Chemo #8

Chemo #8 was yesterday.  It went by quickly.  We went to lunch and then the benadryl they give me kicked in.  I had to go get a pulmonary function test after chemo and I was so knocked out.  I fell asleep in the car there, in the waiting room, and on the way back home.  I crawled into bed and fell asleep for the next 4 hours.  My ass was just dragging everywhere.

Cancer shower thoughts - I've been bitten at least 5 times in the last few days by mosquitoes through my pants.  The mosquitoes in Austin are vicious this year because of all the rain and standing water.  But what happens to mosquitoes that bite me and drink my blood?  Do the chemo drugs affect them?  If I'm so affected by my chemo drugs, I really hope they just die.  Does my lower red blood count and white blood count mean they're not as full?

Here are some pics.  Please enjoy this carefully curated gallery of my side effects.

Fatigue
This is why I basically go into hibernation for 3 days after chemo.  I just have 0 energy.

When I get home from chemo:

Steroid Hunger

 
Dehydration
The chemo drugs just dry me the eff out.  My whole body feels swollen:

 And I have intense dry mouth:

Nausea
I feel like I've been lucky in the nausea department.  It's mild to moderate and I haven't thrown up yet.  However, when I smell certain scents like our home antibacterial soap (unfortunate) or some flowers, I do this:

Hair Loss
My hair hasn't completely fallen out but it's certainly thinning.

My reaction when it fell out in the shower:

Constipation and Indigestion
How does this both happen at the same time?  My poops are just .. so interesting now.  One day I'm like this:

And the next day, I'm like this:

Chemo Brain
I lose my train of thought.  My vocabulary has shrunk - I have a hard time finding the right word for what I'm trying to say.  It's annoying af.  When I walk into a room and forget what I'm doing:

When people ask me complex questions (usually concerning work stuff):

Shots In The Butt
I get my monthly Lupron shot in the butt muscle.  It results in a welt-like bump and I have to rub it or else be sore for a few days.  What this sounds like:

What I'm actually doing:

Post chemo #7

haha, I should give myself a few days for the side effects of all the drugs to even out before posting happy things. 

I get anti-nausea meds and steroids as part of the pre-meds prior to the chemo drugs.  The pre-meds usually squash the chemo side effects (nausea, no appetite) until about 3 days after chemo.  After that, I feel super fatigued and mild nausea.  I am trying out a new anti-nausea patch (sancuso) this time around since my nausea after chemo #6 lasted about 5 days afterwards.  But of course, this patch has side effects.  The most noticeable one is a persistent headache.. that I then take ibuprofen for.  It's one big side effect management game!

Chemo #7

Guess who's back, back again. Karen's back, tell a friend! 

Chemo #7 was yesterday and it was uneventful! When you have cancer, you want everyday to be uneventful. I don't want medical surprises.. I just want to get through this, get through chemo, and know there's nothing malignant in my body anymore. 

I met another young person at chemo yesterday. He's also 29 and has a germ cell tumor in his chest and actually went to the same cardiothoracic surgeon I did around the same time I did earlier this year. The surgeon mentioned to him that he had seen a young female patient just a week before who had a mass in her chest like his. When I told him my symptoms, he realized the surgeon was taking about me. Small world! His chemo regimen is way more intense than mine.. 3 week cycles - week 1 and week 2 Mondays last 7 hours and week 3 is Monday through Friday, 5 hours each. My regimen is every other Friday and it only lasts 3 hours. He says it's curable and he should be done in July. I'm rooting for him! 

I feel incredibly lucky - even though I've been dealt the shit hand of cancer, it's one that's curable. I have lots of support and not a lot of stress. I dread going to chemo because of the side effects, but they could be worse! My hair hasn't completely fallen out and my brows are still there! I have nausea but I haven't thrown up. My appetite is good. My anemia is non-existent. My succulents haven't died. I got married and gained an incredibly supportive and hilarious family.  Life is pretty good!

I'm getting overly mushy now.  I love you guys

#chemo #7! More than halfway through. My face is getting rounder because I've gained 10 lbs since I've started chemo. Loss of appetite hasn't been a problem for me! #hodgkinslymphoma

A photo posted by Karen (@thekaren) on May 15, 2015 at 8:46am PDT

💖G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

A photo posted by Karen (@thekaren) on May 16, 2015 at 10:57am PDT

Happy Chemo de Mayo!

I wish I could take credit for that title, but I can't. A friend said that to me this morning and now I have to write a post before Cinco de Mayo is over. 

Chemo #6 was this past Friday and I'm officially halfway done!! Only 6 more chemo treatments to go! 

The side effects this time are worse and more long-lasting. They include some gnarly hot flashes, wibbly-wobbly dizziness, and constant nausea (no cute adjective there because nausea ain't cute). My usual go-to of Zofran hasn't been cutting it. My next option is to take Phenergan which just knocks me the eff out. That's one way of dealing with it hah. I've been resisting taking it because I actually like being productive during my days. I couldn't do my usual stare-at-my-succulents for an hour thing during the day because a wasp has built not one, but 2, nests under the 2nd floor balcony and was busy tending to them.  Seriously, who needs that much real estate? 

Last week, my Uncle Tony and Aunt Bonnie and her husband Anthony came to visit from New England. This week, my in-laws are here! Yay visitors!!

Now pictures.

#chemo #6. After this, I'm halfway done! #hodgkinslymphoma

A photo posted by Karen (@thekaren) on May 1, 2015 at 8:08am PDT

I've been a little obsessed with #succulents these past few weeks. Hope I don't kill them :/ #echeveria #blackprince #dondo #crassula #SedumRubrotinctum

A photo posted by Karen (@thekaren) on May 1, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT