Just a Quick Note

I haven't a whole lot to share today. I did some grocery shopping to stock up before my next treatment. I'll probably do some cleaning tomorrow so everything is taken care of. I start taking the steroids again tomorrow. Perhaps this time they will give me a boost to help with the housecleaning. I am definitely ready for Wednesday.

Rainy Sunday

The afternoon brought rain that hasn't quite ended. The temperature was on the chilly side. It was a good day to build a fire in the fireplace. My scouting son had a crackling fire going in no time. Though he was having no fun in front of it doing his homework, I enjoyed the cozy warmth while crocheting or reading a book.

My nose wasn't as runny or stuffy today. Maybe it really is allergies. I looked up the pollen count for today and the past week. Last week the count was moderate to high. Today it is low, probably because of the rain. Hmmm. I have always had seasonal stuffy nose problems. Nothing bad, but I know something out there affects me. So it is a toss-up and I'm going to give up figuring out which it is because it really doesn't matter. I can't change either problem. I'll just sniff my way through it and it will eventually clear up. Maybe the Claritin will help when I start taking it on Thursday to help counter the aches of the Neulasta shot.

My mouth has been feeling kind of funny today and my tongue is tingling again. Perhaps I will swish my mouth out with the salt/baking soda rinse. Or maybe not. The taste really makes me gag. Oh, I will do it. I don't want any problems right now. I have another chemo treatment in 3 days. It will provide its own round of side effects. No need to have any going in to it.

Getting Into Crocheting - Finally!

I finally got a start on my renewed crocheting hobby. I was amazed how much I didn't remember or didn't know. I don't think I ever learned many of the basic stitches. Many years ago I had made two afghans and just learned enough about the stitches in those projects. I'm finding there are a few basics I don't remember or never learned. I'm definitely having fun with it. I'll just keep following the lessons in the book while I look around for an afghan I want to make for my first project.

I have nothing new to report about my health and well-being. I'm getting myself all psyched up for my next treatment this coming week. I actually look forward to them because each one done is one closer to the last one. And because the drugs don't mess with me too bad, I don't dread the next treatment as others may do because their side effects are much harsher.

My son is back from camp. The scout camp was hosting a work weekend that included job interviews. He is hoping to be hired on as a counselor for the summer. A real paying job. It's hard to find jobs when you are only 16. Actually, it's hard finding jobs at any age nowadays. So today he was observed as he worked with a team doing tasks around camp. He also had a sit-down interview where they asked lots of questions. The interviews were taped and will be reviewed by another staff member who will help in the hiring process. There is one more work/interview weekend in February for other applicants that couldn't make this weekend. Then we wait for their decision. We have no idea how soon that will be. I really hope he gets hired. He worked as a volunteer counselor-in-training last summer and really loved the camp, the work, and especially the people he worked with and for. How great is that!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I had a very busy day today with laundry, ironing, a trip to drop off donations to Goodwill (from all that cleaning of closets and cabinets), getting my son packed for a weekend work/interview camp, and then the long drive to drop him off and then back home again.

I'm always so amazed how much energy I have and how much I do in a day's time. And I'm at a loss at how I did all this stuff and worked full time. I was more fatigued back then, then I am now. I know I have to learn how to manage all my duties when I get back to full-time work. I often wonder if my run-down, lack of sleep, over-stressed life, was the door the cancer came in by. My body may have been too vulnerable. In case this theory has merit, I will need to adjust my life to stay well-rested, to control my stress levels, to maintain proper nutrition and exercise, and to fill myself with inner peace and joy. That's a pretty tall order, but I think it needs to be taken seriously if I want to keep cancer from taking hold again.

I don't know what to think about my runny nose. I've ruled out a cold. So it's either allergies or a side effect of chemotherapy. I'm leaning toward the cause being the chemotherapy. I read that a runny nose and watery eyes (I have that too) are very common side effects during treatment. I guess I'll just have to put up with both for a little while.

My crocheting hasn't gotten anywhere yet. But tomorrow I will have lots of time to work on it with my son being off to camp. I will soon become the Master of Hook and Yarn! Ha ha!

How to Drink Ensure and Live to Tell About It

Okay, Ensure won't kill you but it is definitely not a pleasant drink on its own. You have to add delicious tasting ingredients to it to make the beverage drinkable.

I have been trying to include a serving of Ensure every day or two to help with weight gain and as a nutrition boost. At first I was buying the regular Ensure but have now upgraded to the 'muscle health' mix. The problem with Ensure is that I find the smell of it quite disgusting and cannot conceive of drinking a bottle of this stuff straight up. I have to blend it with other ingredients to get rid of the smell and aftertaste. My usual blend has been a dark chocolate Ensure, some vanilla ice cream and a scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder. This makes a nice tall smoothie that is very palatable. Today I swapped the ice cream out for a frozen banana. This turned out to be quite delicious. I messed up on the frozen banana though. I had thrown a well-ripened banana into the freezer leaving the skin on. This is not a good idea. The banana was rock hard and the skin will not peel off this way. I had to get out my vegetable peeler and peel the dang thing like a potato. Obviously, I have much to learn about making smoothies.

