May 3, 2021
Doctor Oncology is not the effusive type. But she was grinning like crazy under her mask today, because I was reporting no pain, no nausea (thank you anti-nausea medicine), an ability to stay active despite sometimes crushing fatigue, and good stable weight. (<snort> I did complain that it had taken me forever to lose a bunch of weight, and now, thanks to their constant refrain of EatEatEat, half of it was back, “but,” I confided, “I’m enjoying every mouthful.”)
Radiation happened before that. The machine had to have some tinkering, with a paperclip, of all things. Yes, a literal paperclip. The guy had to rifle through a bunch of stuff to find one, then he bounded off into the radiation zone.
During treatment, I decided to bring in a picture of a mountain goat I took on Mt. Rainier last year so they could paste it on their huge ceiling image, which is of wildflower meadows on Mt. Rainier. (See goat, below.)
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| Because everyone needs a goat. |
Chemo went forward despite my lower-than-normal hemoglobin number. Yeah, well, you shoot photons at my Lymph nodes and lungs, something’s gonna happen, right? So interesting to see the changes in the balance of components of the blood. Here are just a few from today’s draw– there are other interesting numbers, but these are particularly interesting. Basically, these numbers tell me 1) I am going to feel very fatigued for a while (radiation dude says for about a month after I finish); and, 2) I might be more prone to infection, only because my warrior body is fighting off the effects of radiation. Gotta say, I loved AP Biology and this stuff is just too cool for school. (Also, I will probably not want anyone to lick me. Or sneeze on me….)
OK, back to chemo, which was OK. I decided to watch HGTV, obediently swallowed my premeds, accepted my IV Benadryl, zoned in and out of about 20 minutes of one show, and was then out like a light. When I got home, I spent about an hour and a half in my woefully neglected native garden, had a phone call with one of my student’s mentor teachers, helped mom with dinner (excuse me– can we get a round of applause for this woman, who has resumed cooking for a family after years of freedom?) and am waiting for the hammer to drop on my head. It may not come until tomorrow.
Yesterday, Sunday, however, was a total hammer drop. Saturday, mom and I walked a 3.5 miles, visited a studio on a pop-up pottery tour, had a yummy dinner and a movie. Sunday? Up for about 3 hours, back to bed for a nap, pick up groceries, lie down on the couch to read, wake up in time for dinner, early to bed.
So, if I am bad at returning calls or emails, it’s probably because I am either 1) not home, or 2) passed out. Well, there is always 3) brain dead, but that is not necessarily a function of cancer.
One more chemo, dear people.
Radiation finishes May 12.
YASSS!
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| P.S. Thanks, my dear niece…. |
Top image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Goat image by me