All Pinked Out

My cycle of 4 “AC” drugs was completed on October 15th. After the pre-chemo interview which occurs the day before treatment (that is the visit to the CC where they ask you questions about how the chemo is impacting your health and well-being) it was determined by the oncologist to add more anti nausea medication( in addition to the three different oral anti nausea pills I take for the chemo) to my Baxter bag. Sort of like when you go to Booster Juice and get an extra “shot”, only no one asked me what I wanted. This additional medication intensified the gastric challenge so it was a good thing that one of my sister in-laws had sent me a McDonald’s gift card in the mail to be used for this type of emergency.The injection process for 5 days the following week worked well.Lets hear it again for the home care nurses.
The Monday after chemo Senor Poodela and I had a meet and greet with the radiation oncologist. The planning process for radiation therapy should start in Jan. I will need some “tats”, yes folks I am finally getting some “tats” which I think might be pretty mainstream now, but not so much for ladies my age ? They are going to be very small dots like the ones on my hands from old age, and I was a bit disappointed to hear that, as I was hoping to make a big creative statement on my right side, which is already quite distinguished with the surgery to remove the tumour in my breast, the port two times, two kidney operations one eight inches and the other eleven inches, and that other operation 18 years ago… The markings are for the technicians to know where to aim the nuclear gamma rays( don’t get excited I just made that up) for the 15 sessions that I will be receiving the radiation part of my treatment.
In the days since the last dose of drugs Senor Poodela and I have had a difficult time keeping our spirits up. It seems like we are on some kind of conveyor belt of wellness/cure. I picture the Henry Ford assembly line. You feel well, you get on the wellness conveyor and hope for the best.Then they try to kill you. You have multiple stops for blood samples,doctor visits, nurse visits, heart tests, injections for the white blood cells,chemo therapy treatments, and you feel sicker and sicker as the wellness conveyor keeps rolling along. I found a website where it covers 29 parts of your body that are impacted by chemo therapy. It is not just about the hair! Wow that was so depressing that I am not sending the link. I looked at the Canadian Cancer Society Website and it does offer some tips for the stress and depression which are created when you have this illness. So here are your tips as I would think that you could do this with just about any situation:
1. Vent your emotions quickly. Have good cry, write down your feelings,or play some loud music. Heh neighbours, have your heard Senor Poodela’s new Bob Dylan CD blasting out of our garage ?
2. Have some creative pursuits. Draw or paint, write poems or stories, sing or dance. Those of you who have heard me sing would agree that I am better off doing this blog than creating a personal CD for you.
3. Laughter relieves the tension this disease creates. It does not mean you are not taking the disease seriously. Now, you all know that I am trying to do that.
Next treatment dates are Nov.26th and Nov. 27th.Each time the treatment will take three hours. This is why the I Pad was created. The first time out with the next cycle of drugs they are given for two consecutive days. They need to split the doses up the first time as there is the expectation that there will be some sort of reaction.Ugh!!!
Till we meet again for Chemo Round #5
Poodela