Chemo - 2 down, 2 to go: Resurfacing

Second round of chemo was this past Tuesday. Its now Sunday and I'm still feeling fuzzy, nauseous, blah.
Worse than the last time? Perhaps.
But we're certainly as well taken care of as last time!

Nina delivered dinner on Monday: brisket and kugel. We enjoyed it Tuesday and Wednesday, and I had some myself on Tuesday.

Gaby spent Tuesday at Ashton's, Wednesday with Sarah's family, slept at Claire's Wednesday, slept at Ashon's Thursday, was back with Claire's family Friday and Saturday afternoons. Nick, more self sufficient, was back and forth with friends.

Liz delivered a yummy taco dinner on Thursday which also served us for two dinners.

I must stress that even though I don't feel like eating much, I'm thankful that my family is well fed. I don't feel much like cooking either, and if left to their own devices, my children would be eating too many hot pockets and bowls of ramen.

The chemo itself was routine. No surprises, same as last time. Getting an on time start meant that I was actually home around 1:00 on Tuesday. I did take it easy, but more because I was tired from having gotten only 1 hour of sleep the night before. Next time, I'll take something to aid with sleep, as the steroids I'm required to take keep me awake.

I posed with Gaby's sign when I returned home from round 2. She had modified the sign last week, with a portrait she had done, using my REAL HAIR. Pretty cool, isn't it?! And this is my new look. I wore Trac's scarf and Liz's earrings for my second round of chemo. Quite fashionable, don't you think?!

The EMEND that I was prescribed for nausea didn't seem to be that much more effective than what I was given last time. But perhaps the nausea was actually worse this time and would have been unbearable without it. Don't know. This is supposed to be the heavy duty stuff, the big guns. Last time, I felt nauseous for several days following chemo and there wasn't much in the way of food, that I found appealing. I stuck to several foods that I recalled eating during my pregnancy, especially with Gaby. A week after the chemo my appetite started to return, though some foods continued to hold little appeal.

I guess I was expecting it not to be as bad this time, so I'm disappointed. But as I said, who's to say that it wouldn't have been even worse without the Emend. Two theories that were explained to me about chemo: one, that your body gets used to it and each treatment isn't as rough as the previous. I like that one and was hoping for that scenario. But,  perhaps the second theory applies to me: the effects from the chemo are cumulative. It's in my system and with each subsequent treatment I'll feel worse. If that's the case, I'm glad I'm only facing two more treatments!

I was determined to get through this one 'faster' than the last. I've read and been told to drink a lot in the first few days after chemo, to flush out the bad stuff. I stocked up on just plain bottled water for round two. The first time, I tried iced tea, which I love, and from there went to water with just lime or lemon. Ginger ale wasn't bad, but I couldn't drink an entire glass unless I was eating. But I was sure that plain, cold, bottled water would go down well and be just the trick to flush away the bad.

What I've discovered is that even plain cold bottled water has a funny taste after chemo. I tried, but I don't think I drank more than 4  1/2 l bottles on Wednesday, and not sure if I even got to 4 on Thursday. So that could be part of the reason why I felt crappy for several days after.

I took the Emend on Wednesday and Thursday as directed, and supplemented with another anti-nausea medicine that I had taken the last time. Again, I just have to believe that I would feel even worse if I didn't have these.

Also had to take the steroids the day after, which meant also taking Pepcid, since the steroids give me heartburn. Oh, and since the steroids can also keep me awake, it's OK to take something to sleep that first day/night after. It's kind of comical, the meds, and the side effects and the meds for the side effects. I just have to keep telling myself two more times. Radiation will probably be a walk in the park after this!

Gave myself my neulasta shot on Wednesday.  All by myself. I took some photos with the timer, but I don't see the point of sharing my fat belly roll with me plunging a needle into it! It's actually a bit out of focus, and certainly not terribly flattering. I can share some of my bald shots if I really want to freak people out!

As always, calls, emails, IM's, cards keep me going. Words of encouragement and offers of help continue to come our way and I'm so thankful. A. Judy, Maureen and Cathy added cards to the collection on the mantle and there's no longer room for all of them any more.

(If you look closely you can catch a glimpse of my pale bald dome!)

Yesterday, I was reading the Parade magazine that comes with the weekend paper, and there was an exerpt from a book by Susan G. Komen's sister Nancy Brinker Promise Me   It moved me to tears, not surprising, given my situtation. But it made me think about how fortunate I am to be fighting this fight at this time. What Susan Komen had to endure seems unbearable. She and her sister were and are, the true face of courage. This book comes out September 14th, my last scheduled chemo. I'll have to get myself a copy.