Day 451: Restless Sleep and Loss of Hunger

Whereas yesterday I slept well and had a non-stop ravenous hunger, last night I woke up 4 times during the night and had little to no hunger for the majority of the day. 

This seems to be the major difference between Day 1 and Day 2 during each round of chemo. 

While the loss of appetite is a common side effect, last time I met with our neuro oncologist she said that she had never had a patient that spent the first day extremely hungry all day long. And it’s even worse for me since I already eat every 2-3 hours to ensure I’m eating enough protein daily. 

Even though I woke up 4 times overnight, I wasn’t as fatigued today as I was yesterday which was a nice change. 

I had non-stop back-to-back meetings from 8:45a through 3:30p with only around a 30 minute break. The day was the complete opposite of yesterday. 

It was good to be super busy because it prevented my body from becoming fatigued, or at least from me noticing it if I was. 

My body was already sore from yesterday’s workout but I pushed through it for today’s shoulders and traps lifting session: 

• Barbell Shoulder Press - 1 x 12 reps (50 lb barbell), 4 x 8 reps (80 lb barbell)
• Dumbbell Upright Row - 3 x 10 reps (35 lb dumbbells), 1 x 10 reps (45 lb dumbbells)
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 1 x 15 reps (15 lb dumbbells), 1 x 15 reps (17.5 lb dumbbells), 1 x 15 reps (20 lb dumbbells)
• Cable Rear Delt Flye - 1 x 20 reps (30 lbs), 2 x 20 reps (35 lbs)
• Barbell Shrug - 1 x 8 reps (185 lbs), 1 x 8 reps (205 lbs), 1 x 8 reps (225 lbs)
• Behind-the-Back Barbell Shrug - 1 x 10 reps (135 lbs), 1 x 10 reps (155 lbs), 1 x 10 reps (185 lbs)

I felt strong when I started my workout and as I increased the weights during each lift I felt even stronger going into the next set. 

While I was happy with the shoulder exercises, I was very surprised at how much I was able to lift during the shrugs. 

During the final set of barbell shrugs at 225 lbs the barbell started to slip from my grip so next time I want to ensure that I have a better grip on the bar before starting the set. 

In my second full week of getting back to serious lifting I am surprised at my strength and at how well my shoulders are handling it. 

I did have one small tweak in my lift shoulder during the shrugs but after stretching for a minute it felt better. I will also spend time rolling out my back and upper shoulders with my TriggerPoint GRID tonight.