There he was at 4000 feet, not a care in the world, when suddenly..... Biggles performed a desperate falling leaf manoeuvre, and expertly side-slipped his biplane into a tiny clearing in the jungle with scarcely an inch to spare. Vaulting from the cockpit, he headed to the shadows of nearest tree with a haunted look on his handsome face. "Damn Foreign Food", spluttered Biggles indignantly, as he dropped his trousers!
Well, I now have 10 days of experience of taking one 500mg capsule of Hydroxyurea per day, and I thought I would file a quick report from the front lines!
Really I have done quite well over all. I felt some nausea for the first 24 hours, but was never actually sick. My stomach and intestines felt very unsettled for a number of days, and, like Biggles, I would have an urgent "call of nature" once a day to relieve myself of a fairly nasty mess that looked bovine rather than human in origin! I also have had colic or somewhat uncomfortable wind. Now at day 10, I don't feel too bad at all, and my innards are fairly settled at last.
Two days a go I did try a glass of white wine with my evening meal, I also had a further half glass, and rather regretted the top up. By 9.30 ish I started a rather annoying head ache that lasted all night. In anticipation of having a drink with my meal, I did have a glass of water before the meal, and some after drinking the wine, but I really think my tolerance of alcohol seems to have dropped a lot. This might be the ET or Hydroxy, or both? But I will avoid the bottle for the time being!
I opted initially to take the pill after my evening meal, usually between 7 and 8 in the evening, but changed this to taking the pill after lunch. The after lunch seems to suit my digestion better, maybe gravity helps the stuff work through the system! I think this also assists with my other pill taking, as I have to take Allopurinol (I do this at breakfast time), Bezafibrate (for cholesterol) and 100mg Enteric coated aspirin (I take these latter two pills after my evening meal.
Anyway, I know this is early days for me, and I may yet glow in the dark or grow two heads, but I hope this report is actually an encouragement to those of you who are scared of starting your course of Hydroxyurea. It really hasn't been too bad at all, and certainly better than I anticipated.
I will have my first two weekly blood test since starting the medication this coming week, so look forward to seeing if there has been any change to the platelet count.
Ah well, jolly nice day out there today, sun's out, 3 tenths cloud at 3000 feet, and 7 to 10 knots of breeze... I'd better get my flying helmet on and prepare for take off!
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stillkicking
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Well that sounds quite encouraging overall, the dashing to the loo wouldn't be good if you were out and about though! Hope your blood results are good though I suppose it may not have changed much yet. My latest results without anything are just over 700 again, at least it isn't racing up further since it jumped up last August so that's a good thing 😀 The customer I was maybe coming down to see has decided to do without training for now, but maybe I can get over when I'm next down in Queenstown visiting my son 😉
Good to hear from you. Pleased that your blood results seem fairly stable at the moment. Sorry that you won't be coming down this way in the near future, but look forward to catching up later on. A beautiful day here today, a little echo of summer as we head into autumn!
I should be in Queenstown for Queens Birthday weekend so maybe around then if I can persuade my husband (as he'll be down with me that time) that we should visit Dunedin for the day, we haven't been since 1991 I can't drink wine anymore unfortunately, it just makes me ill and I can't blame the medication yet I have gradually become less tolerant of alcohol to the point where even a few mouthfuls make me feel terrible the next day and give me a migraine, which is such shame as I always said that as long as I could sit on a deck in the sun and enjoy a glass of wine in my old age that would be enough, I'm only 55 but that dream has faded a little to coffee or tea ha ha Hope it't just a temporary thing for you Yes still sunny though a couple of cold nights remind us that autumn is coming!
It would be lovely if you could visit Dunedin Queens Birthday weekend, if you haven't been there since 1991 then that is a very good excuse to see the delightful wee city again! You must use all your persuasive skills!
