Nail Regrowth

It has been a VERY long time coming but I think I finally have my nails back!
From somewhere around 8th grade until I was diagnosed and started Chemo in May 2012- I have had long, beautiful nails. They were strong and healthy and a bit of a trademark of ME. When one would break and I'd have to cut it down- I felt awkward and handicap. I couldn't imagine how women could stand to not have them long.
As you can imagine- It was hard when my nails started splitting and cracking to the point where I would have to keep them really short (see Oct 2012 pic). It was just another one of those things that as a cancer survivor- you deal with.
After I finished my Treatments- Chemotherapy in June 2012 and Herceptin in March 2013, I waited for my nails to return to normal. BUT they didn't. It was frustrating! I asked my doctor and he said it would just take time. Unfortunately, that's usually the answer to everything in this journey.
However- they were right. It just took time. NINETEEN-19  months to be exact. But they are back and that makes me happy!

Short Nails

I have had LONG nails for as long as I could remember. In fact, any time I cut my nails short because of one breaking, I felt handicap! How do people function with short nails?, I would wonder. Also, my nails always grew in pairs. If one thumb broke, the next one to break would inevitably be the other thumb. I guess even my hands want life to be "Fair". LOL 

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I heard icky stories of people losing nails through chemo treatments. WHAT? Not something I was looking forward to. So back in May, I took a snap shot of my beautiful, strong, long fingernails. You know... just in case.

After 4 rounds of chemo, all I had experienced was dry skin! (And lots of that!) But nothing I couldn't handle. I figured my nails were here to stay! Hallelujah!
However, sometime in September (nearly 2 months after my last Chemo treatment), my nails started breaking and hang nails attacked every single finger! What is going on here??? People keep telling me I just need to be patient! [Not a strong point of mine, btw!] I finally had to just cut them all off. Once one nail barely grows over the end of my finger, it tears or breaks. So irritating! OH! the never-ending gifts from Cancer!
So, perhaps one day, I will get my beautiful long nails back but for now... I am learning to not be retarded with a shorter version and learning to love lots of lotion!

A Bit of Skin Coloring: IV Bruise

It's not a tan but it is a bit of color for my very white skin. LOL Here's the lovely coloring that Nurse Tia gave me at my last Chemo. She blamed me for ruining her "one poke" streak. I told her I had to make sure she remembered me. She laughed and remarked that THIS is not why she would be remembering me. [She was actually the nurse that scheduled my very first Chemo right after I had my IUD removed. And yes- I did use my "yanked out" line on her. LOL see Fertile Myrtle & a Wad of Mula.] I guess that's the memory of me she will always have engraved on her heart! Oh joy!

Craters in my Dry Feet

I know... "Put on some lotion, Woman!" But this Chemo side effect doesn't even let me air dry before it hits. Poor little piggies! (OK... it's what my little piggies are attached to but still they are pretty sad!) The pictures don't even do it justice. The skin that peeled off my heels made huge craters. Aren't our bodies amazing they can heal from things like this?? AMAZING, I tell you!

