The night of all the chaos described in the previous post, I did not sleep very well. I've been taking a THC gummy in the evenings to help me relax and fall asleep, especially since March 1. I did that as usual, but it never really felt like it kicked in. I had a hard time falling asleep because I couldn't relax, but also because I was incredibly uncomfortable. The cancer that has spread to my hips and lower back causes me pain, and it's that kind of deep sore pain that one might experience with sciatica problems. All I did that night was roll around from one position to the other, from one side to the other, comfortable for a minute or two after the shift and then in pain all over again. It was miserable, even with more ibuprofen than I should probably be taking right now.
I got up once or twice during the night to use the bathroom, but that just made things hurt more when I got back into bed. I probably got some sleep, but 45 minutes here or an hour there. By the time I woke up in the morning, I was dead tired and still in pain.
Lying in bed, I picked up my phone to see that someone from my PCP doctor's office had called to respond to a message/question I sent them on the "Health Portal" the night before. Instead of just telling me what the message was, they instructed me to look at their reply in the Portal. The only way for me to access that is on my laptop which was downstairs. I called my wife to ask her to look at the reply, but she was in town getting prescriptions and groceries. I got myself out of bed and went downstairs to check the Portal but I was pretty darned sore and achy. (More usual than not right now.) By the time I made it back upstairs to take a shower, I could barely stand. I brushed my teeth, but then sat there, uncomfortable as anything, and texted my wife to see when she might be home. As I was doing this, I heard her moving around downstairs.
She came up, saw how uncomfortable I was, insisted I take three acetaminophen and get back in bed. I did. I felt miserable. There was no position I could get in where I felt comfortable. I never fell back asleep but at least being horizontal felt like less hard work than being vertical. This is what it's come to. Moving around and doing even the slightest bit of exertion just wipes me out.
My wife, who is truly my hero these days, went back downstairs, contacted my doctor, and the two of them arranged for some prescription pain killers and a shot of something they typically give to patients with osteoporosis. She picked up the pain killer today and we go in for the shot tomorrow (Saturday). I truly hope it gives me some relief, at least at night.
I described my "good days" and my "bad days" a few posts ago. Things have progressed to the point where my "good days" are a lot like those earlier "bad days" and my new "bad days" have broken new ground. I know it's all because the cancer is growing and spreading inside me. I know upcoming treatments may have rather unpleasant side effects, but I can really do without my daily existence getting worse and worse every day.
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