Reprieve- 3 weeks off

 I must admit that the last week has been a bit of a challenge. Even though fatigue has been my greatest challenge thus far, the added anemia through in a whole new dimension.

The high doses of Iron seem to be helping and not causing a lot of havoc with my digestion as I was warned about. 

I am enjoying my time off- a sleepover with the gals, good food, a family dinner, pickle ball, yoga, gentle hikes in the mountains, meeting with clients, writing, reading an awesome book (The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd), it feels so good and almost normal.

I have been sad when I haven't been able to read or focus or even follow directions.

I even ventured out in nature with a friend to take some headshots with my bald self. I'd like to say it wasn't vanity, but there has been some hesitancy to be around people, in person and on zoom, with my bald head. My long hair has been such a big part of me for so long.

This week I get vaccinations (Covid and flu) this week and am hoping I don't have any new side effects.

Some other things I'm going to try-going to the hot springs, writing and finishing a project I started before I found out I had BC. I also purchased a fun wig for the holidays. I'll post a pic when I finally wear it.

I've included one of my bald head shots.

PS-Thank you! for all the kind words, cards, gifts, food, money for juice- all of it helps.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1 after Chemo #1

Image
  8/27-9/1/2022 The week after chemo treatment was challenging and yet I felt better than I expected to. I woke up Saturday, 8/27 after treatment. My head was cloudy and yet I felt okay. I taught yoga though I did not feel safe to drive so Cheney drove me to the college where I teach. My main symptoms: burning scalp, cloudy head, extreme fatigue, hot flashes (which I never experienced during menopause), a metallic taste in my mouth and a headache, which includes a lot of pressure at the base of my occiput. Around 3:30 pm my Neulasta shot went off (I talked about this in the last post). This is an immuno-boosting miracle really. The most common side effect for this shot is bone pain. I was told to take Claritin if it occurred. I chose to take the Claritin before the shot went off as a preventative. I was able to eat regularly and find that eating smaller meals more often to be helpful. It is imperative to drink a minimum of 80 oz of liquid to flush out the toxic part of my magic pot...
Read more

Vacation is over. Round two begins- Taxol

I know it's been a minute.  I enjoyed my time off and probably did too much. It felt so good to catch up with people, work and house things. I had my first Taxol treatment on 10/28. It took almost 7 hours between blood draws, dr meetings and the infusion. It was a long day. At first I felt fine, which is normal for me.  Saturday morning I woke up with a red face-like I had a sunburn. I taught and all seemed ok. After my Neulasta (immuno-booster)  shot went off on Saturday afternoon, things started to change. Sunday, Monday and most of Tuesday, I felt the worst I have felt throughout my chemo. My body ached all over and it was as if I didn't have total control over my muscles and body. The only place I felt some relief was in a warm bath. I cried a bit and felt like I wouldn't be able to survive. I found myself not wanting to reach out to people because I felt so horribly. Afterwards, I realized that those might be the times that I really need to reach out. Tuesday was the...
Read more

Updates and Brows

Image
 8/12/2022 Met with my oncologist for the second time. Confirmed my chemo treatment, my health and received a bunch of prescriptions to help me through chemo. I am glad that they worked with me and my schedule so I could still go on vacation with my sister, Jennifer, to Las Vegas for 5 days of relaxation and fun. My treatments are scheduled to begin 8/26. My teaching job at the college starts on 8/23 so I'll meet my students before chemo starts. One of the biggest challenges during chemo is that my immune system will be low at certain times and being around germs is not good for me. My mental state is good most of the time. I have bouts of tearing up. The anger has mostly passed. People are asking me what I need, and it's challenging because I don't know. I have time to prepare physically and mentally AND I just don't know how I will feel and what I will be able to do. I've been doing yoga for over 30 years and I have been sober for over 30 years. I've done lots...
Read more