I love Glory's face in this one! LOL

D.O.N.E with Chemo

Hallelujah! I am done with Chemo forever! (Well except for Herceptin for a year but technically they don't put the spacesuit on for that one so they don't actually call that a chemo drug) Before all of this is but a fleeting memory (yeah for that day!), I am Documenting On the Nasty Effects of my Chemo. So many different things happened during my "icky" days that I wanted to have them all down in one place. In reality I can't believe how fast it went and NOW I can say- "It really wasn't that bad!" But that is because of my little bit of cancer, I'm sure. LOL
I did fully intend to just copy someone else's list from another cancer blog [maybe laziness needs to be on the list] but after spending one early morning (I woke up and couldn't turn my brain off enough to go back to sleep. Add that one for sure. LOL), and crying because of their heart-wrenching stories, I decided that my experience is my own. Thank goodness! So here's the nasty effects that happened to me during my Chemo treatment ...
* First there are the steroids I took the day before. They made me very hungry! A good excuse for someone that has amazing chef friends that bring lots of meals. We are NOT on a diet here, people!
* Except for then after chemo- food tasted gross! A bit of a metal-ly cardboardy taste. Oh yum! It's quite the double-edge sword- hungry for things that taste icky?
* Sleeplessness was caused by the steroids and chemo as well. I lived a couple days of the Vampire Life. By Day 3, I was so tired but can only manage to sleep in small increments of time- a couple of hours at the most. Irritating!
* On Chemo, it seemed impossible to be able to turn my brain off. Too many things going through my mind. Although now as a bonafide Cancer patient, I am not completely convinced that is all because of the chemo. Cancer itself gives one enough to think about without any drugs.
* For about a week, I would end up with a racing heart. It totally is scary for someone who has never had any health issues. It made me feel like I was having chest pain. Totally never want to have a heart attack!
* Other heart matters- I had to take Prilosec for a while because of the acid reflux feeling in my throat. In later treatments it caused severe heart burn. For someone who never had that- it is awful!!! How do you heart burn people do that?
* Each time, I got body aches in my muscles. Like I'd been working out A LOT! (For the record- I don't!) It hit me the hardest in my shoulders and upper back. I couldn't stand anyone or anything to touch me for a couple of days. The last time it also felt like I had done a million squats. My thigh muscles hurt to even think about them.
* Then there's the skin peeling problem. The first couple chemo treatments it was on my hands but by the 4th, it moved to my feet. The skin peeled the worst around my heels. It was deep and buggy!
* For a week or so, I would end up with a bad case of cotton mouth. I couldn't seem to get enough to drink.
* Then I know it seems contradictory but I also would have a vast amount of extra saliva. I  would end up with a big puddle of drool on my pillow quite often. Gross!
* While we are in the mouth region, I'll mention the lovely mouth sores. By week two of one cycle, it had sorely affected the cells in my mouth. Tooth aches, sensitive/bleeding gums and un-heal-able canker sores are the funnest! NOT
* Sometimes my eyes would have a hard time focusing. That could be because I'm too lazy to go get glasses again. But dang it! I haven't had them since high school and I am blaming it on Cancer treatment. Cuz I can! LOL
* I heard a lot about bone pain but I never had to endure the Neulasta shot so I can't complain much about this one. I think I would lump my bone pain in with the achy body stuff. At some point the pain all blurs together.
* Next, Chemo stinks. It IS poison afterall. I could smell it on me. In my urine, in my body odor, it my breath. Stinky!
* Embarrassing but this has to be noted-- the dreaded Chemo Toots. It takes on a life of it's own! TMI, I know!
* I've heard about the diarrhea/constipation scare of chemo treatment. I would have to say that I was pretty lucky with this issue. I think that had to do with drinking tons. However, I have mentioned and will mention again my strong loving feelings towards the makers of Preparation-H. Harder bowel movements caused major hemorrhoids for me during one of the treatments. Horrendous!
* I ended up with slight bruising at the IV site. For the most part, the nurses did an excellent job. No complaints. Nonetheless, there was still a very sharp object stuck in a tiny vein of my hand for 6 hours every 3 weeks pumping poison into my blood stream. Poor little vein! I would ache and turn black and blue too! ;(
* By the 4th treatment, I would wake up several times with eyes kinda goopy and shut. Nothing that wiping them out didn't clear up but list worthy anyhow.
* Oh then the Menopausal symptoms known as hot flashes. Normally I am a freezing kind of person! Freezing enough to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into my socks every night to bed. LOL But during chemo- oh my heavens! To start, I never slept with socks and if anything I would wear short sleeves and some shorts. When a hot flash hit- I would tear off the blanket and pray the air conditioning would turn on. And if Brett even looked at me- he would raise my temp. (Seriously, he is a furnace!) So he had to look the other way for 3 months. Sorry, love!
* Another contradiction-seeming occurrence but I also had times when I thought I would freeze to death. Couldn't warm up to save my life. Thanks heavens I did Chemo during the Summer. Can you imagine? [Those who have survived a Fargo Winter will empathize. LOL]
* This has to be mentioned. The lovely Chemonesia- a type of brain cramp as I like to call it. It wasnt as bad as I had expected but there were times that I had things to say that couldn't quite process correctly. So I either sounded really stupid or had to do the "Oh never mind- I don't know what I was saying" line. Just call me the brainiac of this operation!
* With this one, I give you permission to not feel bad for me. With chemo, I have had no menstrual cycle. I should be and am partly grateful for this one. However with all the enjoyment of not enduring the lovely monthly ritual, it is also just a reminder that life is NOT normal. So onto the nasty effects list you go.
* The real sucky thing about no menstrual cycle during chemo for me was that I still had a very bad case of total PMS. Not all the time but I had my moments of mood swings, irritation, irrational behavior, etc, etc. Beware! Stay out of my way people!
* OK- one last thing to mention before I go on with my life. Baldness. Really, really, really nasty side effect of Chemo. Wigs are fun to try but they get old fast! Scarfs, hats- also fun but not when it comes done to a HAVE to situation. Let it be known that they are hot and itchy and a pain for the daily usage purposes. AND for the record- at least in women "Bald is NOT beautiful". Just saying!
* P.S. Thinning eyebrows- not that I had very many to begin with but this does deserve to be on the list.