My day was full and included another 4-mile walk,  a trip for groceries, more reading, and another wrestling meet this evening.Unfortunately, it was another heartbreaking loss for our school. Sigh. I haven't started crocheting yet, but I did open up the book and read through the first couple of introduction chapters. Nothing new there. Tomorrow I should be working through the beginning stitches and a pattern or two if I can sit down for an hour or so with it.

Wednesday Lab Day Again

It is Wednesday and time for another needle. If it is not a chemo treatment day, then it is 'visit the lab' day and time to ante up some more blood. I guess the results from last week must have been acceptable. Nobody has called me with any concerns.

Since I had to go out today, I kept myself a-moving. No lazy day for me. After the lab I headed over to my favorite bookstore to pick up a book on crocheting. Then I scooted right next door to Michael's to get some crochet hooks and yarn. I've got everything I need now. Everything is all put in to a tote just ready for me to start doing something creative with it...anytime now... Okay, I will definitely get on to that tomorrow. I am going to whip up an afghan or two. Ha ha.

I made sure not to skip my walk today. I did the 4-mile loop through the park and felt pretty good afterwards. I really like listening to podcasts when walking. They make the time go by fast.

Lazy Day Today

I have no excuse. I was just lazy today. No cleaning projects, no walking; no getting out of the house at all. I did catch up on lots of reading (magazines and books) and I watched a Netflix movie, "Iron Man 2".

I decided to drag out my crocheting stuff and look for an afghan to make to help fill in some of my idle time. I searched in all the right places, but came up with just 2 hooks, a skein each of light yellow and light green yarn, and one afghan book. I thought I had some how-to books around here. I wasn't that experienced before, having crocheted only 2 afghans in my past. I could use a book on techniques and how to crochet different kinds of stitches. I'm not ready to jump right into an afghan pattern. It appears I will have to visit Michael's tomorrow and put together what I need for this project.

My nose continues to be a bit stuffy on and off. I'm ruling out a cold since it would have turned into that by now. It's probably just some annoying side effect of chemotherapy. As long as there is no fever involved, I'm okay. I do not want any reason to postpone next week's treatment.

My Hair Gets Too Much Attention

Tonight was scout night. I took my son to his weekly meeting and tried to blend into the background reading my book. Near the end of the meeting, one of the fathers of a scout in my son's patrol spotted me and came over to say 'hi'. I also knew he wanted to discuss carpooling for a camp his son and mine were going to this weekend. As he approached, he became all excited over my hair. "Wow, just look at you! Got yourself a new hairdo. Working on a younger look?", he chuckled.  Wow, did I feel uncomfortable. But I pulled myself together, smiled and said "Yeah, it's a new look. And how how are you doing this evening? Let's work out the carpool details for this weekend." I needed a quick change of subject to get the focus off me and my hair. Yikes! I have no plans to tell everybody that knows me that I've had cancer and I'm doing chemotherapy. The scouts and parents don't really need to know. I just want to look and feel normal. But I sure was a bit flustered tonight when my hair grabbed all the focus. I guess it's a good thing that it looked real to this gentleman, but will it look real when it never grows out or changes in any way?  I suppose my secret will eventually get out in time. Hopefully by then, the chemotherapy treatments will be over and I will be starting to grow some hair under the wig. Maybe.

Turbo Walking Today

Another warm January day, in the mid-70's had me back out for a walk. I don't like to miss more than a day or two of walking and the weather was too nice to stay inside, so out I went. I headed out to the lake today. For those who know where I live, I walked out to the pedestrian bridge that spans the lake. It's so cool to see the lake on both sides of the bridge now. Before the rains the water level had dropped so low it looked like a marsh under the bridge and to the east of the bridge there was no water at all. But all those days of soaking rains have filled the lake back up. While stopping for a short rest I spotted some big lazy catfish hanging out down below the bridge.

Usually I walk without music because I'm too lazy to go find my IPod Shuffle. And it appears I'm also too lazy to load my Blackberry phone with some songs since that has happened either. But today I decided to download some Podcasts to my phone to listen to during my walk. Podcasts are fun! I listened to an episode each of "Stuff You Missed in History Class" (Louix XIV and a poisoning scandal), "Bible Study Podcast"(discussion of Genesis 1), and "Mostly Trivial" (a short trivia game). Lastly, I tuned into a music workout podcast. Oh my gosh! It was some crazy pounding music like what they use in cardio exercise classes. The beat rate was way too fast for my walk, but I kept trying to keep my legs moving in sync with the music. My calves were not amused with my over-zealous exercise program today and now complain with soreness. I'll have to look for a music workout podcast with a slower beat rate for next time. I like that it makes me keep a brisk pace, but that was turbo brisk. The walk was a good distance - from home to across the bridge and back is just over 4 miles.

