So far So good

Since my first Chemo, I only had 3 days of uncomfortableness...it was flu-like symptoms and pain...the pain was like a battlefield. It was as if the medicine was roaming throughout my body and finding cells and body parts that it didn't like. My knees felt as if I had bumped them on something hard, my ribs felt broken and repaired one by one, my shoulder and neck felt stabbed, my left ear felt as if it was being pulled away from my head, my fingers and toes felt tingling then numb...on and on. All of these incidents acted in concert and would last for a few seconds to a few minutes. I still managed to take daily walks even though it was cold outside.
That all happened about 5 days after my treatment. Since then I have felt fairly well. I have the neck and shoulder pain and ache but it subsides after I take my pain medication. My appetite is still voracious and sometimes I eat too much. The pain medication causes extreme constipation and the major laxatives and stool softeners were not helpful. However, my brother told me about Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong's cure-all for this: Swiss Kriss. This product is all natural and is surely a blessing ! It is available at Walgreen's and I sing its praises!
I don't like taking pain medication, but it is vital, it seems. It only lasts about 3 hours and the dosage is supposedly 1 every 6 hours. I try to manage it at 1 every 4 hours. I try to go longer, although everyone says you need to stay on top of it, steady. But, I still am trying to see if I can go every 4 hours and sometimes space it as far as 8 hours.
I try to walk for 20-30 minutes at least once a day and sometimes twice. I also try to visit friends everyday. The main thing that I want to do is accomplish something constructive everyday. I make a list of things to do and try to do as much as I can. But, just doing trivial tasks, i.e. mailing a card and some forms, practicing some clown ideas, reading scripture and magazines, running errands...just trying to accomplish things I spend maybe two or three hours and then I am all in. I don't know if I am tired or if the medication messes with me or it my motivation wanes. I wish that I could get up and go through a normal 8 hours of activity.
Some of this may be related to my sleeping habits. I am still sleeping in an over-sized recliner (about the size as a twin bed) with a lot of pillows. The few time that I tried to lay down in a bed it hurt my neck so bad that I have been afraid to attempt it again...although I am going to try again very soon.
So, it seems that the side actions from my chemo have been not bad so far. I see the Dr. in a day or so and will find when my next round will be...and, then I will see how I fare with that.
Life is good...Life is an adventure...and, I just got 4 rolls of clown stickers in the mail and am anxious to go do some clowning...