Hello all! I have officially completed 3 of 12 chemotherapy treatments! Yay! The third one, however, did not go as smoothly as the first two. I think my body is beginning to catch on to the plans. As soon as I walked into the treatment center and smelled that now-familiar smell of the treatment room, my stomach rolled. Actually, my stomach is beginning to act up, just thinking about it. There's the beauty of psychology, folks...
There was good news during my treatment. For one thing, my doctor was very surprised that I still had my hair (not all of it, admittedly, but enough). Secondly, I had another chest x-ray while I was there, and the chemo is definitely doing it's job! The nodes that were so visible in my chest at the beginning of this whole ordeal had decreased significantly in size! Praise God for that!
Anyways, I had to take more nausea medicine than usual, but that wasn't too big of a deal. I actually felt pretty good when I left Cancer Care, and my mom and I went out to eat. After our late lunch, we arrived at the hotel around 3-ish. All was going pretty well until I rode up to the forth floor in the elevator...mistake. That sent my tummy in a tizzy, and it really never got better. I spent that first night curled up in a ball and reliant on nausea meds that make me really drowsy (I slept like a baby, though!). Normally, I am bouncing off of the walls the day I have chemo...something about a steroid high...not the case this time.
The next day, I went back to the treatment center for my Nulasta shot. I was still not feeling very great, but I was doing better than the previous night. After I got my shot, my mom and I headed south to Hugo, OK for some R&R at Nana and Papa's house! Needless to say, that's really all I did. I actually didn't feel as tired and achy as I had for treatments 1 and 2, but the nausea made up for that. I despise that upset-tummy feeling...honestly, the worst part about being sick at my stomach was the ramifications of food! There I was, at Nana's house, and all I could stand to eat (or smell, for that matter) was ham and cheese (an occasional PB&J) sandwiches.
So, it is now 5 days after my chemo treatment, and my tummy is still unhappy. What I hate the most is that my poor family has to cater to my stupid stomach. Smells bother me the most, so cooking inside the house is a touchy subject. Then, there's the task of finding something I can actually eat, which I know must be frustrating for them. Needless to say, treatment 3 has been the most difficult, but I know it could still be so much worse.
Okay, enough negativity. I wouldn't even write all of this icky stuff, but it's the truth. Painting over things with "rose-colored writing" doesn't help anyone. Treatment 3 was no bueno...'nuff said. Apart from feeling icky for a few days, I've been really blessed! Dad says I'm making cancer look fun...I do get to go hunting (one of my absolute favorite hobbies) quite often, and I spend most of my time in the comfort of my own home with two of my favorite people in the whole wide world--Mom and Dad. I am extremely blessed to have such supportive and wonderful parents. I do miss spending time with my sister, but she had to go and get Mono and Shingles...way to go, sis...JUST KIDDING! I actually feel horrible for her...she has had worse symptoms and pains than I have. Poor kid...she sure is a trooper, though. Every time I see her, she looks like she is about to enter a beauty pageant............AND WIN! What a remarkable person I am privileged enough to call my sister.