Wow! That is a one depressing list! Who would choose to go through that??? BIG LOL!!! Oh I guess I did. And really like I said, I can't believe it's already over. Seriously I can't! Most of these happened at different times. They never happened all at once at least. All in all- it wasn't that bad. It's do-able, let's say. But so glad it's over and DONE!!!! Onto better things, right?

Final Date with a Space(wo)man- Chemo Day #4

Chemo Treatment #4-
Last one! Yeah!

This morning, we stopped by McDees for a little breakfast takeout so we ended up running a little late for our appointment. We even got a call on my cell phone from the RMCC to see if we were coming. Oops! I told them we were almost there. I teased Brett after I hung up that I should have havetold the nurse to tell Dr. Panwalker to go in my room and take a 10 minute break and we'd be right there. That would have been funny! When we got there and the nurse was getting me all checked in, she actually said to us- "Don't tell me you're late because you stopped at McDonalds." We laughed and told her we wouldn't tell her that then. (even if it was the truth LOL She must have seen the McDee bag ;) Then we met with Dr. Panwalker. We got my lab results back. My Absolute Segs number for this time was 7700. (Thats's up from 5500 last time and way above my 5900 even before ANY Chemo- look at me!) I asked what it meant that it was so high but Panwalker said it flucuates. Whatever that means?? LOL So instead I just got permission from him to take that as I'm awesome! He smiled and said that would be ok. [He takes my sense of humor with a grain of salt, I think] I'm sure he is so excited that this is my last day. But I'm telling you... he's gonna miss me!
 At the end of my appointment, Dr. Panwalker told me that I need to set up my next couple Herceptin treatments (I'm supposed to continue a Herceptin IV every 3 weeks for one year) and then he'd see me back in 12 weeks. That seems like forever away, doesn't it? After looking at my chart one more time, he said that Radiation might mess up my Herceptin schedule a little. I leaned close to him and boldly explained to him, "I'm NOT doing radiation, Buster!" He kind of rolled his eyes at me and then I informed him I'd talk to Dr. Bouton about it. He told me, "Great- you do that!" We have such an understanding relationship. LOL He did do his normal routine check of my lymph nodes and thumping me on my spine and my stomach. He said everything looked fine. Go me!
I think Dr. Panwalker decided to pay me back for being late because it took forever to get into the Infusion Center. Then they put me back into Solitary Confinement again. I guess they learned their lesson from putting me with other people last time. I think they discovered that I demand too much attention to have to compete with other patients. What can I say? I'm an attention seeker! LOL

While we were in the waiting room, we found out that the embrace program at Sanford allows for you to check out an IPad to try while you are at treatment. So we took them up on the offer. Brett was in 7th heaven! He played Angry Birds for the most part. Oh heaven help us if we decide to get with the times and get one of our own. LOL It was pretty cool though. I even did a little blogging on it. So neat!

Nurse Tia was my Chemo Nurse for the day. She was great. She was a sharer (maybe a little TMI but such my kind of lady! LOL) and I loved it!!! We had a great time chatting with her.

After all my pre-meds (and there was a lot of them), she got all dressed up for her Space(wo)man duties. Here we go with the icky Docetaxel/ Taxotere drug! Cross your fingers.

Brett watched me very carefully while it dripped into my IV. He kept asking, "Are you ok?" And giving me kisses and rubbing my hands while he watched the drip number go up. LOL It got to be a little bit annoying actually. We were watching R.E.D. (one of our favorites) when I  felt my heart start to race and my breathing began to be labored. Dang! I told Brett to go grab a nurse. Well at least I made it to 21 ml before I had a reaction. We really thought I was gonna make it this time. But no!!!! Stinky Docetaxel!!!! The nurses did a way better job this time at giving me the attention I deserved. LOL They brought in the red box right away! By the time they got to me my face was beat red again. They immediately turned off the machine, administered the extra red box drugs and took a million notes of my episode. ;) They hooked me up to the oxygenator and decided to hook me up to oxygen. How joy! I love things up my nose! LOL We got it under control pretty quickly. Good job! Here's my Rescue Team! Thanks ladies. You are live savers!

Tia went to talk to Dr. Panwalker about starting back up. To our surprise, he said to just skip it! WHAT? Does that mean he is just done with me? like just get this woman out of here? or did I really even need the drug in the first place? Who knows but I wasn't gonna argue about cutting 2 hours off my already LONG day. So we skipped the last treatment of the Docetaxel and went on to the Cyclophosphamide and the Herceptin. We finally got out of there about 4:15pm. What long days! Thank heavens they are over!  I even got a big Wahoo! from all the Nurses for my last day! They are the best here at the Roger Maris Cancer Center! We will miss them! (Not enough to do any more Chemo but they will always have a place in our hearts) Thank you!
Thanks also to Brett for supporting me. He has to put up with the worst part of this journey (me!) and I will always be grateful for his patience with me. Love you, Honey! XOXO

Looking ahead---We have an appointment with Dr. Bouton, our breast surgeon, on July 10th. Then we're hoping to schedule a bilateral mastectomy for the end of July or beginning of August. Wish us Luck!

Call me Metal Mouth with a Bad Attitude

I can't believe that my last Chemo is next Friday. Where has the time gone??? I must have been busy washing my hair or something? LOL
Besides a few days of sleeping my life away, the physical side effects have been minimal this go around. Hurray! We have been so blessed!
The only thing I have the right to hugely whine about is the icky metal taste in my mouth.  Someone should have started calling me "Metal Mouth" then  maybe I would have gotten some kind of superpower like Doctor Doom in Fantastic 4. Unfortunately, no one took that job upon themselves so instead these past couple weeks I just got his bad attitude as a side effect without the super powers. I seriously got jipped! [Oh and I guess I should mention that my gums are super sensitive so the extra zillion brushings I want to do to get rid of the taste just make me constantly spit blood in the sink. KUCK!]

My BAD Attitude really had nothing do with my big little bad CANCER world [however I am documenting it here since I haven't updated forever], but I definitely got a humongous case of P.M.S.!   (How is that possible when Chemo makes you stop menstruating? Really buggy!) Regardless... we have had 10 days of severe whininess, dramatic mood swings, easily offended, laziness, growling, blaming, yelling, ibuprofen popping, extra sleeping, etc. From my Family's point of view, we'll pretend that stands for Please Make her Stop! Sorry to my cute little family for a miserable week or so. Wish I had came across this quote before my rampage of ickiness but then again I probably wouldn't have listened to it anyways!

Amen, Elder Uchtdorf. Amen!!!!

Hopefully, I have gotten it out of my system. I better have because this afternoon I am heading out of town to be apart of a fabulous "Positive Thinking" Weekend with my girlfriends. AND... I am one of the speakers. (LOL. Now that is pretty funny!) Oh heaven help us! (I mean that literally!)
So... practicing what I'm about to preach- "It's gonna be AMAZING!!"

Sexy Legs

MAJOR bonus of being a Chemo patient- not shaving my legs! Any woman's dream come true! ;) The advantages of this Adventure never end! LOL

About the time that the hair on my head came out, it left my legs as well. Whatever hair was left I could pull out with the fingers. So weird! So I gave them one last shave to get what was left- and whoala! Smooth as a baby's butt! LOL Love it!

Unfortunately, Chemo patients should avoid the sun between 10am-4pm so...

they are very smooth, very sexy, very WHITE legs! 

One thing I've learned for sure is that in receiving perks in life, you can't be picky so thank you! I will be enjoying them as long as I can! ;)

Mouth Issues

I thought I would update you on how things went and how I have felt during this 2nd Chemo round.

The weekend after, I was busy as usual (we are ParTay animals, you know?) and felt fine while I was on the steroid. The next few days off the steroid (these are usually my hardest days- just being really tired), Brett went out of town. But don't think I was left without being taken care of. ;) My Life Coordinator is amazing!!!! She schedule for someone to take Glory every day ALL day. And also someone to pick the other kids up after school and keep them all until bedtime. I just slept and watched movies and blogged. There were people who came and brought me either lunch or dinner almost every day. People are so kind! I am blown away with their kindness. To tell you the truth- I was so excited when someone came by. I totally appreciated the help with the kids but being the social butterfly that I am- it got pretty lonely! So when someone came I just wanted them to stay! Thanks to those who called and chatted or came by and visited. I really appreciated it!
Brett got back on Wednesday night in time for Mutual and then didn't get back until late. Luckily, I started feeling better by then. And besides I had to gear up for our Marathon Partay Weekend Plus. Holy Talito- were we busy! Check out all our fun on our other blog- http://snomaes.blogspot.com/! (See Thursday, May 24th through June 2nd)
Other than wanting a couple naps (but that was because we were running all day) and my need to invest in a hand lotion company, LOL- things went really well. Way better than the head cold of my first Chemo round. Yeah!
Well... that was until I got Mouth Sores! I may have bit my cheek (can't remember) but regardless I ended up with a big sore on the inside of my right cheek. It turned all white and was the size of a dime or bigger. Then I had a few places along my gum line that got some red swollen sores. Ouch! But the worst part was a few sores that developed on the left side of my tongue. Oh my heavens! It hurt so badly! I couldn't eat anything unless I dosed myself up on Ibuprofen a half an hour before a meal and even then it was way painful. (I LOVE to eat food. It was so sad!) Not sure if it was because I was trying to keep my tongue from touching anything but I ended up developing a surplus of saliva. Let me tell you- there's nothing as sexy as a slobbering, bald woman! LOL Luckily drinking was still OK. Thanks to my heros, the Larsens for the awesome smoothie. It was a life saver!
I did try the usual baking soda/salt water rinse but I think I waited too long to try this to make it effective. I was going to wait until Monday to call the RMCC for some help. But the pain was so bad- I called them Friday instead. So glad I did! They prescribed me some Magic Mouthwash. Did you even know there was such a thing? Get this- It contains Benadryl, Lidocaine and Nystatin! Whew! Those are some crazy stuff!

Diphenhydramine - an antihistamine to reduce inflammation

Lidocaine - a local anesthetic to relieve pain

Nystatin- an antifungal for candidiasis

If you have ever had dental work done and had the shot to numb a certain part of your mouth- then you can sympathize with me. Every time that I swoosh that stuff- the entire inside of my mouth and my tongue goes numb for 5-10 minutes. But at least I couldn't feel the pain. LOL It took a couple days- but I am starting to feel better. Hallelujah! The sores on my tongue are all gone. YEAH!!! The ones are my gums are almost gone and the spot on my cheek isn't white anymore. Can't tell if it's getting better but it doesn't hurt as badly anymore so we'll say it is! All I care is that it is better before Friday when we pump me full of more poison. Let's pray for that!
Last thing before I end this very wordy post. Oops! Sorry! LOL
For anyone who knows me- I am not a DRUG person. I take a few Ibuprofen here and there for a headache and the occasional daily vitamin when Brett makes me ;) but other than that- I don't like to take anything. One of the bummer-ist things about cancer for me is needing to use so many things to feel normal. AND I take NOTHING in comparison to other cancer patients! (remember? I only have a little bit of cancer) Steroids, Chemo drugs, an anti-nausea prescription which fortunately I haven't needed, daily Ibuprophen, major lip moisturizer, lots of hand lotion, Prilosec (for last time), Magic Mouthwash, and let's just say- the makers of Tucks and Preparation H are my heros!!! (I know- TMI!) LOL

Shedding my Thick Skin

Just FYI, I'd like to share with you a little definition. Isn't it interesting that one little word (ok, one long hyphenated word) can be so multifaceted? LOL

thick-skinned  (thĭk'skĭnd') adj.

