You know, I really wasn’t that upset about my hair. Evelyn was upset about my hair. I was kinda looking forward to wearing all sorts of colors that I’ve never had. It’s like when you tell people you have cancer and the first thing everyone says is “I’m sorry.” It’s a fine reaction but you get it a lot and usually, it’s said sadly. I get it. I’ve done it, in fact. But now I’m wearing cancer like a badge and I can only handle so many opinions before I fall apart over it. I mean, my kids were making fun of me in the bath when I walked in…

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…

This week must finally be taking a toll on me. Usually by this point, I’m getting energy back. That has not been the case yet. I’ve been reluctant to give details on my mom’s health since I haven’t gotten her permission. She’d be mortified if I was talking publicly about her. But a lot of what I’m feeling this week is related so it’s hard not include snippets. That said, I’m being a bit vague about it and I apologize in advance. Since I got the phone call from my dad over the weekend, I feel like I’ve been walking in a fog. Not chemo fog, either. I admit to…

Mom Update I finally have a handle on what’s going on with my mom. The surgery for the broken bone in her neck is done and went well. They’ve got her pretty immobile, but she has physical therapy. She’s got a feeding tube in and is on a ventilator. I was able to “talk” to her today while she was conscious (they keep her on pain meds which make her sleepy) – my dad was relaying thumbs-up from her. I sent some pictures of the kids for him to show her. Told her I was feeling great. I’m planning on going to see her on Monday when my WBC is…

I don’t know why, but the Metallica song keeps playing through my head. I was so excited to feel well enough to be in the office today – wig and everything! You explain to people, I feel great but my mom literally broke her neck. And then you get a text randomly that notifies you that your mom has been given her last rites and after that, I don’t really know what to say. Thank you to my cousin who read between the lines and suggested I call the hospital. The nurse explained the priest had been walking around the floor, my mother is no closer to death now than…

Knocked down but not out. This week hasn’t been fun. My heart rate has been quite high, even while just laying down. This was also the case for the third infusion. I think my mom is doing ok, but I don’t get lots of information without a lot of effort, so I’ve been trying to roll with it. There is a lot riding on this whole process and I don’t want any setbacks. And speaking of setbacks, we only have one working toilet, and it’s downstairs. No fun for me who gets winded on the trip alone. The upstairs toilet was leaking into the basement ceiling. We assume this has…