Round 2 of the Healing Juice

I learned a few lessons from the 1st round two weeks ago, so I started my morning with a nice hot shower. I am beginning the week with freshly washed hair! I will not flood the kitchen this week. I am sure all of the pets will appreciate not getting a shower too, especially the poor bird. I am not wearing fun socks, which I find just a tad sad. I am trying out compression socks in hopes of lessening the neuropathy in my feet. If this method works, then I may need to find some fun compression socks. I like my fun socks! I bought some Friday, but the chemo brain has already kicked in and I can't remember what is on them. I don't even know where I put them after grocery shopping. 

So far this morning I have had my bloodwork done, premeds are finished, and chemo drugs are on their way to me. I ordered my lunch and even doodled on the menu. I also met with my oncologist this morning. We discussed my migraine. My CT was clear; although, I am slightly offended with the comment from the report, "brain looks normal for the patient's age." Is that a way of saying I am old? Is my brain getting extra wrinkles like my face? My oncologist suggested an MRI if I experience more of the migraines. I am going to bury my head in the sand and not let that thought worry me. I am not afraid of MRI's, just slightly afraid of what else they may show. 

Side note: Thank you to the person who sent me the magnet with the Bible verse. Samantha saw it when I pulled it out of a box that was bigger than a shoe box. Not sure what Amazon was thinking with that one. The verse is her favorite verse. I am thinking whoever sent it must read my inner thoughts and fears that I have so stupidly put on display here. The verse is Isaiah 41:10 "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand." This verse is one of the ones written on the inside of my boys closet door. When the kids were younger, we would do our family devotions in that room and memorize scriptures that I felt were important to them. I would write the verses on the door, so they could reference them anytime they needed reassurance. 

Back to my ramblings: The doctor gave me a low dose of something to help me sleep. I really hope that it works. I did forget to discuss getting fluids at disconnect..oops. I need to make sure I keep her updated on the neuropathy. It it lingers and interferes  with my daily life, we will back down on the oxaliplatin. We don't want it to become permanent. We also discussed the spot in my mouth that was pointed out by my dentist as something to "watch." Since it is easy to see, we are going to watch it for growth or changes before adding anything else medical wise. I am praying in faith and believing (for real this time) that it is nothing and will disappear. Please pray for that with me. I do get regular dental cleanings and checkups, so whatever the spot is was not there 6 months ago. 

I just finished my first of many pee trips. I enjoyed washing with soap and water, because it will be the last time for a while. I will be back to using warm hand sanitizer. It was a nice few days of not having to wear gloves to touch coldish things. 

I am sporting my fancy bracelet. I know you are all jealous and would love to have one too.

The chemo drugs are now flowing. 

I have wondered throughout this process if all of the nurses went to Chick-fil-a for training. Anytime I say thank you, their response is always, "My pleasure." Of course the ER nurse from last week must have missed that training...or she was possibly having a bad day. Maybe she worked at McDonalds instead of Chick-fil-a. That may be my random thought for the day...

I probably over planned my day. After I am done here at the infusion center, Marc and I are going to one of the wedding venues to check it out and talk/negotiate pricing. Pray we can talk them down a WHOLE lot! Then Hannah's Tuesday softball game was rescheduled to today, so I am going to attempt to go watch. She will probably have to drive herself there, because there are not enough hours for me to make it all happen. I will try though. However, it is completely possible that I will walk in the door at home and fall into bed...

Well, the oxaliplatin is currently on pause. I was getting a headache and my blood pressure has gone up. Not sure what any of it means...

My headache went away during the pause and my blood pressure came down some. The drip for both the steroid and the oxaliplatin has been slowed. My headache is creeping back in and my blood pressure, which is being taken every 5 minutes has been going back up. My latest reading was 150/90. It was 128/79 when I walked in this morning. Please pray that this doesn't become an issue. I don't know if I can handle anymore headaches after the one I had last week! I don't want to have to back down on the dose of my healing juice. I want to do everything possible to kick cancer out of my body! 

I am halfway done!

Oh...the cold sensitivity is back...GRRR. I had been enjoying my lunch and my tea. I took a short break and it hit me during that time, I guess. Well, my tea has ice in it. I took a drink and it felt like needles in my throat! My feet are kind of cold too. I could put fuzzy socks on top of my compression socks, but I am secretly hoping my cold feet will lessen their sensitivity. I know, it probably doesn't work that way, but at this point, I am willing to try almost anything. Oh yeah...the socks I bought Friday are Cheeto socks! I still don't know where I put them. First bite syndrome is also back. I ate my chicken, rice, and broccoli with no problems. Thirty minutes later, I ate a tomato out of my salad. It almost made me hate tomatoes. Needless to say, I only managed a few bites of the salad. Not necessarily because of the tomato, I ate all of the tomatoes and cucumbers. The salad looks like a bagged salad. I don't consider myself a salad snob, and I like bagged salads for the ease of just opening the bag and dumping, but it is all iceberg lettuce. Nothing against iceberg...I has its place in the diet, but I like lots of darker more nutrient dense greens in my salad. Iceberg is like eating crunchy water. Today I opted to have pudding for dessert. I will save that for when I get that quick ravenous feeling thanks to the steroids. I remember that feeling from last time. It made "hangry" seem like nothing. That feeling was got with only 2 bites of a snack. I didn't bring that snack this week, because that is what hit me with first bite...I will stick to something soft. 

