And so it begins..

Well, the side-effects are here, I think. This weekend I had really bad heartburn. It's still not completely under control. I'm taking Zantac twice a day, but I can't say that it's actually helping. I've been using some Mylanta as well. It works sometimes, but not always.

I have this feeling in my throat like it is blocked a little bit, or that there is something stuck. I have to be sure I chew my food really good, take small, small bites and chase everything with water. When I take my pills, I can only take 1 or 2 big ones at a time. I'm used to downing them in 2 handfuls. Last night and this morning, it took about 10 minutes to take them.

This morning, about 20 minutes before I was due to leave for work I had diarrhea. It came on so suddenly and unexpectedly that I decided not to chance going to work on the bus and I called in sick. Since then I've had two more "attacks," if you will. Can I just say this? My butt hurts.

My mouth is getting really sensitive. I switched from my electric toothbrush to a really soft one, but my gums still bled this morning.

Last night for dinner I had cottage cheese and tapioca pudding. Yeah. Today doesn't seem to be shaping up much better. I see applesauce and broth in my future. I may make up some gatorade-equivalent in a bit if the diarrhea keeps up.

In other news, even though a plumber came out yesterday, the problem still isn't fixed! This morning I flushed the toilet, ran water in the sink and then took a shower. About 3/4 of the way through my shower, the tub started backing up and I had about 2" of standing water. I could hear air bubbles coming up through the toilet. It took about 10 minutes for the water to drain. Hmmm... I see a potential disaster coming on.

I have calls into my oncology nurse, the property manager and the plumbing company that was here yesterday. I really hope they all call back!