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ack.
i think i've made it through the post-chemo fog. sheesh! drugs and my body...a love/hate relationship.
last thursday i had round 4 of chemo and it went pretty well. my oncologist was surprised that my blood levels were normal. at this point in the treatment, my body should be a little more affected by the accumulated toxins, but that, my friend, is the beauty of acupuncture. i truly believe that needles and astragalus, both the doing of josh my wonderful acupuncturist, are the main reason why my body is doing relatively well.
it's not all roses. i've been taking a new drug to combat the itchiness and it has done a number on my intestinal process. there has been improvement in that department, so it's something i can live with, but the good part is that the itching is about 95% gone. what a relief! if it hadn't been for a woman in my support group who mentioned that she'd been prescribed gabapentin for itching, i'd still be suffering. it's a drug used mainly for epilepsy, and my oncologist had never heard of it used for chemo-related itching, so i'm the guinea pig for him. just like the acupuncture and the astragalus. hey baby, i'm doing my part for science. and apparently, i won't be having any seizures.
today, i'm going into the city to mingle with the everyday folk. it's sunny and currently 45 degrees, but there's going to be a high of 53 and this bald head is eager to get out there and feel some weather. i'm even going to shower for the occasion. yeeha!
THE CHALLENGING SIDE:
it's 7:41am and i've been awake for at least an hour. the itching and hot flashes have driven me from my bed and to this keyboard. i often get hot flashes, day and night, as if i'm standing on a hot, humid subway platform and then stepping onto an air conditioned train, over and over again so it becomes an exercise on pulling on a jacket or throwing off the covers.
then there's the itching, a side effect of chemo. it's everywhere, and i mean everywhere, but luckily it's not constant. "hmm, that's unusual.", said my oncologist. the best he has to offer is benadryl, which makes me sleepy and sluggish, so i need to suck it up until the end of november with the assistance of acupuncture. it's a nerve thing and not a dry skin thing, so unfortunately no slathering of lotion will help. scratching makes my skin burn and brings no relief, so as much as i want to scratch away like a dog with pulgas, my version of fleas are being fought off with distractions of the mind, which work most of the time.
i've noticed that i get grouchy when i have medical appointments. last week, there was the flu shot, blood work and urinalysis, a visit with the oncologist (pelvic exam), and this week there was a sonogram of my liver because apparently some enzyme level is high. i get the results today when my doctor comes by during my chemo (round 4 out of 6!). i also got a letter from medicaid saying that in regard to my application, they need more information. they received an altered version of some form and need an unaltered version. blah blah blah. sigh. these are the times when i wish i lived in a cabin on a mountain top...
also, i'm down to 1 1/2 eyebrows. my right one is slowly leaving me, one hair at a time.
THE BRIGHTER SIDE:
i have support systems in place for mind and body. (this is in addition to the leagues of people in the world, friends, family, and complete strangers, who think of me and make me strong.) yesterday, was a triple play of Team Sandra at work: acupuncture, therapy, support group. and there was a movie thrown in as well (Man on Wire. go see it!) i was so happy just to have the endurance to spend a whole day in the city. i was out and about like all the other crazed new yorkers around me. i felt normal!
it's also been homecoming week here. two old friends who have known me since the dawn of time, malia and erin, flew from california and colorado respectively, mainly to see me. erin brought old photos and notes from grade school and high school that made us laugh like hyenas. it was fantastic. the day they left was the day my old friend kevin arrived, so ej and i had a really nice visit with both kevin and his sister, kristin. our parents went to high school together along with erin's, and it's the same high school that the three of us attended as well, (mater dei. go monarchs.), so it feels like a bond beyond our friendship. i like that.
other happy pastimes have been books (The Life of Pi - the ending really took me by surprise, and currently The Secret Life of Bees - found it on my bookshelf and am quite enjoying it. apparently any title with "life" in it i'll read), netflix (the brit series "manor house" - thumbs up, and just began "flight of the conchords" - another thumbs up), and, of course, food.
i should also add that i haven't had to shave or pluck for many weeks now. and i'm saving money on all the hair products i don't have to buy. showers are quicker. i've met excellent people that i probably would not have met otherwise. my mama's home cooking is being made right here in my kitchen. and obama is ahead in the polls. i really can't complain. so i won't.
i love dogs. here are a few who have brightened my days.
"p-nut" and "ocho", portland, oregon.
"shiva shambo", denver, colorado.
"sedona", denver, colorado.
"winston", brooklyn, ny.
on saturday, my mom and i were walking through washington square park when we came upon a large crowd of people, each of whom had a dachshund. many of these dogs were dressed. in clothes. of course, i had to take pictures.
