Post-Chemo Round 2, Day 1

So again…kinda like pregnancy…we count days post-chemo. The first week was the worst last time. Then you have the 7-10 days post-chemo where your white blood cell count is at its lowest. The nurse told me this is when I avoid foods made by people I don’t know (so take out) and try to stay away from unknown germs as much as possible.

I kept notes about my symptoms from last time. Last treatment I had a really weird out-of-body feeling, the neuropathy contributing to it. I’ve got neither of those symptoms at the moment. Heartburn is still manageable, nothing like the last time. The one drug – called the red devil – turned me into a lobster. My skin was so red and felt hot; it was hard to sleep because I was sweating. Nope! Not yet. So I’m pretty happy about all of this.

I do feel slower, physically. I’ll probably get fatigued soon. But it’s not hitting like it did last time, and that’s worth a bit of a celebration.

I am planning on drinking from this gigantic water all week – trying to keep that intake up. That seems to be a key factor to feeling good. Same with keeping on top of the symptoms, taking a pill the instant I feel something weird.

My shot was at the place where I get my chemo infusions – a much better experience than Mercy Hospital. I got my favorite nurse again (whom I had yesterday) – she called me one of her favorite patients! She confessed that she thought I thought she was weird, and I laughed and said that’s the best part. 😉 It’s nice to have nurses who are kind and rooting for me!

I got pretty tired after that. Could be because I have a daytime muscle relaxer pill that I took for the first time. I worked for the day, which was awesome! I really do enjoy my work, so I love feeling normal enough to do that. Took a nap late afternoon and enjoyed dinner of my “famous” noodles – which is just cheese and Parmesan. ? The kids go nuts over this for some reason. It’s a good, kinda bland meal that doesn’t set off any tummy problems.

Taking the nap might have pulled me out of the running for 128 oz of water, but I killed the majority of it.

I’m expecting to be a bit more sluggish over the weekend and into next week, but it’s not hitting as hard this round. And I’ve been a good eater – my appetite isn’t low thanks to the heartburn meds. Makes me really thankful I’m feeling like this at all.

Another thing that helps a lot – anything sour! So yes, pickles and such. But Becky had sent over this ridiculously gigantic, individually wrapped Sour Patch Kids and let’s just say I ate that all up over the first round! In a pinch, when I get instantly hungry (again, think pregnancy hunger!) those little things helped calm the heartburn. Problem is that the kids want in on this – even the pickles! (Which is funny because Mae won’t generally eat pickles.)

I’m also really thankful for all of you. It’s hard not to smile when you get texts the morning of chemo with lots of positivity. Or see folks names show up on the meal train. You’ve sent me gifts of the practical and fun kind. You’ve donated your hard-earned money so I have fewer bills to worry about. People I’ve never met before, people I haven’t seen in a decade, friends I’ve known for years. This would be a lot harder on me if I didn’t have the BEST support.

My little thank-you gifts have finally arrived, so expect a handwritten card or something in the mail for those who have sent things. And they will all be written with a fountain pen! With some fun ink choices, of course.

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