I still have the nagging cold like feeling but it hasn't gotten any worse nor has it got me down. Just a drippy, stuffy nose. I can deal with that.

Feels Like a Cold Coming On

It's funny how one day I'm feeling awesome, then the next day I feel a few notches off. I felt fine this morning, volunteering for a 2-hour slot at the concession stand at a Varsity Wrestling Tournament our school was hosting. Afterwards I headed home, choosing not to stay and watch the tournament since my son was not wrestling and was working the scoring tables instead. I did a little laundry, but spent the majority of the afternoon reading and catching up on last week's recorded shows of American Idol. I just didn't have the up-and-go I felt the last couple of days. I even skipped my walk. As the day went on, my nose started getting drippy, then stuffy. I feel just on the edge of getting a cold. But it could be allergies or maybe just the chemo drugs messing with me. I've gotten this feeling before and it cleared up without ever becoming a full-on cold. I think it would be best to head to bed a bit earlier tonight.

Hair & Head Update

I was thinking about what to write about today. There is little to say about how I'm feeling since I am doing really well at this time and have no real complaints. So I thought I'd talk about my hair, or what is left of it.

The last time I mentioned my head and hair was about a week and a half ago right after the buzz cut. I had noted how my scalp was stinging much like a sunburn and the shorter hairs were still falling out. Well, the stinging hasn't gone away 100 percent but it has much improved. If I press on my head, right along the part line, it is just a little sore. The sides and back are fine so I am not bothered when laying down to sleep and I'm comfortable wearing my wig all day long. As for the hair, I actually still have some. From a distance, it looks like all scalp, but up close, my head has an even covering of sparse hairs, very light or white. And they have actually grown since the buzz cut. Trying to rub them away or pull them out doesn't work. I'm not sure what to think about this. I wonder if I will lose all of it or not. Talking to other ladies who have had hair loss due to chemotherapy, their results have varied. Some lost all their hair, while others did not and were left with sparse patches of hair. We are back to that old saying, "everybody is different" and we all are affected differently by the chemotherapy drugs. I guess I'll just see what happens in the coming days and weeks. As for my legs, great news there. After my last shave a week ago, I haven't had to shave since. Now there's something positive! I'm really going to enjoy not having to shave very often, or perhaps, not at all during shorts weather.

Regarding bone aches and the use of Tylenol, I won't be needing any more until next round. I did not take any pills last night and slept without a problem. I am so ready for the third treatment now.

A Little Bit of Everything

I think the bone and joint aches are truly gone for now. I didn't need any Tylenol throughout the day and am going to skip my before bed dose tonight. My mouth feels better and my tongue doesn't tingle. It's all uphill now until the next treatment.

I had lots of energy today so I made sure to get out for a walk. I chose a different route today, passing up the hilly 3-mile walk around the neighborhood for a longer, 4-mile walk, that passes through the park. This walk was a lot more interesting. Out on the trails I found the expected retired folks and dog walkers. Among the disk golf crowd, young people were replaced by a much older generation. I also saw a fitness group for moms with strollers assembled in a circle doing exercises with resistive bands. You would think just pushing a loaded up stroller around the park would be exercise enough. No, not when you join Deb's Fitness Bootycamp for Mommies!

I spent a bit of time back in the kitchen again. I've been cleaning and organizing all the drawers and cabinets this week. Pretty exciting stuff, huh? Well, I'm almost done with that room. I think the refrigerator may be next on the list. Oh, then there's the oven. Hmmm. I guess I could say I'm getting an early start on my spring cleaning. I know for sure, I'm definitely keeping my real day job. Housework is boring. But, I am looking forward to getting what I can get done before heading back to work. I can barely keep to a weekly housecleaning then.

The day ended with the weekly wrestling meet. The team our school battled tonight is ranked 2nd in the county. We are not even close. It was quite a massacre for both the JV and Varsity teams. Better luck next week.

Getting Out of the House is a Mood Lifter

I had a great day today. I did less work around the house by getting out of it. It really works! Ha ha!

It's a Wednesday, so I started my outings with a trip to the lab to give up more blood. Those gals are great. I never felt the needle.

For fun (not that needles aren't any fun), I chose to go out to the movies. Being I haven't been to a movie in months, I had many to choose from. The latest Harry Potter movie was still showing so I decided on that one. I wasn't sure if I could sit for two and a half hours without getting achy, but it went fine. I had some Tylenol stashed away just in case. There was no issue with large crowds that may have colds and such - there were only 7 of us in the theater.

Afterwards, I wasn't ready to head back home yet. Shopping is also a fun activity. The Old Navy and Ross stores were right next door and calling to my wallet. I did well finding some clearance bargains and headed home with several new knit tops. All in all, a relaxing and fun day.

Chemo-related, my mouth felt funny all day and my tongue was all tingly. It's better now. Still no sores, just a little red around the back of the throat. Crossing my fingers that it clears up without a problem.

