance]

Day minus eight, or "Friday" in the common tongue: and Karen is ongoingly sick, except for the brief windows afforded by her anti-nausea medications. Of course we expected this, and in honesty it's not as bad as my worst imaginings; but over the last twenty-four hours she's taken in nothing but water and ginger ale, and most of that has come back out again. And of course she feels lousy, and of course I can't help. My prime function here is to cook, and she doesn't want to eat. I mostly eat in the other room, so as not to upset her further.

Other people in the group are having other symptoms, but I think Karen's the only one who's still throwing up. They say it should last no more than forty-eight hours, so fingers crossed.

In other news, there is no other news. During this stage of the treatment we don't have to go anywhere; the medications she needs are brought to us here in the apartment, in the form of injections morning and evening to stimulate her stem cells and encourage them to move from her marrow to her bloodstream, where they can be more readily harvested. Also she has many pills to take, but those are here in our little blue bag, ready to be supplemented by others from the little white bag at need and on instruction. Instructions come through the cellphone we were given; we are a WhatsApp community, chit-chatting back and forth from our separate monkish cells. That's probably why it's called a cellphone, right?

There's a communal area up on the roof which is actually rather nice. Views of Popacatepetl and so forth. Karen's not up for going there just now, but hopefully in a day or two, when she's feeling better. Meanwhile I shop and work and noodle on the internets. And scratch. I have mosquito bites all up one shoulder, and it turns out that mosquito bites are itchy. They itch for days. Who knew?

Comments

[al_zorra]

Poor Karen. Thank goodness she has such a loving and careful and competent care-giver and partner in life.

This is hard, but it is going to be worth it for Karen, for you and and all your very many, loving friends.

[agoodwinsmith]

I could have told you about the mosquito bites, oh yes. I am one of the people mosquitos find succulent.

During some of Mom's chemo, her stomach was so tender that we made all foods with distilled water, and she even brushed her teeth with distilled water. Normal chlorine and whatnot that she normally tolerated (& tolerates again) was just one set of triggers too many. Mom found the ginger ale too sweet, and the fizz too disgusting.

Mom also found Imodium (spelling?) useful. It was recommended by her medical team. This was in addition to the antinausea meds prescribed.

[al_zorra]

In case you're not aware of this, for itching, particularly bug bites and mosquitos -- rub the infected area with mouth wash or any alcohol based liquid. But mouth wash particularly, and particularly Listerine, really help with that. I suppose that eau de cologne, beloved of the British Raj + other tropical colonials works / worked on the same principle?

[julesjones]

More love and best wishes.

There was a period when the only thing my mother could get down was ginger beer. The second time round, there were newer, better anti-nausea drugs. They do make a difference, even if it's only for a brief period.

[themis1]

Sorry Karen's having a tough time. When Hilary was sick from the chemo I got her to take a spoonful of plain greek yoghurt with her pills, that seemed to work OK for her. Has to be non-live yoghurt though (I got some odd looks in the supermarket standing in front of the yoghurt counter muttering, "But I need *dead* yoghurt!").

[swan_tower]

I have been appallingly behind on reading blogs, so I'm only now catching up. My profound sympathies to Karen, and fingers crossed that in between then and now her nausea has abated.

I have mosquito bites all up one shoulder, and it turns out that mosquito bites are itchy. They itch for days. Who knew?

. . . Britain and California; no wonder this is new to you. :-P