Well we did it! We made it through the first week of Methotrexate Injections, and let me tell you, they are not for the faint at heart. They are a mean beast. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I wasn’t scared to start this treatment. I mean I’m injecting myself with small doses of chemotherapy; okay well technically my husband is injecting me with the chemotherapy, but still who wants to do that? Just the word chemotherapy itself is scary. Plus, if you do any research on the drug like I did beforehand, you’ll find pages upon pages of warnings and side effects. Awesome! Not to mention that it is a real needle, not an injector pen, but an actual needle and you have to draw up your own dose of medicine directly out of the vile. Don’t drop it and don’t mess up. I may have cried…twice. But in all honesty, once you get past the needle business, the shot itself isn’t that bad. This is the one time in my life that I am thankful for the extra adipose (fat) tissue I carry around my middle. I may not look fantastic in a bathing suit, but it saved my ass...literally. Apparently, getting a shot in the bum was an option, but it stings more without the extra padding. Expose belly here…
Now the evening of and next few days after the shot, well, those pretty much suck. The side effects vary by dose, but I felt as though I had the worst case of the flu ever. (I have a new found respect for my husband, let me tell you! His chemotherapy treatments were way worse than mine!) I fought waves of nausea, body aches, and had no energy to do anything. I was hungry at times, but I didn’t really want to eat anything because I felt so nauseous and everything tasted funny because the medicine gives you a metallic taste in your mouth. Even water tasted funny. I basically lived on the couch for two days. I tried to be Superwoman and went grocery shopping on day two, and boy was that rough. Thank God I didn’t run into anybody I knew. Day three was a little better. I still felt nauseous at times throughout the day, but my energy was coming back. By the afternoon of day four, I felt amazing! No joke, it was the best I felt in a long time. I don’t know if it was because I felt so bad earlier in the week that this day felt so good, but I don’t care, I’ll take it. Today is day five and I did 30 minutes of yoga and took a walk today. This afternoon I’m feeling tired, but I know it is because I over did it today. I was so just so excited. It gives me hope though; a peek at what life might actually be like when this is all over. I will have to continue taking the Methotrexate injections weekly for six months to a year. This Wednesday starts week two. Then the following Monday I will add a second Biologic Therapy. I will begin injections of Humira as well. Now I’ve heard the side effects from this drug aren’t as bad, but the shot is worse. It stings and I get four shots the first time. Yay! Bring on that belly! You may notice in the pictures that I posted, one includes my son. I did take him with me. He was fighting a cold and he ended up coming with us to my appointment. I think it was a good thing though. The staff at the University of Washington Digestive Disease Center is awesome. They calmed Mommy down and put my son at ease by giving him supplies to play doctor. He thought he was pretty cool and watching me get the shot helped him understand that Mommy is sick, but this medicine is going to make her feel better soon. He was not afraid and I don’t think that he will be afraid if he sees my husband giving me a shot later on. And even in the days after when I felt sick, he understood that it was because of the medicine and that Mommy would feel better soon. I am so thankful for the support I had this last week. My husband came with me during the appointment and helped me through the night, my best friend came and took care of me on my worst day, and my dad came over on day two. I even had people to look after my son. I do not take this help for granted because there was a time recently where I felt incredibly alone, like I had no support. It has taken a lot for me to learn to ask for help, and thankfully these wonderful people had patience with me and just continued to be there. This Disease is not an easy one, and you do not have to go through it alone. Allow those walls to come down and ask for help, because you are going to need it. And then one day when you are able, you will be able to help someone else. That’s my goal. People say everything happens for a reason and that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. Well, I don’t why I have this Disease, but I do put my faith in God. Something good will come out of this, even though I don’t know what it is yet. But there is always good. I hope you are having a great start to your week. I’ll be underground for a few days come Wednesday, but I will talk to you soon. Have a great day my friend! Love, Danielle
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AuthorHi there! Welcome to Grace In A Glass. My name is Danielle and I am so happy that you are visiting this site today. We all have something in life that we are working to overcome. I began blogging about my struggle with overcoming Esophageal Dysmotility and Crohn's Disease with the hope of reaching others with words of encouragement and hope. Thank you for letting me share my stories with you, and hope you have the most wonderful day! Archives
November 2022
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