A Day Flies By, A Week Drags On

It seems time works actively against me. Each day I set out with just a couple of household tasks to accomplish mixed in with some book-reading, walking, and eating. I had also anticipated choosing from some of these fun activities: watching Netflix movies, going out to a movie, catching up on back issues of my magazine subscriptions, working on an idle sewing project, or starting a crocheted afghan. Just taking the day slowly, not hindering my body's efforts to heal. So why is this not possible? All I get done is the chores, some reading, a walk, and eating. I haven't watched one movie yet, started anything artsy or crafty, and the magazines keep coming in without me making a dent in the pile. I have no idea how I got anything done when I was working all day. Obviously, it is a time-management problem. What is ironic, the day itself flies by so fast, but when I put several together and wish for the weeks to pass by faster, they crawl at a snail's pace. I was just counting how many weeks I've done and what I have left, 4 weeks done, 8 more to go. Eight! That's almost 2 months. It's like forever. Aaaaahhhhhhh!

Okay, I'm back in control. So I have a solution: do  less chores and more fun stuff. If I'm going to be off work, I should be enjoying some of it. Tomorrow I  have plans to see a movie, either a Netflix rental or one at the theater. I know I can do it. I'll probably have to get out of the house and away from the chores that call to me. I'll let you know if I make it.

Just a quick run-down on my recovery from my last chemotherapy and Neulasta shot. I felt more aches today then yesterday so I took an afternoon dose of Tylenol before heading out for my walk. It helped with the aches, but I was a huffing and puffing up the hill today. A tough walk that was easy days before the treatment. I guess I will have to work to get back in shape before the next round. The aches have returned by evening. More Tylenol will be needed to sleep. It's hard to tell what a day will be like. Looks like I need a few more days to get back to feeling like myself again.

The Worst is Over for Round Two

I think now I can say I've made it through the second round of chemotherapy. The most troubling side effect I've experienced with my chemotherapy treatments so far is the achy bones and joints. But, I think they are soon to be a faded memory (until next round, of course). Last night I slept well with the Tylenol taken at 10:00pm and haven't taken any more today. I felt occasional twinges of pain that halt me for a moment, but overall, I sailed through the day very nicely. As I sit and write now, I feel my knees are crying out for help. I plan to take a couple of Tylenol before bed to make sure I'm comfortable and get a good night's rest.

Today is MLK's birthday. Or at least the observance of his birthday. My son has the day off from school and is enjoying it with his girlfriend. They're geocaching at the park. My husband is busy doing guy stuff here and there so I'm enjoying my day relaxing with my books and doing some editing of photos I took at the last wrestling meet. I had only a trip to the grocery store planned. I'll call it my exercise for the day. Lately, I've been skipping my 3-mile walks to keep from aggravating the bone and joint aches. I think tomorrow I'll be ready to get back out there and hit the pavement again.

I am still nursing my mouth with the salt/baking soda washes. I gargle with the yucky concoction once at night before going to bed. My throat still seems a bit red back there and my mouth feels tingly or something. I'll just keep the preventive medicine going a couple more days to keep any bad stuff from happening. Hopefully my mouth will return to some normalcy soon. And maybe the taste buds will come back too. I still haven't tasted the "metallic" taste that I've heard so much about. I don't have a problem with metal utensils. I have a different taste of foods or no taste, but nothing would be deemed metallic-tasting. I guess that is a good thing.

Still Doing Good

Last night wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had wrote that I was uncomfortable with aches even after taking a scheduled dose of Tylenol. I couldn't take the last dose of Tylenol until 11:45pm. I waited it out, and finally, I felt relief from the aches and pains. I was able to fall asleep without a problem. At 6:00am I woke up a bit earlier than I had planned. I felt fine but grabbed another couple of Tylenol before going back to sleep for another hour. When the alarm went off, I was still ache-free.

Today I wanted to start weaning off the pills so I took the 12:00pm dose but skipped the dose at 6:00pm.  I wanted to move up that last dose of the day from 12:00pm to 10:00pm so I could go to bed earlier. It's hard to take round the clock meds every 6 hours when you want to get 8 hours of sleep. So I haven't had any Tylenol since 12 noon and I am definitely feeling the aches again. Not really bad so I'll hang in there for another half hour. It's almost 10pm.

Everything else is manageable. We went to Souplantation for dinner tonight. I still find most foods funny-tasting or have no taste. But salads and most veggies are still appetizing to me. I filled my plate with lots of good salads and stuff and ate it all. Had a small bowl of mac&cheese and then a bit of vanilla frozen yogurt. I still can taste vanilla and choose it over chocolate. I just weighed myself in my pajamas. I made it back up  to 118 pounds. Yay! Of course I'm a bit bloated from dinner, but hey, I'm getting there. I better make sure to keep getting my walks and exercise or I'm going to get fat. That is not where I want to be when these treatments are over. Fit, fit, fit! Like in the military. Ha ha!

