Phase 2 is a wrap!

While napping through what I hope is my last chemo nausea this weekend, it hit me that this really is moving forward. It’s been a tough summer, frankly.

While I was prepared for nausea and fatigue, the staph infection wasn’t exactly in my plans. Then, about a month ago, the six weeks of antibiotics got together with all the chemo drugs and did a number on my digestive system that was equally unexpected. Yes, while my “new” experience in August was not actual pestilence as feared, it was highly unpleasant. Spent a week sicker than I think I’ve ever been, unable to move more than a few steps without being out of breath and losing almost 10 pounds in a week. Didn’t go to work, obviously, but did drag myself to chemo where they declared me dehydrated, gave me a bag of fluids, and sent me home with a potassium prescription. Apparently my level had dropped to 2.5, which I’m told is not good. But the fluids and the potassium did the trick, and the last three weeks of chemo were much less difficult than the weeks in the middle.

So Phase 2: Chemotherapy is over, and we now move on to Phase 3: Infusion Treatments. Actually, this is a fairly long phase — nine months — but I’m hoping it will go much more smoothly. Every three weeks I’ll have an infusion of two drugs: Herceptin and Perjeta. Actually they’re both monoclonal antibodies, so while there are side effects I’m hoping for nothing too severe. Regardless, I’ll have three weeks to recover in between, so I should get a good week or two every month, at least. So very ready to have some normalcy in my life again.

Also very ready to have some hair on my head again! Ha! I do not miss that I’ve not had to shave my legs all summer, but the hair on my head is missed, as are my eyebrows and eyelashes. We shall see how that all comes back. I’ve not gone completely bald, but the hair I have is very sparse. My guess is that it’s going to come back basically the same, maybe more grey. I’d love it to come back with a little curl, though 🙂

One lesson I hope I’ve learned as a result of all this is to not take my health for granted going forward. I can feel that the inactivity of this summer has taken a toll on my stamina, and at 60 I can’t afford to lose that. So, as soon as I’m cleared and able the work begins to gain and maintain a better state of overall health. My plan is to retire in a little more than four years, and when that time comes I want to be able to enjoy it! Travel is number one on my list, and with that I want to be able to walk and explore and enjoy new experiences, as long as I possibly can.

I don’t know what September’s “new” experience will be yet, but I’m not giving up! Maybe this is the month that I’ll finally win the Lottery. Guess I better buy a ticket…