Sorry it's taken a while for me to update. I have been really busy doing my best to enjoy every moment of my "feeling good" days. After the last chemo round, I had a good weekend with Susan while she was in town. Most of the chemo effects held off through the weekend but by Sunday afternoon they struck and didn't really let up until Friday morning.
I will not bore you with all of the details but the majority of this round I was plagued with insomnia, which just compounded the complete exhaustion that the chemo causes already . I didn't sleep for three days because the five day time release steroid they gave me before they administered my chemo. Not only did it keep me awake, it made me ravenous. I was constantly hungry, but the chemo zaps your taste buds so I kept eating things and they had absolutely NO flavor. I ate an apple and it was literally like eating styrofoam. So strange and annoying. By Thursday my taste buds had begun to work a little so I went to Chuys and order the spiciest green chile sauce they had, I broke out in a sweat eating it but it I still could only barely taste it.
Everyone asks was round two easier then round one and the answer is absolutely not. It was completely different and way worse. But once again when the storm passed I felt like a million dollars. Since then I have felt so great I have been going non-stop. I have completely filled my "feeling good days" schedule with happy hours and dinners and have even been back to working out.
Just trying to fit in as much as can I between now and March 17th when I go back for round 3 - Happy St Patrick's Day to me! I have moved my chemo day to Thursday so I can get the Nuelesta shot on Friday instead of having to wait over the weekend. This should hopefully cut down the time I feel bad by about two days. I think I have it all figured out but I am sure it going to throw me for some kind of loop just to keep me on my toes.
So after the next round I will be halfway through :) It seems like it has been six months but it has only been six weeks. Where is that fast forward button??? But I am hanging in there pretty well. That is easy for me to say on days like to day when I feel so good. I am getting the hang of the wigs and the hats and the hair (or lack of it) has seriously become no big deal - I NEVER thought I would say that. This whole process does make you realize what is really important and hair is the least of my worries.
Oh I almost forgot the best news of all is the tumor is melting away a little more and more everyday. Every time I go in it gets smaller and smaller so all of this is working, that makes it all worth it!
Let me know when and where to be! I am available for deliveries of any kind, happy hours of course, days at the park with kiddos to entertain...just about anything you can come up with. So, let a girl know what she can do!!!
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I have enjoyed reading your blog and can relate on so many levels. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December, had a mastectomy in January, and on St Patrick's (today) I had my second chemo treatment. My first treatment gave me severe aches from the Neulasta shot. I felt like I was 185 years old, with rheumatoid arthritis, and a bad case of the flu. When I asked my Dr about it he told me to take Claritin (or the cheaper version) and it really made the aches manageable. They did not go away but it made a significant improvement. I you get some sleep tonight, I took some Ambian for that to get a little relief. This is quite a journey we are on but from girl to another let's kicks this things ass!
ReplyDeleteOh yea, I wanted to tell you one of Christy Henry's friends in Fredericksburg told me about your blog.