Well, I’m coming out of Round 4 (my final) of chemo so thought I would give a little update. Day 2 after chemo (Sunday), I pretty much just slept all day. Given my inability to sleep before chemo, it actually felt good to drift off frequently.
Day 3 after chemo has generally been my worst and it was this round too. Lots of aches and pains and general miserableness. The chemo is also finalizing my journey through menopause, so my body temperature also goes up and down randomly, so that’s fun. So, I pretty much laid around and watch Murder, She Wrote and played Sudoku. Why Murder, She Wrote? Who knows? Probably because it is always on, so I don’t have to make any decisions. I mean really, what an amazing world we live in with a free 24-hour Murder, She Wrote channel and very few commercials! But I think it’s the right amount of calm and background noise. And if I miss an episode because I fall asleep? It will come back on another day!
As for all of those symptoms that I listed back at the beginning? I am pretty happy with how things turned out. Am I still glad I only have 4 rounds instead of 16 or 20? Absolutely! I would not want to continue this forever, but I am pretty pleased with how well I was able to handle the side effects. GI issues seem to be a constant topic of conversations around chemo patients, but generally I did ok, thanks to the insoluble fiber in Olipop and Undercover Chocolate Quinoa crisps. And a shout-out to John for installing a bidet before this started.
I had forgotten I had mentioned skin sensitivity in that post and it has been getting to me. I’ve lived in my softest clothes and been known to change a few times before feeling comfortable! Obviously, I’ve written about the hair, but one side effect I haven’t mentioned much yet is chemo brain. As somehow who enjoy using her brain power for both work and fun (even Murder She Wrote!), I was nervous about it. But so far, it’s ok. From what I’ve read, we don’t know a lot about what causes it, but I’ve been doing what I can to prevent it: exercise, crossword puzzles, etc. And if I do forget something? I’m not actually sure it is a lot different than usual!
So what’s next? On Wednesday, I get the trifecta: mammogram, ultrasound and MRI! This is to get a new look at the tumor and see how the changes from chemo have changed the it. We will use that to plan for surgery. That appointment is in yet another week or so. Surgery will be either Nov 5th or 12th. There are still a few decisions to make about the details of the surgery, so I am anxious to get results back and hear the recommendations.
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