I heard your requests last Bradyation post that you would like to hear about radiation appointments and what actually goes on. Brady is game to write that for you! Buuuuut its not happening today, so you’re stuck with me again 😁 Lucky you!
Week three of radiation has carried headaches again, unfortunately. They’ve been manageable, for the most part, but they show up a lot. The moment Brady’s neck starts to tighten, I get him Naproxen immediately and heat up a rice pack. He’s on regimented Tylenol, too. Usually, if we get RIGHT on it, we can stop the headache before it really gets ugly. But it happens multiple times some days, and its really frustrating for Brady, as it stops him dead in his tracks. He’s spoken to his team at the cancer centre and they prescribed him something to help.
Except…
He was on that med earlier, and the side effects are not ideal. On one hand, they really increase his appetite, which isn’t the end of the world, but when he was on it at the hospital, he gained almost ten pounds in one week. Granted, no one had really informed him it would affect his appetite, but it was unexpected and something he definitely wasn’t happy about and had to be a lot more aware and intentional about his food intake afterwards. Also, this medication is very constipating. Without being too crude, Brady is a lot less active than he used to be, so his bowels are already something that need a little extra care. An added constipating factor is so unnecessary.
The day he received the prescription we had been waiting for was the day I realized that maaaybe his pain would change if he got back into his regular workouts. He used to do lots of upper body workouts, and they’ve petered off since radiation has stolen just about all of his energy. So yesterday, he pushed himself and did his entire upper body workout from back in rehab, and he did not have ONE headache 😳 We decided together last night to put the medication off and see if the workouts help his pain. He’s already done a workout this morning and is feeling strong so far. This is our last ditch effort to avoid this medication. If he needs to take it, then good, we have an option to get rid of those headaches. But if he doesn’t have to take it, we will both be so happy.
If you’re looking for a specific prayer request for our family, please pray that Brady’s headaches are finally managed without taking this additional steroid. That he can have the energy to do the workouts and that his body can strengthen and his neck and shoulders can be loose and pain-free!