Chemo Round #2

Oh chemo days. These are just the worst. I had so much anticipation. I'm nervous, worried, anxious, stressed and just waiting for the bad to come. Last time it just hit me so quickly and I was just waiting for the hour after chemo to smack me in the face and be down for a few days. I am just so uneasy and its not a comforting feeling. After prayers and tears and putting on the sweetest shirt I got from my Gilmore Girls in Atlanta, I felt much better. Still not completely calm, but I was doing much better. And I had to document the shirts, and they were so generous to get us both a long and short sleeve shirt. It's just perfect. It says "No one fights alone" and then the breast cancer loop has oldies songs on it that are just so sweet and perfect. Love me some oldies!

I was to come in at 10:30 for labs, then the dr, then chemo at 11:30. The labs were the part I was worried about to get everything started. My port is just along my shirt line, so Chayse holds that down while the nurse accesses it and then pulls the blood out from the tube, then puts it into the vials for testing. Puke city for me, but so intriguing for Chayse. That was complete, now it was time to show the PA my leaky hole. I did call yesterday to the dr on call, which ended up being the PA I saw today because all the drs seemed to have taken a few weeks off around Christmas.

He was great. Looked at it and explained everything with my tumor. Because it has been pressing against the skin, and the chemo drugs they are giving me, it has caused necrosis of the skin and that skin just died and is ready to be gone. That fell off and led to a leak from my tumor. He explained it as falling off a bike, getting a nice scab, and then pulling it off too soon. There is some yellowish green leaking, and that's just a natural body happening. The leak is great, it means the body is getting rid of the tumor and not to worry. He recommended to see the wound clinic to teach me (HA! Okay, Chayse) how to take care of and re-bandage the wound. So I will be anticipating their call these next 48 hours. A nurse then came in and used some saline to clean it off and put on a real bandage instead of my cotton pads I had been using.

Then, chemo. Boo. More metallic flavors coming my way. I guess that's another typical side effect. Things just don't taste very normal and I can tell something is off. But soon after I got started, Karen and Carly came in to pass the time away! This was helpful as Chayse wanted to get into the office and do a few things before taking me home. It was fun chatting about Christmas and how things were going for them and not to focus on me all the time. Not always fun to be the center of attention. We had some fun laughs and just had a great time together. The time passes so quickly when I am distracted.

Chayse came back as Karen and Carly were leaving and we had firehouse subs as things were finishing up (because he left his wallet with me, forgot his pad at the office which his brother had grabbed on his way out. Retrieved the pad. Found money in his desk, and an hour or more later, he was back with some food!) It was nice to slowly eat and then get ready to go home. After the first time leaving without food makes me nervous. And you had to go down to the cafeteria for their full menu instead of the small one they give you in the chemo room. Maybe next time. When we are more prepared.

But as Chayse was at the office there were 4 giant coloring books from Kris and Bryce for the kids. It was fun to see the girls coloring as soon as they saw their new gifts! Then once Zane came back he was just as excited. Pippa loves using the markers to color on everything she's not supposed to but she has enjoyed the gift as well. We have just been so blessed by secret santas, monetary gifts from many friends, thoughtful neighbors, cards from friends in the mail, I really wish I could keep up with all the acts of kindness we have received this Christmas season. It has been a very humbling experience and one I am excited to give back to others in the near future after having gone through this experience. I would never have thought we would be here, but we are and just the simplest prayers and text messages have meant the world to me on this crazy adventure.

So after coming home, my nurse said to not worry about taking my anti nausea (#1) meds until bed as that wasn't an issue last time. We got back about 3, so I was able to play with the kids for a bit and read books, play games. Then it hit me at 6. I was just done. I had to hurry and take my #2(Anti puke) and then laid down for the rest of the evening. My knees hurt and I just had to keep moving my legs and bending them on the couch. Boo. It was just so achey and I was done but didn't want to go to bed too early to avoid waking up multiple times at night. Then 10 hit, and I found my covers nice and quickly. The aches were beginning, but it would be okay. (Piano Guys, "It's Gonna be Okay". I'll figure out how to link it. It's been a go-to song as I heard it the Saturday before being diagnosed)