It’s high time for another update. I’m not much of a writer when there are other things to do, but I can’t leave all my loyal fans at the edge of their seats.
Since the last update I’ve had another two rounds, and it’s still not too bad. The second one did hit me a lot harder than the first though. The Saturday after I was sick like a dog for the entire day. My main activity for the day was running back and forth between the toilet and my bed. Luckily I knew it would only last a few days, which made it bearable.
Because I keep feeling so tired I’ve started looking for a way to combat this. Some recent studies show that it is a very good idea to stay active during chemotherapy to, contrary to what used to be believed, prevent physical deterioration rather than revalidating afterwards. The studies show that a combination of cardiovascular exercise (running etc.) with resistance training (weightlifting) has a massive impact on quality of life. I started doing both on my own initiative, and I’m liking it. My first run was confrontational though. After high-school I have been living the student life, and this combined with the chemo hit me like a brick. But after battling my way through I felt so much better and more energetic that I carried on regardless. The weightlifting feels great too.
Because the medication I’m on has a negative effect on my heart (my entire body is a mess) I’ve gone a gotten myself a heart-rate monitor. I noticed my heart go up to 180/190 beats per minute quite quickly, lack of red blood cells isn’t helping there. Because this was a little worrying I’ve had an appointment with a physiotherapist through the Oncologist. He advised me to keep my heart-rate under 160 beats per minute because I’m risking a heart attack otherwise (which is a strange thing to hear when you’re 22) so that was a big let-down. I always thought I hated running, but it turns out I was just being lazy. So I do miss it.
The good news is that I can now exercise under expert guidance at physiotherapy Delft. This is supervised by a physiotherapist specialised in revalidation of cancer patients in a wonderfully clean gym. The latter is important because of my compromised immune system. Now I can get back at it responsibly with proper equipment. It’s very nice psychologically, as the exercise and diet are the only thing I can do to actively contribute to my health (instead of just waiting and hoping). I’m getting started tomorrow (Wednesday 27/02/2013) and I’m looking forward to it!
Of course I also had round 3 last Friday. This one was drastically different than round two. I felt poorly earlier on, but overall it was less intense. I think it may have something to do with all the exercise I’ve been doing. It probably also helps that, despite my lack of appetite, I’ve stubbornly continued eating healthy. It’s not pleasant, but my body needs proper nutrition, and it does feel like another way to fight the cancer head-on. I did feel better by the Sunday this time, and even had a nice day at the beach on Monday. I try to do lots of fun things, and staying active. I want to thank everyone helping me with that. All the cards and emails and texts show me all of you are there for me.
On a more happy note: Willem, with his veterinary background, has arranged two different sessions of puppy-cuddles at different breeders. So I spent a Saturday and Sunday playing with a bunch of adorable little dogs. It still makes me smile thinking back to it. I just had to keep myself in check and not take one of them home!
Well, that about brings me to the end of my beautifully incoherent story. Maybe I should write these stories a little more frequently in order to improve this lack of coherence.