Tylenol - It Almost Worked

The Tylenol was doing such a good job, up until this evening. It kept the aches away yesterday and most of today. I even made it through the day sitting in high school bleachers watching a wrestling tournament. By 5pm I started feeling little achy twinges in my upper arm and then in my knees. It slowly crept to my thigh bones, hips and back. 6:00pm was my next dose. The clock moved so slowly waiting for 6pm to arrive. And then it did. Alas, I could take more Tylenol. Unfortunately, it didn't take all the pain away this time. Darn! Still achy everywhere. This should be an interesting evening. I don't know if taking my next dose of Tylenol at 12am will help or not. I may have to go to plan B, or is it C? Anyways, I can try some Ibuprofen next. The nurse told me to stay with Acetaminophen if I can. Ibuprofen is a last resort. Maybe one before bed will be just enough to get me to sleep. Else it will be a long achy, tossing and turning, kind of night. Sigh...

Summer Time Today!

I know some of you are actually experiencing winter with snow and cold weather, but our Southern California winter felt like summer today. I just had to get out for a walk. I hadn't walked since Tuesday, and needed to get back on track again. It seemed a little hard up the hill today as I walked my usual route around the neighborhood, but I marched steadily along and completed the 3-mile course. Later in the afternoon, I gave into another short nap. It didn't invigorate me as much as yesterday's nap did. Maybe the chemo drugs are catching up to me.

To prevent the aches of the Neulasta shot, I'm continuing with the Tylenol, taking 2 pills every 6 hours (if I remember to take them on time). It's working so far. I feel twinges of pain, mostly in my upper arms, but nothing bad. I'll try to keep on schedule with the Tylenol just to prevent the bone aches from gaining any ground. I have also been taking Claritin since yesterday, but I don't know if it's helping or not. Since it doesn't hurt me, I'll take it through Sunday like I did last time just to be sure. The aches might get worse without it. I don't want to change anything for the worse.

Taste is just about gone again. My dinner of a cup of chicken noodle soup and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich were lifeless. Actually, the meal would have probably been lifeless without the effects of chemo. I definitely have an appetite but don't find food tasty at this point after a treatment. During the last round, my taste improved near the end of the 3-week period, so perhaps it will do the same this time too. Again, I have had no problem with nausea and continue to eat and stay hydrated with lots of water.

My mouth and throat are a bit sensitive just like last time. Sometimes a little sore around the back and sides. I gargle each evening with some warm water with salt and baking soda in it. By morning my mouth is feeling pretty good. This side effect was also temporary during the last 3 weeks, so I hope it is a non-issue by later next week.

Well, I'm running out of steam. Time to get in bed with a good book.

Running Tired Today

I've been having trouble getting enough sleep lately and it's tiring me out. I have no trouble falling asleep but I wake up too early, usually around 5am and can't get back to sleep. This morning I woke up at 4am and just couldn't fall asleep no matter how tired I felt. I know the steroids can cause sleeplessness, but I do get tired and fall asleep without a problem. I just can't stay asleep as long as I'd like. I could count sheep forever and they'd still be jumping back and forth over fences while I watched them. Counting backwards from 100 or concentrating on my breathing, no technique is working. I think tonight if I wake up too early, I'll just grab my book and read until my eyes close. I did make time to lay down before lunch, setting a timer for an hour nap. I fell asleep right away and woke to the alarm. The short nap was refreshing and gave me the boost I needed.

Today I took the last two doses of Decadron (steroid meds) for this round of treatment. I don't seem to get the burst of energy I've heard others get from these steroids. Not if I can take a nap between the doses. But they are given to help prevent nausea and increase appetite and they are doing that well. I am so happy I have no nausea during my chemotherapy treatments. The anti-nausea medicines they give me work very well.

The Neulasta shot went okay. It burns a bit when they give it. I guess that is because the drug is refrigerated. It stops hurting right after the injection is complete so no complaints there. I started the Tylenol regiment taking two pills a couple of hours after the shot and will take some before bed tonight. I don't have any pains yet, but I remember they didn't come until later on Friday. I'll keep taking the Tylenol every 6 hours and see if I can avoid the aches this time.

I wrapped up my day at my son's wrestling meet. It wasn't a good night for my son. He got pinned this time. But, collectively, the team did well and won the meet. A very good night for the Fighting Eagles.

Second Chemo Treatment Behind Me

Well, I'm glad to have another treatment day over. I have only 2 more to go. Yay! Today's treatment went without any problems. No needles slipping out. It even ended an hour earlier. They gave me less extra fluids this time. The last time they wanted to be sure I was plenty hydrated since it was my first treatment right before the holiday and they would be closed that Friday. It was a safety measure to make sure I'd do okay. I am getting plenty of fluids on my own, drinking lots of water, so they didn't need to infuse me with the extra liquids this time. My blood test looked really good too. Very high white blood counts and platelets. I guess the Neulasta shot is a good thing, even if it makes me ache for a few days. My red blood cells were also in good range. So I'm not anemic either. Looks like I'm doing all the right things to stay healthy. I did weigh in 2 pounds lighter than the last time, but they didn't seem worried. I'm still working on weight gain and should get a couple more on me by next time.

