I spent the weekend gathering all my chemo supplies, both OTC and prescription…and dealing with an itching which was driving me mad.  The area around the port was so itchy that I woke up one night from it.  I took Benedryl, which helped a little, but eventually what helped the most was a 4% lidocaine gel.  That, and time, I suspect.  The concern was that I was allergic to the silicone material of the port, but I never ran a fever and the port itself was not inflamed.  So the itching was probably my body adjusting to the port, or I was allergic the antiseptic wash, or some such.

My prescriptions (4 of them) cost $100.  That’s only the beginning of my expenses.  I find it somewhat unfair that I have to pay $800 for the echocardiogram, and $1700 towards the procedure to put in the clip.  Unfortunately, I have the high deductible PPO with HSA – I switched to this type of coverage last year, thinking that I could build up the HSA until it was really needed.  Well, so much for that idea.  And of course, since we’re in a new calendar year,  all my deductibles reset.

The OTC supplies?  Such glorious items such as Imodium, stool softener, Tums, Milk of Magnesia, senna…and I’ve ordered Tea Tree oil, nail repair, hand cream, mints, lemon drops.  My medicine cabinet is quickly filling up.

I can’t have any dental work while I’m having chemo, so I rescheduled my March cleaning to today.  My dentist and her hygienist recommended a prescription toothpaste and a mouth rinse (Biotene) to help with mouth sores.  So I bought the Biotene, along with Natural Dentist, recommended by a friend.  I’ll pick up the special toothpaste tomorrow.

One of the other things I ordered was Claritin.  I first heard about Claritin helping with bone pain from the Neulasta shot from another friend, and I did a little research.  While the nurse did not mention it, I’m going to switch out the Allegra I usually take for seasonal allergies to Claritin for a week or so.

I will admit to being a little freaked out after reading the 1.5″ binder full of information from Oncology.  Seeing in black and white all the potential side effects is a little daunting.  All I can do, though, is to watch for the signs and manage as much as possible.  Listen to my body, and don’t push too hard.  Yeah, right.  🙂