Less than 1 month left! That’s what I keep telling myself and my friends and family when they check in with me. That’s the thing to focus on. 3 more treatments including today! It’s amazing how August seemed so distant when I had my first treatment in March. I didn’t know how I was going to get through 5 months of this. 12 friggin full-day treatments. Well here I am with the end in clear sight.
I’ve been able to mostly “skate” through the last month+. No major issues – no hospitalizations, no fevers, no additional work days off besides treatment days. I think the $5,000 box of Neulasta they put on my arm after every treatment really helps. Staying healthy is key. Don’t get me wrong, I still have all the nasty side effects, but I suppose I’m getting used to them.
I have definitely picked up some weird eating habits along the way. As my nutritionist described it, I have “a dead man dancing on my tongue.” That dead man has been ruining some of my favorite foods for me. So I fight back. I’ve been drinking habanero pickle juice straight up. It’s the liquidy goodness at the bottom of the spicy pickle jar infused with habanero peppers and it’s amazing. Plus I can actually taste it. I also poor Red Devil Lousiana hot sauce into my mouth. Dead man can’t prevent me from tasting that vinegary-spicy goodness. Though not a foolproof strategy, I do better with extreme foods these days – extreme spicy, vinegary, sweet.
I think I’m much weaker and smaller than I’ve been in a long time. My arms and chest have deflated. On my bad days, it takes every ounce of energy to get up the stairs. On good days, I can’t say it’s much better. I just haven’t been working out at all, besides the occasional push-ups and dog walks. I cant wait for that all to change in September.
I’m of course not out of the blue yet. After the remaining treatments, I’ll have a petscan performed to validate that my body has continued to progress since the last petscan. The best-case scenario is that it’s clean, I don’t need radiation, and I put this episode behind me. The worst-case probably involves additional treatment and/or radiation. I’m less concerned about that scenario. I firmly believe I’m on a path to health and it’s how I cope when the going gets hard.
Anti-nausea drugs are in, sparking some drowsiness. Now’s probably a good time to stop 