Tomorrow I get the follow-up Neulasta shot. The nurse told me not to be stingy with the Tylenol this time. I'm to take two every six hours right away to keep the pain low. I was worried about ruining my liver if I used too much. She told me I can take up to 8 a day without worry. Do this for 2-3 days and then back off as I can. "Not a time to be a hero", was what she told me. So I will follow her advice and maybe the aches won't catch up and get too bad. They can also decrease the Neulasta dose next time because my blood test results look really good. They say I would still benefit from a lower dose and stay healthy. First we'll see how the Tylenol works. I'd rather keep the dose as is and not get sick and end up in the hospital.

Head still hurts, short hair still falling out, nothing new to report there.

Gearing Up for Treatment #2

Tomorrow is round 2 of my chemotherapy. I'll be glad to say "only 2 more infusions to go" when the day is done. Of course the side effects will follow in a day or two. When I get through those, then I can really say I'm half way done with my treatments. 

So the day before chemo, I start the premeds again, taking 2 doses of Decadron (the steroid). I sometimes think it's a placebo drug. I took the first dose at breakfast. I then went to my son's school to do some volunteering as a grader for practice SAT tests. I had signed myself up for this back in August. When I came home I settled down to do some reading but kept dozing off. What kind of steroid puts you to sleep? Well, I had lunch a bit later and took the second dose. I seemed to have gained more energy by then, either from the food, the drug, or the short nap. Hard to say, but I felt good enough to get out for my 3-mile walk. When I got back from my walk I did some cleanup on the dead vines on the trellis out front and swept the garage and walkways down. Then it was to the computer to do some photo uploading of wrestling pictures on Snapfish. I was busy, busy, busy!

Later in the evening I headed to Best Buy to compare e-readers. I was deciding between the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. After a visit to the Barnes & Noble store down the road, I decided to purchase the Nook. I was able to apply some gift cards my family has given me for my birthday and Christmas so that helped bring the price down. I'm really looking forward to playing with it. It's charging now. Tomorrow it will come in handy during my treatment, unless my talkative new chemo friend is there :-)  It's a bit awkward holding a paperback book with just my left hand since the infusion is in my right hand or arm. And I don't want to do much with my infusion arm like last time when the needle popped out of the vein. The Nook is light weight and can be held and pages turned with just the one hand. I'm also liking the idea of increasing the text size. My contacts are not doing too good with close up reading anymore so I need to wear reading glasses with the contacts. With the adjustable font sizing, I won't need to use the glasses. It's going to work like a charm!

My head (scalp) is still tender. Washing what short hair I have this morning was a bit painful. I wore my wig to the school for grading this morning but found it uncomfortable due to the tenderness. I took it off back at home and switched to a cap for the rest of the day. I hope my head heals soon. It's annoying and bothers me at night when I lay down. I know, I'm whining. I'll stop now. This too shall pass.

Old Hair is Out - New Hair is In

Today was the day to buzz off my hair. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had the hairdresser start on the sides and back and work her way to the top and bangs. It actually looked kind of nice at one stage with short sides and longer on top. But then it all eventually had to come off. It's definitely interesting looking. It's about a half an inch all around And it still comes out when rubbing my head or removing a hat. It's just shorter hair falling out now. At least I won't clog the drain when I shower in the morning.

The New "Me"

After returning home, I got out my wig and hats to see how they all looked on me. The hats looked fine and will do around the house, going to the store, walking, and other similar places and events. When I'm going out to places where I know the people, like my son's scout meetings and school, church, or work, I'll wear my new hair. Here's a photo I took with my new 'do'. You can't even tell it's a wig...at least I hope not.

And now my head is hurting. My scalp had been a bit sore the last couple of days and was sore before the cut. But now it is really sore. Maybe wearing the wig today aggravated the scalp a bit more. I suppose once the rest of the hair is gone, the soreness will go away too. It's definitely tender, like when you sunburn the top of your head. Hopefully tomorrow it will feel better. I am volunteering at my son's school in the morning and was planning to wear my wig. I may have to just throw on a hat if it is more comfortable for now. We'll see in the morning.

An Uneventful Day

The title says it all. I have nothing new to report today. Of course, my hair continues to disengage freely from my scalp. Certainly no new news there. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's hair appointment to take the rest of it off. Soon, I'll be looking like Demi Moore in the movie G.I. Jane: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1591647232/tt0119173.

I am also looking towards Wednesday when I'll be taking on my second treatment. With one treatment behind me, this time I'm not nearly as anxious. I wonder if I'll see the same lady from before. I look forward to seeing how she is doing and chatting the time away.

