Busy Day

First, it started with me setting a personal record for Least Amount Of Sleep Ever (including when the boys were newborns) with a grand total of Zero Hours and Zero Minutes of sleep last night. I was completely wired, I could not settle down all night long, could NOT fall asleep. I read an entire book (a Jane Green, Meg) before dawn. I couldn’t cave in and take a sleeping pill because I had an oncologist appointment mid-morning and I didn’t want to oversleep and miss it.

So I managed to make it to the oncologist’s (without a single migraine!), where my bloodwork showed that….my WBC count is crazy low again. This despite the oncologist reducing the dosage of chemo on Round #4. (sigh) This means that I again have to do the three-day series of intensive shots (instead of Neulasta) this week in the hopes that it will raise my WBC count. Stupid me didn’t follow up with the doctor, but it seems as if the three-day series doesn’t produce expected results, we might have a delay in Round #5. Again, no confirmation of that, but it is a suspicion I have.

The oncologist also ordered a bone scan, just as a baseline. It seems there’s a new study out that makes a connection between pre-menopausal women whose ovarian production was halted by chemo and early onset of osteoporosis. They got me a same-day appointment for the bone scan at the hospital, so I spent an hour or two over there in the afternoon having that (painless and very easy) test run.

Other things Of Note from today’s appointment:

• I’m going to go see a migraine specialist in Memphis, likely sometime in the next few weeks. I’ll know the appointment date tomorrow when I go for shot #2 in the 3-day series.
• The oncologist was concerned by my continued sleeplessness and agrees that we’d like to find a non-drug solution. However, I disagree with him that this is a situation that needs a psychiatrist’s advice. I’m not sleepless because of anxiety or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Tom Cruise ( ) — I have no issues with psychiatry at all and fully credit counseling with recovering from depressions and the Paxil for a good mood during Chemo — but this doesn’t call for it.
• The oncologist also asked me if I’m still considering nursing school as part of my post-cancer life, and we talked about what kind of nursing I’d like to do (right now, anything but surgical). Then he said he’d be happy to find a nursing position for me at the cancer clinic if I do become an RN. What a nice compliment!

• Managed an hour-and-a-half nap in between oncologist appointment and the bone scan, but that’s all the sleep I’ve had since Monday night. And still no migraines. Woooo-hoo!!

Round 4, Day 7

Today I ran out to get some milk for the boys and the cashier said she loved my hair color and it really goes well with my skin tone. I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her it’s a wig. But isn’t that a nice compliment to the Alexa wig?

Here’s a photo of a lovely gift I received recently: a quilt made by my friend Colleen M. She put it together featuring pieces from friends and family…things like a Wheaton sweatshirt, a tshirt from Camden Yards, and OF COURSE Red Sox things. It’s so great!

p.s. Happy 25th birthday to Meg!

Round 4, Day 6

Once again, it’s a world of difference between Monday morning and Monday afternoon. I’m feeling *so* much better this evening than I did even this morning, and definitely than I did last night. Hooray!

Quiet day otherwise.

Round 4, Day 5

Sorry about not posting yesterday; I was sleeping off the chemo misery. Today was much of the same, though I must agree with Rebecca that this has been an easier round than the last one (thank goodness!). I’m still feeling pretty UnFantastic, but I’m certainly not the most miserable person ever like I was with Round #3.

Round 4, Day 3

Decided to try to bombard the horrible chemo side effects with medications and tried all four of my medications last night, meaning I slept ’til noon today. But at least I felt halfway decent!

Am a bit headachy now, and am not feeling all that hungry, but I know Nancy, Rebecca, and Janette will hassle me until I eat, so I will go eat.

Round 4, Day 2

Got the neulasta shot today, ran some errands to get ready for the upcoming Weekend of Post-Chemo Misery, and we played with the boys in the wading pool.

Quiet day.

Round 4 of Chemo

Round #4 today. The oncologist said he was adjusting (lowering) the levels of the meds in today’s round because it was so rough on me and my WBC last time. I didn’t fall asleep during treatment this time, but I suspect that I may have dozed or at least zoned out as I lost track of two hours in the morning. One minute they were hooking up my pre-meds, and the next minute they were telling me it was noon and time for lunch.

I brought up a new funny little symptom I’ve been having to the oncologist: my legs fall asleep alot. At first it was just during treatment, but now it’s happened a couple nights in a row as I lie in bed…my legs (mostly calves and feet) go numb and occasionally tingly. It’s not painful, but it’s uncomfortable. The oncologist thinks it’s due to the Taxotere, and called the numbness “neuropathy”. We are not going to do anything to treat it at this time, as it is not painful. But he says it’s not unusual, and it won’t cause him to suspend my treatments right now. I do want to thank Ali for asking me if I’m having nerve pain from taxotere, though; it truly hadn’t occurred to me that it was a chemo-related symptom until you brought it up.

p.s. I read your poems to the group today, Mom, and OF COURSE, they loved them! Someone is putting together a little scrapbook of cancer poems to keep in the group’s meeting room, and they asked for copies of your poems to add to the scrapbook. I felt sure it would be okay with you.

ah, spoke too soon.

No sooner had I posted last night’s “no headaches today!” entry than, you guessed it, I had a headache. A migraine. And another today. It really will be a treat to not have constant headaches anymore.

Something that’s started happening lately are hot flashes at night. A woman at my Wednesday support group told me about a water pillow (called the “Chillow”) sold at Walgreen’s that really helps with nighttime hot flashes. I picked one up yesterday and tried it out. It’s really fantastic! Cooled me right down. I might have to go get another, though; Tom has discovered the joys of the Chillow and hogged it all last night.

Tomorrow is Round #4, bright and early. Nancy says she has a good feeling about this round, that it won’t be too hard. I’m hoping she’s right!

Chemo Skin and Support Groups

Feeling good today! Not even a smidge of a headache.

One thing the chemo has done a real number on has been my skin. Normally, I have pretty “normal” skin…not dry, oily T-zone, but nothing that regular facials couldn’t handle. Since chemo, though, my poor skin is so dry it’s actually flaky. I have tried all kinds of moisturizers (including those that Louisa sent and some that I got from my favorite day spa) but the dryness is impervious to moisturizer, it seems. I’m starting to think that I will just have to accept the dry skin for now and hope that any damage can be repaired when I finish chemo in the fall.

I went to a new support group meeting tonight here in Oxford; they had the hospital’s “cancer navigator” (a nurse oncologist) as guest speaker. It was interesting, but it seems that her services would have been most useful those first few weeks post-diagnosis, when our heads were spinning and we had no idea what we were looking at. Nonetheless, I’m glad I went to the meeting. (once again, I’m the youngest survivor by far at the meeting — there was one woman who is a 50-year survivor!)