Compazine & Benadryl

Thursday December 10, 1992

Dr. Semrad said to take Compazine and Benadryl together for the nausea so I take it before arising and I will take it 3 times a day to see if it helps me feel better. I manage a muffin and orange juice. Later we go to Thousand Oaks to finish our Christmas shopping. We do good!

Frank finishes wrapping all the gifts tonight. What a gem! We have frozen dinners. I manage 1/2 a spaghetti entre.

I took Compazine for my pregnancy sickness in 1991-1992. It didn't do a thing. I was sick as a dog 24/hours per day for 9 months. I'm not sure why the doctor advised Mom to take Benadryl. My experience with Benadryl is that it puts me right to sleep, but perhaps taking both medications together will prevent that. When she says "we do good", I think she means I do good (I'm not nauseous), so it looks like the medication is helping her.

What a sweetheart Frank is to wrap all the presents. I'm sure that was something Mom normally took care of.

Orange Sherbet Pushups

Thursday October 22, 1992

Didn't sleep very well, worrying about the pump laying next to me, about getting tangled in the tube or pulling it out. At 6 a.m. I am vomiting even though I took the anti-nausea medicine. I feel terrible and spend the day in bed. The Compazine suppositories work a bit better. I wash my dirty hair in the kitchen sink but that's all I accomplish.

Frank brings me toast and juice and orange sherbet pushups. I love them when I'm sick. He found them at Ralph's. Bless his heart. The only market in town that has them. At 1:30 Frank takes Joseph to the dentist for a root canal. It's 5 when he gets home.

I couldn't face changing my dressings and flushing the catheter, but finally had to do it at 11 a.m. So nervous. But with Frank's help, not too bad. Thank God for Frank! One in a million.

I have always admired the fact that no matter how poorly she felt, Mom wrote in her journal every day, something I have not been able to do. I am now in my 4th year of publishing Mom's journal that she wrote in just 2. Up until now, it has been a mostly enjoyable journey, but as she approaches her last 1/2 year of life, I know there will be more pain and suffering and it will be harder and harder to me to turn the page.

I took Compazine pills this same year during my pregnancy with Derek when I was nauseous 24/7. They didn't do a thing. I can understand that it was difficult to sleep for worrying about the tube coming out of her chest, and certainly it would be very hard to change the dressing at her surgical site and flush the catheter when she is already nauseous. Frank, you certainly are one in a million! Not too many men would make a run to the only market that carries orange sherbet pushups, take care of the rental houses, take care of a sick wife, AND spend 3-1/2 hours taking Mom's grandson to the dentist. You are amazing and I love you!

Compazine

Monday June 8, 1992

Up early to start the wash. Just a wee bit of nausea. I started my new pills last night. I took 9 at bedtime with a Compazine. Then I took a Compazine for nausea every 4 hours til lunch. Then I went to get my nails done at 10:45, then banking and home to finish the wash.

At 7:30 we go square dancing. It's the first night of our "Over the Hill Gang" class. It's a great turnout of 15 squares. We have such a good time and I feel so good we all go to Hudson's Grill to eat and party. I feel tired but good.

During the past 8 months I had been battling nausea round the clock with my pregnancy. The doctor prescribed Compazine for me, telling me it was used for chemotherapy patients. For me it didn't touch the nausea. In fact, nothing helped. It sounds like the Compazine was working for Mom. Perhaps it's because her nausea is caused by medication, and mine was caused by hormones.

Alkeran

Monday April 20, 1992

Awoke at 4 a.m. feeling sickly hungry. At 7 a.m. it had turned to nausea so I took a Compazine. Frank brought me a banana and the trash can to throw up in. About 9 a.m. I began retching and after giving up some bile I felt well enough to go down and drink some orange juice with a toasted muffin. Frank is working on the rental house. By 10:30 I was sick again so just continued to stay in bed. At noon Frank came home for lunch. He fixed a frozen entree for me of noodles, gravy and meatballs. After eating that I began to feel much better.

Was it the medicine that made me sick?? The "Alkeran" I take for 5 days every 6 weeks?

I'm well enough to go square dancing and dance every dance, but we come home after instead of going to Hudson's Grill.

Thank God for the internet. Mom did not have access to so much information that is now at the tip of our fingers. But didn't her doctor tell her about the side effects of Alkeran? A quick check of the website WebMD states the side effects of this medication which is used to treat cancer patients as follows:

"Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lip/mouth sores, and loss of appetite may occur. Nausea and vomiting can be severe."

At least the doctor did give her Compazine which is supposed to help relieve nausea for cancer patients. I remember my doctor prescribing it to me for my pregnancy nausea and it didn't do a thing for me.