It takes a village…

Apparently, it takes a village to get through cancer treatment, just as it does to raise a child. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful village surrounding me! Whether you are near and have seen me or talked with me or far away and have encouraged through cards, letters, numerous care packages, or phone calls, you’ve all been a part of my village and I am so very, very blessed. Thank you!

So, here’s a little update on how things stand as we are a third of the way through this first 12-week block of treatment. My new thing for June is, obviously, chemotherapy. Woo-hoo! Is there no end to what I’ll do to have a new experience? Anyway, the first couple of weeks were fine; a little nausea here and there, but that was it. Not the case for week three. Not sure what happened, but the nausea took hold on Sunday last, a couple of days after the infusion, and I was miserable! Normally I have a cast iron stomach, and that has led me to scoff in the past at people with nausea. “How bad could it be?” I foolishly thought. The answer is pretty damn bad.

I couldn’t get comfortable couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t not eat, never threw up but had frequent elimination through another orifice. Really, it was just miserable. I tried to tough it out, but finally called to get stronger meds, but a mix up between the doc’s office and the pharmacy left me stranded an extra night without the meds, so it was Tuesday before I had any relief. By that time I was just exhausted. Pregnant moms, don’t know how you do it! Lord, I would have been a basket case. Ha!

Anyway, went to work for a while Wednesday but just was too tired to function. Worked all day Thursday, though, and by Friday was hale and ready to go forth with treatment #4, which went swimmingly.

Also spend the week dealing with ever-increasing hair loss. I knew it was coming, but when it hits it’s still not pleasant. Anyway, I bit the bullet yesterday and had a little hair-cutting party. My friend Karen borrowed a set of clippers and my friend Colleen came over to “do the deed” and relieve me of most of my hair. She did a great job, and Karen gave wonderful moral support. It’s a good thing we did it, too; last night’s bath saw another significant hair loss, and without the trim that would have been a much bigger mess!

Took a little walk this morning and did my Saturday morning cleaning, fueled by the remains of the steroid from treatment yesterday. Now it’s time to nap and rest it out. Taking the meds and praying the nausea stays at bay this week. All in all, everything is going well and I continue to be both lucky and blessed throughout this process.

Enjoy the pics! I look forward to having real hair again sometime next year 🙂