1. Having a thick skin or rind.

2. Not easily offended.

3. Largely unaffected by the needs and feelings of other people; insensitive.

I read somewhere that Chemo can cause your nails to fall off. YUCK! I am on a very low dose of the whimpiest chemo but it still makes me a bit nervous. So I thought I would document my beautiful, long nails before anything happens. I do like to be prepared! LOL
My smooth, long fingered hands BEFORE:

Well fortunately my nails are hanging in there. But unfortunately I have developed a bit a leprosy or something. ;) The week after a chemo treatment I can't seem to keep my poor fingers from shedding. I can put mega-moisturizer on them every hour and I still end up looking icky. What a pain! But i am grateful that it is leaving my nails alone. Let's pray it stays that way! ;) Here's parts of my hands SHEDDING my 1. thick skin:

Also interesting to go along with my little "shedding my thick skin" analogy.

I am admitting that I am not always a fun loving positive person everyday. In fact, I'm sure that my little family could complain tell you some pretty persuasive stories to the contrary. Dang! Gotta work on that. But in my defense, after my diagnosis, I worked really hard to be a little more soft spoken and flexible. That worked great for a bit. Unfortunately with each chemo, my old tendencies are returning. My poor hubby gets the brunt of my 2. easily offended chemo PMS (that's what I call my irrational, rude behavior). Whew! Hopefully I can work through that. Sorry to my cute little family!

Lastly, going through this Adventure has made me 3. largely affected by the needs and feelings of other people and hopefully a bit more sensitive those that go through medical issues. Because I have never had any major health issues, I was in the dark with how to react and what to do for people that were. I am hoping that this was God's way of allowing me to help out those in the future that face challenges. Tough way to learn that lesson but something I can do if it's His plan.
Here's one last picture of what happens to the back of my hands if I don't keep them moisturized. Crazy!

Follicly Challenged Finally!

We have totally laughed because the Day 10-14 from my first Chemo (that's the "normal" time frame for Chemo patients hair to fall out), has come and gone. In fact, I have had my 2nd Chemo treatment already, teased the doctor about it and was even growing hair back. How crazy is that???

My GI Jane look

Around Day 26 (from my 1st Chemo) I started to notice a one tiny little patch on the side of my head that was beginning to fall out. Kinda silly!

Over the next couple days, the sides began to thin but only if I wiped them off with my face cleaning pads. You couldn't really even notice except it was starting to be buggy. All those little hairs falling on my neck and face were very itchy!!!! I have way more sympathy now for all those times Justice fought me cutting his hair cuz all the little hairs were bugging him. Amen, Buddy!

I had heard that you should use a warm washcloth and wipe it off as it started coming out in order to get rid of it. So, I think it was on Day 28 that I took a shower with my washcloth for the purpose of trying to rid myself of all this hair. Let's just say- GROSS! Every time I wiped more would come out. The entire bottom rim of the tub was filled with tiny black hairs. Kucka! And it didn't even look like I had taken out any. I'm always telling people I have tons of hair but no one believes me! LOL Can you imagine if I had had my 12" of long, blonde hair. So disgusting! Well I finally gave up. I rinsed off all the hair from my body and from the tub. Then, I very careful got out, dried off everything but my head, put on a robe and stood outside leaning forward while Brett dried my head. Tons more hair came out. I ended up just sticking on my night cap so it wouldn't shed all over the place. I wore a cap or a wig for the next couple days and tried to ignore it. But then it was just too buggy.
On Day 30, not much hair was coming off onto my washcloth but, I was able to get out tons of strands of hair by simply pulling on them. They just came right out. No pain or anything- just grossness! ;) I finally went to my dear hubby to help me out. We were trying to decide how the heck we could get rid of the rest when he suggested packing tape. Tape my head? OK, Why not??? So, Brett grabbed the roll of packing tape and helped me tape off my hair. It was pretty funny! Shauna and Liberty thought it was icky. Every time Brett pulled off a new strip of tape- it was covered with hair. We laughed at the skunk stripe/reverse mohawk he gave me down the back. Too funny! After probably 50 or more times all that was left was a thin layer of blonde peach fuss. How did that happen? Where was that hiding? Shauna said it looked like a halo. Ahhhhh!

