Yesterday was my third chemo infusion. It was a little unfriendly to me, as I had a brief reaction to the Taxol, and we had to stop it for a few minutes before doing a slow ramp back up. My face had suddenly gotten very hot, and Chemo Buddy Lisa said it looked bright red. My chest felt like something was sitting on it, and I felt a little panicky. Nurse S. quickly came over to stop the infusion and sit with me as it subsided. Eh. Life of chemo.
I also had them add a flu shot for me. This, plus not getting enough to eat before going to chemo, was not the smartest of choices, I fully admit (I had a cereal bar and some trail mix... 😳 ).
Yes, I know better than that, and no, I will not do it again. After chemo, Lisa and I got some lunch at District Dumpling, which is delicious, but I made another mistake by getting the fried version. Your food matters, let me tell you. Lisa then drove me home, and as the night wore on I felt increasingly uncomfortable and dehydrated. My stomach ached, my hips(?) ached, to the point of not being able to concentrate on the show I was watching (Orphan Black, now that I have finished The Americans Season 5). Finally I gave in and got physically ill, which finally turned the whole unpleasant ordeal around after about two hours of the unpleasantness. I took some anti-nausea meds, drank some water, and crashed before 8:00 pm.
So apparently cancer is not all bikes and hikes, dear reader. That's okay.
In fact, I had been having semi-crazy thoughts such as, "This is going so well. Is it even working?!" A former colleague of mine who has been through it before said, "You are allowed to look and feel great. Just keep kicking ass!" And that really helped, you know? I had not thought I was actually feeling guilty about feeling so good, but there's a trace of that, sure. So now that I had a moment, does that mean I'm a "real" cancer patient? (Rhetorical questions, no need to respond.)
Today is much, much better. Aches and nausea are totally gone. I will take Toby the dog for a walk and check my energy for a run or something later. John and my BIL, D., are biking the first day of the MS150 in Pennsylvania today. I woke up early (that happens when you are asleep by 8:00pm) so I got to see them head out, and John made me a bowl of oatmeal ("Perfect consistency," he said as he proudly showed me the oats on a spoon... he has high oat cooking standards. It shouldn't surprise you, if you know him). Sorry that I do not have a pic of that. I do, however, have a lovely photo of Chemo Buddy Lisa and me from yesterday's infusion (where she lovingly and mercilessly laughed at me as the Benadryl set in).
Chemo Buddy Feature: Lisa!
Lisa and I met while working at the NEA, so that means we have nine years of friendship under our belt. When I told Lisa that I have cancer, she immediately said, "WE are going to get through this." Meaning she will be right there with me. Which is an incredible thing to hear.
The next time I saw her, about a week or so later for dinner, she came armed with a giant gift bag filled to the brim with a comfy and stylish tunic (Lisa is known for her chic style), socks, an entire Sephora store's worth of hydrating facial masks, and a great book called Pretty Sick: The Beauty Guide for Women with Cancer by Caitlin M. Kiernan. I love beauty products (I am a proud Sephora Rouge member) and this book was very informative about what to consider purchasing and she offers up several suggestions at different price points, and also has a lot of great advice from some of her famous friends who have had cancer. (TL;DR The name of the game is to moisturize). If you know someone else who has cancer, this could be a great gift, and you can order it here.
Lisa is an incredible woman and I am lucky to count her as one of my BFFs.
I also had them add a flu shot for me. This, plus not getting enough to eat before going to chemo, was not the smartest of choices, I fully admit (I had a cereal bar and some trail mix... 😳 ).
Yes, I know better than that, and no, I will not do it again. After chemo, Lisa and I got some lunch at District Dumpling, which is delicious, but I made another mistake by getting the fried version. Your food matters, let me tell you. Lisa then drove me home, and as the night wore on I felt increasingly uncomfortable and dehydrated. My stomach ached, my hips(?) ached, to the point of not being able to concentrate on the show I was watching (Orphan Black, now that I have finished The Americans Season 5). Finally I gave in and got physically ill, which finally turned the whole unpleasant ordeal around after about two hours of the unpleasantness. I took some anti-nausea meds, drank some water, and crashed before 8:00 pm.
So apparently cancer is not all bikes and hikes, dear reader. That's okay.
In fact, I had been having semi-crazy thoughts such as, "This is going so well. Is it even working?!" A former colleague of mine who has been through it before said, "You are allowed to look and feel great. Just keep kicking ass!" And that really helped, you know? I had not thought I was actually feeling guilty about feeling so good, but there's a trace of that, sure. So now that I had a moment, does that mean I'm a "real" cancer patient? (Rhetorical questions, no need to respond.)
Today is much, much better. Aches and nausea are totally gone. I will take Toby the dog for a walk and check my energy for a run or something later. John and my BIL, D., are biking the first day of the MS150 in Pennsylvania today. I woke up early (that happens when you are asleep by 8:00pm) so I got to see them head out, and John made me a bowl of oatmeal ("Perfect consistency," he said as he proudly showed me the oats on a spoon... he has high oat cooking standards. It shouldn't surprise you, if you know him). Sorry that I do not have a pic of that. I do, however, have a lovely photo of Chemo Buddy Lisa and me from yesterday's infusion (where she lovingly and mercilessly laughed at me as the Benadryl set in).
Chemo Buddy Feature: Lisa!
Lisa and I met while working at the NEA, so that means we have nine years of friendship under our belt. When I told Lisa that I have cancer, she immediately said, "WE are going to get through this." Meaning she will be right there with me. Which is an incredible thing to hear.
The next time I saw her, about a week or so later for dinner, she came armed with a giant gift bag filled to the brim with a comfy and stylish tunic (Lisa is known for her chic style), socks, an entire Sephora store's worth of hydrating facial masks, and a great book called Pretty Sick: The Beauty Guide for Women with Cancer by Caitlin M. Kiernan. I love beauty products (I am a proud Sephora Rouge member) and this book was very informative about what to consider purchasing and she offers up several suggestions at different price points, and also has a lot of great advice from some of her famous friends who have had cancer. (TL;DR The name of the game is to moisturize). If you know someone else who has cancer, this could be a great gift, and you can order it here.
Lisa is an incredible woman and I am lucky to count her as one of my BFFs.
Lisa and I brought our pixie-cut chic fabulousness yesterday.
Here's the book!
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