Sorry it's taken so long to update....no excuses, I've just been lazy.
My 2nd round went much better!! I didn't take my Compazine this time so I'm not sure if that made the difference of if it was not as hard on me. Either way I was tired and had a little nausea but not near as awful as the 1st. My mouth got pretty sore again but this time I was prepared with the different mouthwashes they gave me! This round of chemo was only 4 hours cause I didn't have the trial and all the education that went with it so that was nice that it didn't take the entire day!
I have labs drawn weekly to check my blood counts and make sure that the chemo is not only effective at killing the cancer cells but also not depleting my healthy cells too bad. My red blood cells and platelets have stayed steady but unfortunately my white blood cell count had plummeted. I'm very low which means I'm at risk for not being able to fight infection. As a preventative measure they've put me on anti-virals and antibiotics for an entire month. Funny how one goes from not even taking a multi-vitamin to having a baggie of medicine :) In addition I've been wearing a mask at work and been even more careful about washing my hands and using sanitizer. Luckily I'm pretty anal about hand cleansing anyway and constantly stress it at home!
I've had a few days that were emotionally trying. My hair has started to thin pretty bad. Fortunately I have super thick hair to start and nobody else notices too bad. My family and I sure do though...it covers the sink and tub after my shower and styling my hair. I'm armed with some super cute hats and wig for "if" I need to shave it. I'm still hoping I won't lose it all. I'm doing better with it but still sucks every morning dealing with the mess!
On a good note Dr. O measured my lump prior to chemo last week and it had already shrunk....almost in half!! So we're making progress and that makes me optimistic that we really will be done after this one cycle of chemo! So.....hopefully I'm halfway done!! I see her on Monday them have chemo afterward!
Thanks so much for the continued thoughts, prayers and selfless acts from my friends/family. It's so appreciated!! I'm blessed to have such a great support system in my friends, family and co-workers.
My 2nd round went much better!! I didn't take my Compazine this time so I'm not sure if that made the difference of if it was not as hard on me. Either way I was tired and had a little nausea but not near as awful as the 1st. My mouth got pretty sore again but this time I was prepared with the different mouthwashes they gave me! This round of chemo was only 4 hours cause I didn't have the trial and all the education that went with it so that was nice that it didn't take the entire day!
I have labs drawn weekly to check my blood counts and make sure that the chemo is not only effective at killing the cancer cells but also not depleting my healthy cells too bad. My red blood cells and platelets have stayed steady but unfortunately my white blood cell count had plummeted. I'm very low which means I'm at risk for not being able to fight infection. As a preventative measure they've put me on anti-virals and antibiotics for an entire month. Funny how one goes from not even taking a multi-vitamin to having a baggie of medicine :) In addition I've been wearing a mask at work and been even more careful about washing my hands and using sanitizer. Luckily I'm pretty anal about hand cleansing anyway and constantly stress it at home!
I've had a few days that were emotionally trying. My hair has started to thin pretty bad. Fortunately I have super thick hair to start and nobody else notices too bad. My family and I sure do though...it covers the sink and tub after my shower and styling my hair. I'm armed with some super cute hats and wig for "if" I need to shave it. I'm still hoping I won't lose it all. I'm doing better with it but still sucks every morning dealing with the mess!
On a good note Dr. O measured my lump prior to chemo last week and it had already shrunk....almost in half!! So we're making progress and that makes me optimistic that we really will be done after this one cycle of chemo! So.....hopefully I'm halfway done!! I see her on Monday them have chemo afterward!
Thanks so much for the continued thoughts, prayers and selfless acts from my friends/family. It's so appreciated!! I'm blessed to have such a great support system in my friends, family and co-workers.
Congrats on the shrinking tumor! How exciting :)
ReplyDeleteSo grateful that you are seeing good progress! ((hugs))
ReplyDelete