Mon, 5/11/15 Chemo #7
Hello, Fabulous Friends and Family!
Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend. Ours was fabulous! Thankful to be alive!
Chemo #6 (4/27/15) was my hardest yet. 2 ½ days of blech! There’s no other word to really describe it. It’s just blech! But…by Saturday morning the worst had passed and I felt much better. Fatigue and nausea have increased and last longer. But when I rest, it’s much better. I think I just need to take more naps. (I should be napping now. Whoops!) So hard to do! I only get 1 week to do 2 weeks of things I want to do so I most certainly don’t want to nap. But my body now makes me do it. I’m super crabby when I don’t (my poor family); so I will try harder to do so.
Doing Chemo #7 as I write this. This is the first of the second half. Hope it goes as fast as the first half. I’m dreading Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but I know how well the chemo is working for me so I’ll just look forward to Saturday—truly a day of rest.
Let’s see…what else. I could describe all the side effects but that would be totally TMI, so I’ll just tell a few:
Still wearing jazz hands. It’s especially fun to see the look on people face when it’s near 80 outside and I’m in the store with leather gloves on. Maybe I need to Bedazzle them. Me and Michael Jackson! If everyone starts doing it, you’ll know who started it.
Still shedding. Burned out two vacuum cleaners because of the hair. (Really! Two! Guess I need to rake the carpet prior to vacuuming.) I’m slowly morphing into a naked mole rat. Great for wearing swimsuits and shorts…bad for hair do’s…and the whole rat thing isn’t too pretty either. However, they (the mysterious “they”) say that Naked Mole Rats have a natural resistant to tumors and cancer. So bring it on!!! (Seriously. Search “naked mole rat cancer” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.)
Chemo brain. Thought it was just a myth. It’s not. I’m getting stupider by the day! Not that anyone notices. They just think I’m back to normal. So maybe I just imagined the whole naked mole rat thing. Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.
The rest of the effects are, shall we say, nasty, annoying and gross. I would love to describe each one of them to you in great detail but Scott said that would be a bad idea. Maybe another time…
Hmmm. What else? Oh yeah. I’ve allowed Nutella back into my house. Actually, I’m the one who brought it in. I blame chemo brain. Nutella is another word for “so you want to gain 10 lbs in one week” Really, it’s tricky stuff. Don’t bother spreading it on anything. Why add the extra calories? Just get out A LOT of spoons. (A new spoon for each scoop. NO DOUBLE DIPPING!) And Costco sells a pack of two 26.5 ounce jars for $11.99. Gaining weight is so reasonably priced! I’m hoping I associate it with chemo and learn to hate it. Doubtful.
Anyway, almost done with Chemo #7 and the start of my second half of treatment. I’ll post the tumor marker results when I get them.
As always, THANK YOU for your prayers and gifts and cards and loving encouragement. You’re the best support group EVER!!! Now…go reward yourself with a big scoop of Nutella!
Comments (8)
You gave me a great idea here, Sarah. You know how rock climbers have that sort of fanny pack with a pouch full of chalk or whatever that substance is to keep their hands from getting slippery? Get one of those, and fill it with Nutella. One could then easily satisfy any Nutella craving while in any room in the house, at the office, PTA meeting, or what have you. And I'm thinking even the rock climbers would be better off using Nutella than chalk. It's gotta make your hands sticky, I would think? If I run with this, and it becomes hugely successful, I'll give a nod to you in the forward section of my success novel, probably to be titled, "A really implausible outcome of a really unpractical idea, all thanks to Sarah." It's a bit wordy, yes. Love the decreasing numbers (from the other post)!
Yeeeeeeeeh Sarah, We are glad that your markers continue to go down ! So sorry about the "other" side effects. Our family has NOT forgotten you, Scott, or your girls. Give a big "shout out" to each of them. We continue to pray for your comfort, and complete healing. Stay Strong ! We are all pulling for you. Nate Berg, Cherine, and 3 boys
I'm not nearly as witty as you or Mike, but I'm truly happy that your numbers are continuing to go down! I'm so sorry that the chemo side effects seem to be lasting longer but at least you know that it's working. You are in my prayers daily and God is holding your hand with every step. We all love you dearly!
Nutella huh? Never had it but now I'm craving it. Thanks Fot that! Praying your wish is granted that the second half of treatment goes as fast as the first one did.
Yay Nutella!!! And I love naked mole rats for their resiliency! Whatever your body's metamorphosis, you remain the same beautiful, spunky, humorous, brilliant and resilient you. You have a bright, buoyant spirit that bolsters others around you (I'm ever inspired by you) and you radiate sunshine from a place that may otherwise be dark and difficult. I hope you bedazzle your jazz hand gloves and start a wild new trend that would surpass MJ's. ☺️ You are never far in my mind, sending warm thoughts and earnest prayers for your continued encouragement and progress. ❤️
Sarah, I'm sorry that you've had a pretty rough patch here. But I'm glad that you can enjoy something so delicious as Nutella. The first time I had Nutella was when our family went to Italy for the Feast. Marvelous! Your usual humor comes through loud and clear in this your journey. And if you get crabby once in awhile, hey, that's okay, too!! I can't imagine you becoming a "naked mole rat" but if that's the case, you will be the most beautiful, humorous mole rat that I've ever seen I'm sure! Hang in there Sarah!! We are still praying for you for a full recovery and for your family. Love and hugs....
Nutella spectacular! Well.... in the interest of building on the fanny pouch concept, that Mike proposed. Might I add the Nutella glove design that allows you to contain the mess and serve as a scooping device. After all, you do need to vacuum as you say. Of Coarse this glove would not have to be as fancy as your super star MJ version. Very utilitarian and of coarse you just throw it away when you decide its necessary. Perhaps you have a select number of gloves to control the amount of weight gain desired? Sarah we can market this concept to others who may also benefit from our research? Who knew that such challenges could develop such synergy, and love? But indeed it has!
Hey Sarah, glad to hear the good results of the chemo even if the chemo is not fun at all! I met a great lady named Esther at the GCE who wears a variety of hats. They can be as expressive of your mood that day as jazz hands. :) Love you, Nancy C.