I had my second chemo treatment of Taxol on Thursday, and it went very much like the first one. First I get a good dose of Decadron, Zantac, Phenergan and Benadryl, and when those bags are empty, I'm a little woozy and they start the Taxol which is a 2.5 hour infusion. Most people would sleep, but I am pretty much awake, watching other people, taking it all in, and this time I had my new friend, Gretta, to visit with.
I was so excited when I walked in the clinic Thursday, and Gretta was sitting there with her husband and one of her daughters. She still has her hair and I recognized her right away, and when I spoke to her, she said, "I thought that was you!" (I had on one of my beanies with a breast cancer survivor cap over it, and I hardly recognized myself.) Having her family on either side of her bolstered Gretta's confidence, I'm sure, and she looked like she could tackle just about anything. How wonderful. She shared with me that she had gotten a portacath two days before, and I shared some of my numbing cream with her so she wouldn't be caught off guard by the sting of the needle. I don't think the cream was on long enough because I could tell the needle hurt when it went into her port, but that was the worst of it.
We visited off and on during the course of her treatment, and she was finished before I was, but it was so nice to swap stories about the past few weeks and how the chemo had affected us. I count Gretta as a special blessing from God--my new chemo friend.
The time since Thursday's treatment has been pretty much like it was after my first treatment. I have been very thirsty, and I can't tell you how many full glasses of ice water I have had in my Tervis Tumbler. Barry has been keeping me well-stocked with crunchy ice from the local Citgo station near our house. Crunchy ice is the best! And I've wanted regular Cokes lately. What's up with that? I haven't had or really wanted a regular Coca-Cola since maybe high school, and tea has been my drink of choice for years. I still like tea, but a Sonic Coke has been my friend of late.
I worked on Friday, and by mid-afternoon, I was pretty well spent and ready for dinner, bath and bed. When I got home yesterday evening, a wonderful gift basket of Aromatique bath and relaxation goodies had been delivered by a local gift shop from Liz and Arthur Rust. Perfect gift! And Kay Williams brought over a wonderful-looking lasagna that I can't wait to try tonight.
Even though I am feeling good, it is such a blessing to have something ready to stick in the oven so I can just rest when I come in in the evenings. I've cooked quite a bit over the past few weeks, but right after my chemo treatments, this thing I love doing is more of an effort that wears me out. So thank you for this extra help from so many of my friends.
For the benefit of my mother and my mother-in-law, I am not experiencing any nausea. If I keep my stomach from emptying out and if I stay well-hydrated, I feel good. Yesterday I had a sort of "breathless" feeling that I had last time, but deep breaths made it better and better as the day progressed. I have the same achiness that I had last time, and today it's in my low back and hips working it's way to my legs where it drives me crazy when I lay down at night. I'm taking ibuprofen during the day and plan on taking my Phenergan at night to help me sleep. I have a little bit of a headache, and that can be a side effect of the meds or it can be just sinus issues with the weather. But overall, I'm doing well with no serious complaints.
I don't know why I've been so fortunate as to not suffer from more side effects, but I was a very healthy person prior to all of this. I've often said I've felt worse since they started treating me than I did when I had cancer and didn't know it! That's the scary part about cancer that it can be so insidious.
Well, I need to get up from here and do something. I want the house to be in good shape for Thanksgiving, and my sweet baby girl, Kelsey, comes home from Ouachita on Tuesday evening. She's a busy girl and she's been playing in the pit for Don Giovanni this weekend, as well as trying to keep up with her other activities and coursework. Traci is home this week for ASU's fall break, and I know she's looking forward to it.
I love having my family near me, and it's so true what Bing Crosby sings in Holiday Inn, "I have plenty to be thankful for".
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