Lost Some More Weight Today

Nothing to be too alarmed about, but I think I lost a pound of hair today. Nothing like losing weight in all the wrong places. Ha ha. It was a sheer (pun not intended) mess in the shower, on the bathroom counter, the floor, and in my comb. When it was wet, it looked way too thin, laying very limp and flattened on my head. So I'm thinking what should I do? Every time  I touch it in any way, more falls away. So, I think, flip my head over, blow dry upside down and then flip my head back up and see what it looks like. I was amazed. I was able to get some fullness and with generous sweeping maneuvers with the hairspray can, I had a decent look for public display. Another day without the need for a wig or hat. I do believe I'll need a hat for church tomorrow though. Or maybe I won't wash it and try to style what doesn't fall out for just one more day.

I called my hairdresser to set up an appointment for a buzz cut on Monday, but as my luck goes, she is leaving town Monday and may or may not be back by late Tuesday afternoon. Well, I didn't want to wait, so I asked her if she could find someone else in the salon to help me out sooner. Thankfully, one was able to take me Monday morning. I know it's not difficult and won't even take much time to buzz it off.  I'd do it myself if I had some clippers. My husband tells me, "Just go to a barbershop". Now, that would really make me feel comfortable. An unfortunate lady getting all her hair cut off in a place with a bunch of strange men getting haircuts and beard trims. Hmm, I don't think so...Men.

A Day Visiting with Friends

Today was a great day! I had two appointments to get out of the house and visit friends. The first outing on my agenda today was at our church for the Women's Cancer Support Group meeting. I love these ladies! We laugh, talk, and pray for each other's ups and downs. We celebrate the victories like negative test results and pray for healing and protection for those of us going through treatments. I leave these meetings very uplifted, encouraged and loved.

The next outing was over to BJ's restaurant to meet with 5 of my friends from work. Gosh, I miss them. We enjoyed good conversation and excellent food. I felt much more comfortable with them when one of the guys asked me about my treatment and stuff. He knew a lot about what I was going through. He had two family members that had gone through the same. Talking about what I was going through was pretty easy. They are all so supportive and want to be assured that I'm doing okay and will be back to work as soon as I'm ready. I can't wait to get together with them again but will have to wait until after I get through my next treatment.

I'm am definitely tired of this hair problem I seem to have. It is very annoying as it falls out everywhere. The plan is to call my hairdresser tomorrow and set up an appointment for Monday to chop it off. I still didn't need a hat today. I may also be okay hatless tomorrow at the wrestling tournament. But I'm betting by Sunday, my hair will be noticeably thinned. I'll probably need a hat for church. I don't like the transition part from hair to hairless. It's one of those things I don't have control over. So I'm taking back the control and buzzing it short. I will be ready for my wig and hats then. I even found a couple of new ones today at the mall. I have my winter collection ready.

When to Cut My Hair

My hair continues to fall away, when washing it, brushing it, blowing drying it, or just running my hand through it. I feel like the cat when he sheds his fur everywhere. I wonder how many days I have before I need to have it buzzed off. It's still okay now without a hat. After drying my hair, I hairspray it to hold it in place a bit so it doesn't just become fly away all over the place. That seems to work for now. But it's definitely getting thinner all around. I'm thinking I have through the weekend and will probably need to see my hairdresser by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Do I cut it really short or just buzz it like the military? I suppose it won't matter either way since I will be covering up with a hat or my wig.

Blood, Sweat & 'Hairs'

I can hear some of you now. "Gro-o-a-n!" For the too young crowd, today's blog title plays off the band named "Blood Sweat & Tears". I'm working on expanding my creativity. Okay, okay. I'll keep my day job.

Concerning the topic of 'blood', today was another opportunity to give up a vile of blood to the lab. I just love needles! I can't complain about this particular lab I'm going to. I had two different ladies take my blood between last week and this week and both did an awesome job. No pain at all. As for the results, I never heard anything about the blood taken last week. I guess no news is good news in this case.

On to 'sweat'. Besides my 3-mile walk around the neighborhood, I threw some weights around as I had mentioned I would do to help build back my muscles. I guess I didn't 'throw' them around, but I did a mixture of exercises for my legs and arms, followed by some sit ups. It wasn't all out muscle break down, but it felt good to work the muscles a bit. I hope to work with the weights 2-3 times a week, on my good weeks. I won't be looking at the weights when the achiness comes back. A good soak in a warm bath will be what I'll be headed for.

And lastly, what about the 'hairs'? Without my permission, they continue to increasingly disengage from my scalp. Generous passes of hairspray have failed to hold them on. Lucky for me, I have a thick head of hair that often needs thinning when getting a routine haircut. So the loss, so far, is not noticeable in any way, even to me.

Uh, oh...I think I Lost a Few More Hairs Than Usual

Yes, this morning it seemed like more than the usual amount of strands fell away when washing my hair and brushing it dry. Nothing noticeable to anybody but it may be the beginning of the end (of hair, of course). I knew it just couldn't be possible that I would  bypass this chemo side effect. I'll be watching for more fall out in the next day or two. Time to bring out that wig and hat collection. They may be needed very soon.

