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: