75% Of The Way!

This past Saturday, Nov. 15, marked 75% of the time undergoing chemo.  Pretty pumped!!  In fact, in terms of actual infusions, I am down to FIVE more!!  Really cannot wait.  Cannot wait to unclog my head.  Cannot wait to get my energy back.  Cannot wait for hair to start growing back.  Cannot wait for all other body functions to return to normal!!!!

I don't have much time for an update right now....I have a friend stopping by soon.  But the major points include.....no big change last Thursday.  I received a NEW Rx for the hot flashes and hallelujah, it seems to work.  NO side effects that I can tell.  I take it at night and it has a sleep aid effect, but with no hangover effect in the morning.  I am still getting a few hot surges during the day, but again, that is only momentarily miserable, not disrupting my sleep.

I met someone new at chemo on Thursday.  My friend Kati was with me, and she ran into someone she knows, introduced us, and we briefly shared stories.  Again, it's all about perspective.  This young lady (I think quite a bit younger than me) has a two year old, plus two older children, went through 10 months of chemo for lung cancer last year, now the cancer has spread to her brain and she is back getting chemo.   Sounds devastating.  She had two wigs she wanted to sell, since they hurt her head with the cancer in the brain and her equilibrium is off, among other things.  Anyway, I bought them sight unseen, mainly because I couldn't figure how to say no off the top of my head and I knew she was really wanting to get rid of them.  And....you all know my feelings about R2.  They have tempered and we are mostly friends, even though she drives me crazy some days.  But...I thought it might be "neat" to have another choice, so now I have them.  There was no struggling to name these gals.....Chris took one look at me in one of them and said I could go incognito with it.  He said I could run into 5 people in Publix in that wig and no one would recognize me.  I am not sure about all that, BUT it's funny how different I look.  Of course, I quickly named that one The Incognito.  I put the other on (the one I was more excited to see) and my first thought was "Ariel" (you know, the Little Mermaid).  I secretly really like it, though my family is not fully on board. It is also really different, but how I can imagine having my hair in an hair commercial.  It is long. a pretty reddish brown, with loose curls, and none of the bangs or bangs-like stuff from R2.  That hair around my face drives me bonkers.  I get that wigs have to "disguise" themselves with hair like that, but I wore this out to the soccer games yesterday and I was able to pull it sideways across my forehead (like I used to wear my real hair) and then because it was so big and full (with all those curls) I pulled it back in a clip like I would have done my real hair.  That part felt nice...just clipping it back.  Anyway - I will take a pic in them soon when I have my face "done" and you can see what you think.

Otherwise, white blood was up to about normal range, which I guess was good but I felt like it was higher because my body was fighting that cold last week.  Red blood count continues to lag....a tiny tick up was the only change.  Thursday through Saturday/Sunday remains my exhausted and achy times, with things beginning too improve on Mondays usually.  Oh, and I gained a pound.  Fantastic.  They keep telling me that most people gain weight on chemo (which was not my perception at all before any of this!!), and that those who don't are really, really sick.  Ugh.  I guess I can't complain, but seriously...talk about adding insult to injury.  I am hoping half of it is water weight that will "melt" away when all is said and done.   Of course it will also help when friends stop bringing me yummy food plus decadent desserts.  Again....no complaints here....but I will have to join "my new reality" after the "excuse" of chemo has expired.  :)

OK - gotta run!  Have a great week and stay WARM!!  It is COLD outside!!!