Tuesday, November 09, 2010

DRUGS

As a yogini who pops an aspirin reluctantly it is rather jarring to find I suddenly have a counter-top full of drugs. Most of them are to fight side-effects of the most toxic drug of all--chemo--so a little bit of this and that shouldn't bother me but it takes some getting used to.

I'm learning a lot about these drugs. One is that it's pretty damn easy to mix them up. On Sunday I woke up a little nauseous and asked Jeff to bring me a Zofran (anti nausea). He did and I fell back to sleep for two hours. When I woke up and told him I was still nauseous he admitted had misunderstood and brought me a Xanax (anti-anxiety) instead (they do both start with a Z sound). Which explained why I was still nauseous but curiously not worried about it.

Last night I learned not to mix Benadryl (for the itchy rash the chemo gave me) with Xanax because it makes me jittery and have strange dreams in which I am in Los Angeles and unemployed actors are used to help street vendors sell fruit and tacos through elaborate song and dance sequences that are like a cross between Glee and that market scene in Oliver. Wait, they don't really do that do they?

And that's just a snapshot of the legal drugs. Do you know how many people tell you they can score medical marijuana for you when they learn you have this disease? My nieces and nephews I expect. Some of my hardier partying friends I expect. But my aunt and uncle? Well, they do live in California. But the funniest was the offer that came from a certain nonogenarian family member who shall remain nameless. Now that is generous.

Okay, I'm off to enjoy a dose of a slightly less toxic but legal drug--caffeine.

4 comments:

  1. There must be something in our family about a sensitivity and aversion to drugs. I feel off with just an aspirin or Motrin. Last week I got sick/desperate enough to take a "Advil Cold and Sinus" - at first I was like, "MIRACLE DRUG!". But within a few hours I felt so off it wasn't worth it. Or as I described it at the time, I felt "cloudy.. with a chance of rain". So I am rambling and avoiding being direct but what I really meant to say is, taking the cocktail of drugs you need for chemo sucks! Peace out. (That's what the kids say when they sign off - aren't I hip?)

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  2. Well, having seen people waving some sign for an insurance company dressed in a Statue of Liberty suit at the road side, when I was in the US, I don't actually find your dream about those actors all that unlikely.

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  3. Sorry to hear about all the legal drugs you must now consume but keep the faith as this will soon pass - and you will be back at it in no time. I use to have all that stuff for you know who but gladly threw it all away some years ago. It is no fun being "cloudy with a chance of rain" as John said but I am confident you will be off that stuff in no time.

    We are all praying for a quick recovery!

    Luv, Helen

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  4. Hope you are holding your own. I can so relate to your mixing up drugs & dosages. For my treatment, I take pills every four hours and changes doses every 10 days...sometimes as little as 1/16th of a tablet. A real nightmare. Hang in there AND when you feel up to it, keep writing! Pat

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