Well, my initial drips are almost done...a little later than anticipated thanks to the stop and then slowing it down. I want them to hurry up, so I can go to the bathroom. Aren't you glad I didn't go on and on about that this time? Now that I know it is expected, I will just roll with it. For real...literally rolling my IV pole down the hall with me. Sorry...that was a bad dad joke. Chemo brain? 

The nurse brought in printed monthly calendars of all of my appointments. It is thick! I feel old, like there is no way I should have this many doctor appointments. The calendar goes all the way to July. I guess this is the universe's way of making up for lost time. I avoided doctors for so many years, partially because I remained mostly healthy (broken bones and sprained ankles not included) and partly because - who can actually afford to go to the doctor. We have always had health insurance, but can't afford to actually use it most of the time. 

Well, I just tried my tea again. I sipped it slowly and had the strangest feeling. I really don't even know how to describe the feeling. I had to look into my cup to see if I had thrown my napkin into it or if there was hair in my cup. It felt like something fuzzy on my lips. Didn't feel too good going down either, but I had to try it again just to see if I could identify the feeling. For a moment I felt like one of my kids. If you were to tell them not to touch something hot, they would do it anyway just to see if it was hot. That is essentially what I did.

The oxipalitian is finally finished. Now onto the next drug. I think that one will only take 15 minutes. Then I get hooked up to the pump and get out of here!!!

This particular drug is so special that it gets to hide under a bag.

Phew, I got out of there about an hour later than expected thanks to the pause and slowdown. I left and booked it towards home to pick up Marc for the wedding venue tour in Cleveland. I was able to get a price breakdown based on various things needed and not needed. Without catering (we still will figure this one out later), we got it to a price that may work. I would just add the onsite house for the night before the wedding at a later date. If she goes with this place, we will have all the girls stay at the house, which sleeps 19. We have a tour again tomorrow after work and there is still one place I would like her to check out, but it is outdoor. 

We left the venue at a decent time and I booked it back over to Oak Ridge for Hannah's game. I only missed the 1st inning and that was because I couldn't find one of my "carry with me all the time meds." I searched my purse while at the venue, the car...kinda while driving, and the house after I dropped Marc off. I gave up and went to the game. I dumped my purse in the seat next to me and there was the bottle. The game was one of the worst I have been to in while. I did get to see Hannah catch a ball for an out. It just took 30 minutes to get the other 2. Her hit was dinky, but she made it to base. At least I got to see her do something. I also got to catch up with some parents. I have been MIA for some of the last fall games, practices, and the first game, which may have been a scrimmage. I don't remember. 

The bad...By the time I got to the game, I could not feel my fingers. I had to have the cashier unzip my wallet to pay for admission. My fingers were cramping horribly too. However, I experienced something new. My lips were having muscle spasms. Not twitching, which my right eye did a few times, but full on muscle spasms. It was super weird. I accidentally clapped for Hannah...won't do that again. It hurt. Then there is the cold sensitivity. At one point the cold sensitivity really kicked in, so I put on the gloves. We did not stay for the whole varsity game, just long enough to wait out some traffic--15 minute drive vs. 45 minutes. I got up to go to the bathroom between JV and Varsity. Well...cold! I have spent many years of my life watching various types of ball games: football, cheer, basketball, softball, soccer, and baseball. Many times I have remarked that it would be awesome if I could literally freeze my butt off. Unfortunately,  that does not happen. I realized that the cold sensitivity hit my booty. I felt like there were literal pins and needles on my backside. It still has not gone away. I have made a mental note to bring a blanket to sit on instead of the cold hard bleachers. For the record, I had on thick sweatpants!

I did not move to try to get a good photo tonight. Hannah was left on base, so here she is walking back to the dugout after the 3rd out. Yes, I know she should be running. This is why I could never coach. I would have made her run for not running. It's ok though...Hannah does Hannah!

Thankfully, I am home and in my pjs. I was told to monitor my blood pressure. I guess I am going to need to figure out when is the time to call in. My first reading was 150/100. I am not concerned about 150, but 100 is concerning...well, they both are, but 100 concerns me more. I am grateful that it has come down since settling down. This could and is most likely contributing to my headaches. I have also taken a little something to help me sleep. Hopefully it is strong enough to counteract the steroids flowing through my body. I am also not hungry, but am making myself eat some peanut butter pretzels. I also have an ensure next to my bed...just in case I need something more. Oh, there have also been two other side effects that has me scratching my head. Well, not really scratching my head. The top of my head is tender. It is definitely an odd feeling.  The other symptom is also strange. I think I had it last time, but attributed it to recent port placement. Sorry if there are any guys reading...please skip the next two sentences. My right boob kind of hurts. It feels sore, but only on one side. It is below the port, not red, hot, or swollen...is this another effect that I need to pass along? Probably. Oh the joys!

Prayers requested for the side effects to reduce--specifically for my blood pressure and headaches. Continued problems with blood pressure and headache could affect future treatments. I also need to keep drinking water to stay hydrated despite not feeling hungry or thirsty. The neuropathy and cold sensitivity is still an issue. It did wear off almost a week ago, so I am hopeful that will happen again.