Chemo Day 13

It was a busy, but productive work week ~ Spring Break for the kids and teachers… 10-hr work days for us…

which means we get Friday’s off.. yay!

Can’t believe a year ago we thought that our extra 'week off' before Spring Break meant we got a 1-week extension…

3 weeks working from home… not 1 year!

So happy that more kids will soon be returning to campus, I know it looks different but it’s moving forward nonetheless.

Health wise was pretty good… back about 8 treatments ago I noticed my taste buds weren’t tasting things as they normally do… I can still taste, but it’s different… and it’s a common side effect for Taxol. It can last a few weeks after treatments, but it should get better with time.

~ Oh, and a new issue decided to make an appearance this week… another one on the expected list, so it’s not alarming, but thank you UTI for making a brief appearance and thank you to my doctor for the quick prescription to say adios UTI!! Made a quick recovery and moving on!!

~ Oh, and fyi, I’m still experiencing tiredness, expected more and more as this also builds up every week… and on weekends I’m able to squeeze in a little (or not so little… 2-3 hr) afternoon nap on the couch! (explains the cover photo, lol)

~ Oh, and now that my fingernails have grown out some, I can see the damage done to them by the initial chemo, AC. Hoping my new OPI Nail Envy nail strengthener that was recommended helps… if not at least I know my cute 'Color Street' (thanks AP) or polish will cover them up!

~ Oh, and something pretty amazing is happening on my head… yep, I see some new hair growth. It’s not much, and know that I’m only able to see it with my 10x magnifying mirror (rofl)... I'm so serious right now... it's not visible to the naked eye, but I promise you I see it!!! And it’s looking more blonde than brunette (or dare I say the blonde may be a little grayish?) so possibly I’ll be more dalmation-ish. Whatever the case, it’ll be a while before I have my locks back!

~ As I said above… it’s moving forward nonetheless.

A casual phone call with friends, and just the slight mention of falafels turned into this family delivering an amazing full-on dinner and dessert, within minutes of our conversation! Thank you Q family… I love you and miss you… the girls are amazing at what they do for our church and community. H & E, the dinner was so delicious and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and kindness.

Oh, and my new shirts… the saying is so true… and I can’t wait to continue my game! Thank you G & G! I love them and I love you both so much!! And here's some recent pics of the sweetest ever... the 4 little ones that call me Yiayia, the same 4 that made you 'greats'!

And I got these really really good smelling and tasting treats from the best deli in all of Santa Monica… thank you M for these… you know you’ve got me hooked on this amazing Torrone!

In fact I broke into it even before I could take this pic… explains why the pkg underneath looks smaller… it is!!!

lol

Can’t wait for our return visit!

Since plain ole water is not my favorite beverage, I do what I can to down 2 liters a day (which btw does not include coffee or alcohol). So after my labwork last Friday, (and since it was my day off, I had extra time), I decided to drive thru Starbucks and try this… a Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade! I know it has some caffeine, but not a lot... I checked it out first! It was delicious and a nice change from raspberry lemonade water, fruit water, and Gatorade zero!

Today’s appointment…

It basically went like last week… took a little longer today due to a busy day and them being short-staffed, but it didn’t much matter to me because I pretty much slept most of it (much needed after my 4 hr sleep last night). Every other week I meet with my Oncologist as well, and this was that week. She reviews my labs with me, listens to my lungs, checks a few other things, we go over stuff and she answers all my questions. I’m still anemic, and she’s watching my liver levels go up… but I’m still within the range to continue treatments. As we all know now, every week this stuff builds upon the previous, so all we can do is keep on keeping on, and if at some point they get to a level that is concerning, it’s addressed at that time on how to proceed. But as I said above… it’s moving forward nonetheless.

Again, the texts, phone calls, messages, cards and treats remind me of how blessed I am to have such an amazing support team… sometimes your calls or texts may catch me during a rough period, and I apologize for not responding promptly. Then sometimes your calls or texts catch me at the perfect moment when I need it most, and you pull me back into 'badass, warrior, quit the pity party' mode! Yes, I still have some rough periods that I have to work through… and knowing you’re ‘there’ is huge, whether I'm able respond or not. Sundays are still the worst by far, without fail, and the later the day gets the rougher it is. So weird, because as well as my Monday treatments have gone, I still get overwhelmed and anxious the closer it gets to Mondays. Once I’m asleep I’m good, but getting there is typically the issue... it didn’t happen til 3:00 a.m. this morning... sometimes it’s just hard to not think. Please know that I appreciate you all for reaching out… you have no idea!

Today I debuted yet another new slouchy beanie from my mom’s knitting factory! Thank you mom, I Iove the purples! It goes well with my braids ~ yes, y'all that’s my real hair, that I saved waayyy back in December as it fell out in handfuls... omg that was hard. I wasn’t sure what, if anything, I’d do with it back then but I knew if I tossed it out I wouldn’t be able to do anything. Soooo it took a while to even look at the bag-o-hair, but when I was ready, I got out my hot glue gun and made this little cap of braided pigtails. It’s been mistaken for real (attached to my head) pigtails, so I guess I’m a decent wigmaker now too! Who knew!

Next appointment… April 5 ~ moving forward!

one day at a time, one step at a time, one hurdle at a time... it's all moving forward.