Breathing Through the Journey

I go through what is described as “hell week” when I change my medication site. It’s not actually the site itself that causes the pain–it’s the medication. To help lesson the intensity, about 1-2 days before my cassette change, I place a dry site in the new location. I also try to keep the new site at least two inches away from the previous one, hoping the pain doesn’t last as long since that part of my body is already somewhat used to the medication.

For anyone curious about my experience so far– I’m currently on day 5. From the two times going through this, I’d say days 2-4 have been the toughest. The first 24 hours usually are not too bad, but once that passes, I definitely start to feel the pain.

Days 2 and 3 were the worst for me this round. The pain was constant. I was icing my stomach day and night, using a few topical remedies, and taking Tylenol to help manage it. Sleep was minimal, and even something as simple as getting up from lying down sometimes felt almost impossible. The best way I can describe it is like trying to get up after multiple intense ab workouts—combined with the strange sensation that something inside my body is moving. When I explain it in person, I usually just say, “I can feel the medicine moving in my body,” because that’s honestly what it feels like to me.

As of today, the pain is still there, but it’s more from swelling and tenderness in my stomach. I’m hoping the swelling settles down within the next week so I can wear my jeans comfortably again—priorities, right? LOL

Through all of this craziness, I truly couldn’t get through it without my husband, Brandon. He has taken on so much this week while I’ve been limited in how much I can move around—and honestly, he’s taken on extra since my diagnosis overall. I feel incredibly blessed by God to have such an amazing man beside me. I truly believe he was placed in my life for a reason. Brandon understands me, knows my quirks, and helps ground me when I’m struggling to process everything. We really are living out our vows —in sickness and in health. If anything, this journey has strengthened our communication and deepened our love for each other every single day.

So that’s this round of “hell week” so far. Not exactly fun, but if it keeps me healthy, I’ll take it—preferably with extra ice packs, comfy sweatpants, and my recent LOTR binge keeping me company.