Chemo Day 2 Report

So today I woke up at 10:00 a.m. after a few challenging moments last night – but even though I have felt nausea off and on both last night and today I was able to successfully avoid any unappetizing outcomes by taking my 3 main nausea pills + the steroid for inflammation and special effects :). 

My dad took me to get my Neulasta shot around 2:00, after stopping by Ann Taylor to do a long overdue return.  I had to pull the cancer card on them because they didn’t want to give me the full price I paid on a return for something I bought on April 28^th (ironically the day I found the lump).  I had already tried explaining that I had been a little bit tied up and why, but they were sticking to their guns about their “policy” and I had to call them on it.  Not just because I am a cancer patient but because I happen to be one of their most frequent shoppers and without me, well the whole enterprise could go down.  So, in the scheme of things, giving me the full price I paid on a credit isn’t going to kill them – but I did feel just a wee bit bad for my assertiveness. 

After that I was craving a snow cone, so of course we had to stop.  Then we made it to Huntsman and after waiting just a short time, it was a pretty quick shot – not too much pain.  I think I was only up to 3 nausea pills at this point – one of each variety except for the Lorazepam, that makes me more loopy and tired. I finally gave in and took the Lorazepam tonight, so if this post is loopy, that’s why :).

My appetite is starting to mimic that of a pregnant woman – whatever sounds good I eat it.  I didn’t eat much earlier today but started getting hungry later. I told my dad that halibut sounded good, so after the Neulasta shot we went to Market Street Grill for dinner.  It was good but I couldn’t eat all of what I ordered.  I did manage to squeeze in some ice cream for dessert.  After dinner we stopped by Macy’s to pick up the rest of my retail therapy, I suddenly had a craving for frozen yogurt – so off to Frogurt we went.  That’s 3 frozen treats in one day :) – normally that would be more than I eat in 1 month.  Are we concerned?  I tried eating some of my favorite crackers and they tasted like cardboard.  So I am just going with whatever sounds good + gallons of water to flush things out.

When I got home, I called in for my daily report on the research study I am doing regarding the symptoms I am having from Chemo.  After completing all of the automated questions, I began feeling like Westley from Princess Bride when he was tortured by the “Machine”.  Probably because it kept saying “I want you to be completely honest about how you are feeling” :).

So that’s my day for you – they say the weekend is supposed to hit me harder, so I think it’s time for bed.  If it’s at all feasible I may drag myself to the Jon Schmidt concert tomorrow night and lay on the grass, looking up at the stars.  It’s my favorite summer concert and not too far from my house, so I hate to miss it.  Watch for me, with barf bags in tow :) – there’s still hope for my presence there! 

Because there are 16 links in my Chemo Countdown Chain, I decided I am going to take one off for the Chemo and one the next day for the Neulasta shot - today's quote: "The storm also beats on the house that is built on the rock." The rock that built me was from my parents.  They have been amazing through this process.  My mom arranged to have a photo shoot for me the day before Chemo, to capture my hair and she surprised me by being in it too.  My good friend and business partner Alisa showed up and it was so much fun.  I've posted the link here for your review - we've yet to decide on our selections :).  www.juliewilliamsphotography.com/amy 

Thank you Julie for making it so sweet and memorable at a crucial time in my life - you truly have a talent for this!