Wed, 3/25/15

Hello, My Fabulous Friends and Family!

Hope you’ve had a great week so far. I’m doing well. This last chemo (last Monday) was a little tougher than the other two--as is to be expected. Not Monday or Tuesday because the steroid (for nausea) is a total upper for me. It gives me tons of energy and I get super-pumped but I also lose brain function and am a bit loopy. Not the best combination. Poor Scott. It’s like having a sugared-up toddler in the house.

I also tend to overdo it a bit on those days and by Wednesday afternoon, I’m wiped. And Thursday and Friday are when I don’t like the smell of food. But by Saturday afternoon all that had passed—well mostly. Saturdays (the Sabbath) are ALWAYS good.

Let’s see what else. Yes, the cold sensitivity/neuropathy is increasing. (Sorry, can’t remember the medical terminology and I’m too lazy to look it up). But I seem to have to wear the jazz hands a lot more—which is getting old. The prickly fingers come and go with the cold—which is mostly what it is in MN this time of the year (and for another 6-9 months of the year—but who’s counting). For all you Shark Tank watchers/inventors out there: please invent disposable—because I’m lazy and everything is dirty--gloves with warm/fuzzy tips inside for the fingers.  Plus, for those of you who are extra-ambitious, make sure they can be used with the smart phones. Because I get tired of taking off my gloves to check my phone. Oh, the first-world problems we face!

The neuropathy is still so strange to me. I’ll be typing and all of a sudden my hand (only one hand, mind you) will decide that “it’s cold” so it’ll have a little mini-stroke (my words) and freeze up. I have to grab it with the other hand and shake it to get it to relax and rub it to warm it up. Then I have to go find a pair of jazz hand gloves to wear. I have many strewn about the house but can never seem to find a pair when I need them. I’ve resorted to digging through the winter accoutrements pile to find such beauties as the ones pictured above. Lovely!

Speaking of gloves. I learned something new this week. If your hands are cold and you want to quickly warm them up. Do NOT toss your jazz hand gloves with the Smartouch fingers into the microwave for a quick warm up. There will be flames! Big ones! And smoke.

Oh yeah, and I had a new cold sensitivity reaction this time. I tried to get a picture but it only happened twice. And the first time I hadn’t a clue what was happening. However, the second time I had an eye witness. I was running to the car with Kaitlyn and of course it was cold (did I mention we live in MN). When I got into the car I had this strange feeling. My lips began to curl inward. Seriously, I felt like my mouth was morphing into a parakeet beak. I yanked down the mirror and yelled at Kaitlyn to look. Of course, she freaked a little and then laughed because it did look hilarious. But at least I had proof that it wasn’t just in my head. Plus I got to see it in the mirror. Freaky! Can’t wait to post a picture of that. Yep, I have no dignity left in me.

What else. Hmmm. Let’s talk hair. Thankfully, I’m not supposed to lose my hair with this type of chemo. However, it is thinning A LOT. I think it’s from the anemia I had for so many months and am still fighting. I’m trying to take more iron and it helps when I do. But I still shed like a dog. In fact, I’m not sure who’s shedding more. Me or our yellow lab, Sammie. Really, it’s everywhere. If it keeps thinning, I may have to do a really good comb-over.

And that’s what’s happening. Not too exciting. This if my off-week, so like I said, I’m doing better. It did take a little longer to recover but I’m guessing the road trip (14 hours each way) I took this past weekend has a lot to do with it. Life’s too short to just lie around feeling sickly so, why not take a road trip? I can answer that: because 14 hours is waaaaay too long. However, it was worth it to see tons of friends who I haven’t seen for such a long time! In fact, it was fabulous! The pictures above are from the trip. There's one of us in the car, one at the Teen Prom and another of me eating a piece of fried chicken while driving. (I had this intense craving for fried chicken--mostly just for the outside fried part. Found it at a gas station. I know...sounds disgusting. But it was delicious!)

Anyway, I’m trying to rest more this week but there’s so much to do. Reinforcement arrives this Thursday in the form of my Mother. Yay! We can’t wait. We need her. Hope she likes to clean. See you soon, Mom!