Today I did not return to work as I noted in my last blog. I composed an email that was distributed to all my section explaining my absence. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to share some details about my diagnosis, surgery and treatment plans. I received lots of return emails with well wishes and support. I'm going to miss those guys. It's going to be a long couple of months.

Back to my weight problem. I have lost weight it seems. Even after the magical tapping and resetting of the scale, a reading today is lower than I like and definitely not what the doctor is going to like. I am now looking to pile on the calories to gain 2-3 pounds by next week when I go in for my next treatment. I did well tonight by having a big slice of chocolate cheesecake after dinner. It was a large slice if you can imagine what the Cheesecake Factory slices are like. I felt like a blimp after consuming it, but the scale showed only 115 lbs. I was in my pajamas. When they weigh me next week, I'll have a jacket and tennis shoes on. That will help too. :-)  And I think it's time to do some workouts with weights again. It would be nice to build back my muscles.

My Friends will be Returning to Work Tomorrow...but not Me

Tomorrow my co-workers will be headed back to work after nearly two weeks of a company shutdown for the holidays. But not me. Not yet. I'm set up on disability leave for the rest of my treatments. The crazy thing is, I haven't told any of my co-workers about my cancer diagnosis, the surgery or the chemotherapy treatment I needed. Only three close female co-workers, my manager and his manager know what I've been through and what I'm going through now. It seemed simple just to handle the surgery and recovery with a short period of personal time off. I found no need to share the personal details. It would have worked if I hadn't needed the chemotherapy. So now I'm out for awhile and it looks like I'll need to tell them something. Should be interesting how this turns out.

Regarding my present state of health and well-being, I have little to share. I'm still waiting for my hair to begin falling out. The nurse at the chemotherapy class said it would be around day 12-14 after the first treatment. Yesterday was day 12, today is day 13. I guess tomorrow must be the day. Or...no...maybe...no...what if...what if I don't lose my hair? If only that could be true. I'll try to be extra careful tonight not to toss and turn my head too much. Don't want to stress the hair roots. Ha ha!

Weighing In

Last night I decided to check my weight and make sure I was keeping it on. My reference is 118 lbs. I weighed that the day of my chemo treatment with jeans, tennis shoes and my hoodie sweatshirt on. 118 lbs is really a bit underweight for me. But I think it's low because I'm losing my muscle weight. I was working out on the weight machines at the club before all this cancer stuff happened. I haven't been there since surgery so I'm losing my muscle mass. That's my reasoning for the slight weight loss. It can't be because I'm not eating, because I am eating all my meals and snacks too. So anyways, back to last night. I'm in my pajamas and socks and decide to check out my weight. I expected to see it around the 118 lbs. Well, was I shocked. The scale displayed 112.8. Yikes, that can't be! I stepped off, then on again, and the same thing. I was freaking inside. I'm wasting away! Aaahhhhh!

Well, I vowed to get more calories somewhere into my diet. I needed to gain weight. This was scary. I didn't sleep very well last night worrying over it. So today, I'm doing all the right stuff, eating all my meals, throwing in a piece of chocolate or two. We even went out to the Outback Steakhouse for my hubby's birthday and I had extra bread, some of the blooming onion, and a nice fish dinner with a baked sweet potato. Back at home I headed to the scale to see if I gained a pound. This time I left on my tennis shoes and hoodie, just  like what I had on on chemo day. So I step on the scale. OMG! Now it says I weight 123 lbs. I just gained 10 pounds in one day! Yikes! Well, my son comes over to check out what I'm all upset about. He calmly assures me it is the scale. He has seen it give false readings on occasion. "Just step off, tap it, wait for the zeros to show, then step back on", he says. This time it showed 119 lbs. Whew! What a relief! So last night's 112.8 lbs was also a flaky reading. I lost sleep over a bad scale reading. Sheesh! So all in all, I'm doing good maintaining my weight. But boy, that scale had me going there for a bit.

Happy New Year - 2011

Wow! The first day of a brand new year. It was a sunny Southern California winter day. Too nice to be inside, I began the new year with a 3 mile walk around the neighborhood. Later, my son and I headed back to the mall for more shopping, this time for hubby's birthday gifts. Tomorrow is his big day. It's really crazy with Christmas and two birthdays within a week's time, but when they are over, I'm done for the rest of the year! Whew!

Tonight was game night. My son received a new game for Christmas so we brought it out and settled in for a relaxing evening. It's called Pandemic and the object is to save the world from outbreaks of infections. Sadly to say, we failed to cure all the infections and time ran out for the world. It was really a fun game. We'll have to try again soon and maybe we'll have better luck saving the world.

I have no new news to share related to my treatment. I'm feeling well and still have my hair. However, if the oncology nurse was right, my hair should begin thinning any day now.
Uh oh!