Some nice places in Dunedin to enjoy coffee and a cake these days that almost compensate from the absence of wine! Laura bought me a delicious slice of a coconut and raspberry cake today to go with a cuppa that we had whilst in town looking after the Stuart Street Potter's Co-operative gallery, and it really "hit the spot" as they say!
Love the imagery in the first paragraph! You certainly have a knack of bringing the story alive.
I know how hard it was for you to come to terms with starting treatment, so a really well done to you! It’s good to know that the Hydrea related symptoms are also beginning to abate. How about your ET related symptoms? I suppose it’s early days yet though.
It would be nice to see a decline in platelets at your next clinic appointment - but please don’t be too disheartened if that isn’t the case. We all react differently. I responded very quickly but I know for others it has taken a while longer.
What a funny thing time differences are, I guess it is the benefit of living on a globe shaped world rather than a flat one!
I think it is really a bit early to really notice if things are improving on the ET front, however.... my feet feel a lot better and I had a very sprightly 2.5km walk first thing this morning at a pace that I have not managed for several months (picture a cantering hippopotamus!) which was a decided boost to the morale!
I should get my blood tested this coming Thursday, so await the result with considerable interest. I do understand that we all respond differently to HU so am trying not to have too many expectations regarding the rate of decline (if any), however I do suspect something has happened as I do feel fairly different than I did a few days ago.
I think the alcohol thing is the same whatever you take, but has more to do with "bad medic cooping" than with medics contra disease. I didn't have trouble before I started taking Pegasys a good 3 years ago.
We'll all grow saintly Do you also have trouble swearing ? lol
Good to hear from you. So, alcohol and you don't agree either, not fair is it... and no advantage of Pegasys over Hydroxy in that regard by the looks of it! Mmmm... regards swearing... I'm really not very saintly!
I guess we have to fertilise our sense of imagination and find things we CAN do and not focus on what we CAN'T. But it surely is a bitter pill to swallow !!
I've always been a horrible anarchist-- but I don't accept my body becoming the same !!!!! It makes me furious !!!!
Ha, I don't think the Salvation Army would let me in, because I play the ukulele... The merry tinkle of a ukulele doesn't blend well with the warbles, parps, toots and thumps of a brass band!!
I am finding that humour is a useful weapon in this battle that we fight. I hadn't realized the power of it until recently, but, as the Good Book says...., "A merry heart does good like a medicine!" And it really does!
Hi Peter (and Others), I have been on Hydroxy for 3.5 months and going pretty well re no real side effects. I absolutely freaked out about going on it but eventually bit the bullet due to the possible ramifications of NOT taking it - stroke, heart attack, etc... My platelets were over 1,000, came down to 700 - next test later this week. I occasionally drink a glass of wine - seems to be OK, but I keep to a low limit. Drink plenty of water. Cheers, and Happy Travelling
Good to hear from you. Very glad that Hydroxy is working for you, it is always an encouragement to those of us right at the beginning to see others doing OK. It certainly was quite a big step to take the first pill, but I'm glad to be doing something about the platelet levels. I do hope your next test result is encouraging.
Maz, Eh What! There I was doing loop-de-loop just above the treetops and your voice trilled sweetly in the intercom! Topping to hear from you!! Up at some ungodly hour here as cat was sick! Darn thing caused mass scramble from our slumbers and a rush for the mop and bucket. Orderly thinks feline squiffy tum caused by someOne she ate! Now quaffing a cup of Real coffee in front of the glowing screen. Must say a sporting brew of the old coffee bean is just the ticket!
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I can't drink wine anymore unfortunately, it just makes me ill and I can't blame the medication yet 
I have gradually become less tolerant of alcohol to the point where even a few mouthfuls make me feel terrible the next day and give me a migraine, which is such shame as I always said that as long as I could sit on a deck in the sun and enjoy a glass of wine in my old age that would be enough, I'm only 55 but that dream has faded a little to coffee or tea ha ha 
Yes still sunny though a couple of cold nights remind us that autumn is coming!
Do you also have trouble swearing ? lol 
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