Miss Me?

Hello....just thought I'd give you a little update before my next chemo....right now I'm feeling pretty well - just a little tired and one or two GI annoyances. I'm gearing up for round two which will take place on Thursday, November 13th at 8am assuming my numbers are good. I have debated how much I will write on this blog because I want people to keep reading, but it is also for me to process this experience and to have those of you who wish to, walk with me on this journey. So I've decided that I will share what I can but hopefully I won't be too graphic. I am also doing other writing and I will entitle the upcoming book ...What I Didn't Say in My Blog...

All that being said, the first chemo wasn't too bad. The support meds did a great job for the first few days following the treatment. The Neulasta shot has its own set of side effects but they sort of blended in for the moment. Monday (the fourth day) I hit a brick wall. My thinking was foggy and I had to lay down in the middle of the day (!) Tuesday was a bit scary and I felt pretty weak. I went to see Dr. Kennedy for my follow-up on Wednesday and she told me that my white count was 700. No visitors or crowds for me...just the thought of me working in the ER brought images of the girl in the plastic bubble to mind. Dr. Kennedy said that younger, healthy patients seem to drop their white counts lower and faster than the older patients. I think she was lying...like "it's good luck when it rains on your wedding day"...Anyway, she said that it would continue to drop until Saturday or Sunday and that that was the crucial time for infection. She said that after that the white count would start going up again. I had to keep taking my temperature. I wasn't quite as annoying as newly diagnosed diabetics who check their blood sugars every half hour but I was probably close. My temp started out in the 97.5 range and the highest it got was 99.2 one morning at 4am. I took two tylenol and that was that. If it went to 100 - 100.5, I would have had to call the Dr. I have a whole list of delightful possibilities that would prompt a call no matter what time of day or night that they occured. I only had to call once on Saturday night. (I did have to call again on Wednesday but I'm not counting that because it was for the same issue....) My worst time of the day has been between 11am or so and 3pm.

Sunday and Monday (Nov. 2nd and 3rd) I started to feel better. Susan got me a shower chair which has been a Godsend and I am noticing that my hair is beginning to come out - not dramatically - but enough. I have a lot of hair to begin with but I suspect this next round will encourage it to "let go and be free!" The chemo attacks all the fast growing cells in the body and it is interesting to see and feel this happening. It reminds me that these drugs are doing their job... sort of like the pumpkins in the picture...before and after chemotherapy and radiation....

I was able to get out and vote - I hope you all made it to the polls. I was listening to the story of a 92 year old woman who had had a stroke and all sorts of medical problems who felt that she absolutely had to vote in this election, so she got an ambulance to bring her by stretcher to her polling place and she was able to vote. While I am in awe and applaud her determination, I wish someone had told her about proxy ballots....

Thank you to everyone on the Women's Retreat who prayed for me and signed my card. And thank you to those of you who told me that you missed the blog...I'm never gone for too long...