Chemo Update

Well, I noticed today my hair is coming out. Cass is coming by Thursday to give me that pink mohawk. I'm thinking that will give me just one day at work with it, and then over the weekend, it should all be gone. It took 2 years to get here. Oh well. In support, my sister colored her platinum blonde to pale pink. It's very pretty, thanks Sis!

They told me the day of chemo, if I noticed my injection site turning red and streaking up my arm, to call and they would get me a prescription for antibiotics. Well, I got that. I thought that meant it was infected, but it turns out, it's actually a chemical burn. Although I'm relieved that's it's not infected, it's pretty scary to realize that the medicine they are pumping through me is causing chemical burns from the inside out. (It kind of reminds of of a little inside joke my daughter and I have about the difference between the "red devil" and "mean green".)

Birthday baa humbug

Well, the chemo is kicking in. Great day for that! Oh well, in the big picture, it's all about having lots of more birthdays, right?

It didn't take long to figure out that it will be a little harder the second time. I'm glad I got everything done I needed to on Saturday morning, because by Saturday night, all I could do was sleep. The sore mouth hit quicker, and my hair is already starting to hurt. It's that feeling you get when you take a pony tail down, but it's always there, until the hair is gone. Tomorrow I'm getting it cut short so it wont be as noticeable as it thins. My plan, is to take the last few days before it's all gone, and turn it into a pink mohawk. Then I can say that one time in my life, I had a mohawk.

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. They are appreciated, I apologize for not being so enthusiastic. All I really wanted to do when I got home from work, was lay down and sleep.

I'm back to Indy in the morning, hopefully, for the last time to be "drained".

Chemo plans

I finally got to meet my new chemo doctor today. I like her so much more than the last one. So, this time it will be 6 treatments instead of 8, and they will be 3 weeks apart, instead of 2. Ironically, that comes out about the same, August to December. The last treatment should be December 19. The first is a week from today.

This time around, I will not have the same chemo cocktail. I won't be getting the dreaded "red devil". That one is very dangerous to your heart, so they can only use it once. They will need to use a replacement for it. She said she wanted to change the cocktail anyway, because obviously the last one did not keep the cancer from returning. That makes sense to me. I will not need the nulasta antidote shot the day after now, since I will have 3 weeks to get my blood count back up. I will not need a port either. That's all good news.

I will lose my hair and nails again, but I was prepared for that. I think I'll have Shelly give me a short hair style the day after my first treatment. I know it will be almost 2 weeks to the day when I lose it.

Two things I remember very clearly. Some kind of cold thing, popsicles or ice cream to eat during chemo will help slow down circulation in my mouth and keep it from getting so sore. Chemo lasts several hours, chances are you will need lunch or a snack. Never take your favorite. It will never be your favorite again after eating it during chemo.