By the next day, I had to shave the peach fuss off. It was too weird and there was still a couple dark hairs left! So let the record show that on Day 31, I finally became Follicly Challenged! Nothing like me making up my own time schedule. At least we didn't shave my head in vain. LOL Here's the end result:

Breaking the Rules

Here's a good chuckle for you today! At least, we are laughing here about it!
In 2 days I go to the RMCC for my 2nd Chemo treatment.  For most cancer patients, they are bald by their 2nd treatment. However, I have had NO hair loss at all. Well except for the fact that I shaved it all off! LOL I have no bald spots and no thinning anywhere. Actually we think it is growing back!

Just for the record, here are a few things I found online about Chemotherapy and Hair loss:

Hair loss occurs because chemotherapy targets all rapidly dividing cells—healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Hair follicles, the structures in the skin filled with tiny blood vessels that make hair, are some of the fastest-growing cells in the body. If you're not in cancer treatment, your hair follicles divide every 23 to 72 hours. But as the chemo does its work against cancer cells, it also destroys hair cells. Within a few weeks of starting chemo, you may lose some or all of your hair

Chemotherapy and hair loss: What should you expect?

Hair usually begins falling out one to three weeks after you start treatment. It could fall out very quickly in clumps or gradually. You'll likely notice accumulations of loose hair on your pillow, in your hairbrush or comb, or in your sink or shower drain. Your scalp may feel tender.
Your hair loss will continue throughout your treatment and up to a few weeks afterward. Whether your hair thins or you become completely bald will depend on your treatment.
It may take several weeks after treatment for your hair to recover and begin growing again. When your hair starts to grow back, it will probably be slightly different from the hair you lost. But the difference is usually temporary. Your new hair might have a different texture or color. It might be curlier than it was before, or it could be gray until the cells that control the pigment in your hair begin functioning again

 
Also, my doctor told me that for sure I'd be losing my hair. Not to say that it won't still happen but it is pretty stinkin' funny that I may be that small percentage that doesn't. LOL I'm such a rule breaker! Oh the humor we create around here! We are SO funny!!!

Would you like a Little Bed with your Pillows?

One of the side effects of Chemo for me is the necessity of lots of pillows to go to bed. LOL It's tough to get comfy and fall asleep so I have resorted to an assortment of pillows to aid in my rest. One for my head, one above my head to keep the top of my head warm, one for between my legs, my pink BC one for my neck (Thanks KBro!), one for my arms and then of course I have to have my body pillow. It's a bit hard to find my actual bed in the midst of all the pillows. LOL Dang Chemo!

It's ALL in my Head!

I sailed through the first week post-chemo. A day or two of inward refining but nothing I can't handle. Bring it on, Chemo!

OK.... well I should learn to keep my mouth shut! Seriously! People really should tell me to keep my mouth shut! LOL
Sunday night, my Seasonal Allergies (or as Brett calls it my "yearly at the exact same time of year" bad Cold!) decided to pay me a visit. OH. MY. DEATH. OF. ME!!!!!!
Let's just say that I may have gotten out of bed for a total of 45 minutes all day Monday and Glory watched a LOT of TV! Sorry Baby! Monday night the thought crossed my mind to have Brett take me into the ER but that just really ticks me off. Can't anyone in my family be sick or injured during regular business hours???? We really suck at that! Being stubborn like I am- I decided I would wait until the morning. By the time I got up, it had started to let up a bit. So I made a call to the Roger Maris Cancer Center instead.
When my Oncology Nurse called me back, I lost it (tears to make me sound really pathetic, I guess) and asked her if I could share my list of symptoms with her. Then she could tell me if there was anything she could do for any of them. Also- she could tell me what the heck is Chemo related and what is just my Seasonal cold issues?
Here's my long, pathetic list I shared with her minus my smart alec comments. (Prepare yourself for some major whining!):
* I've taken Prilosec since Friday for the major Acid Reflux taste in my throat. It's about 90% better.
But now...
* I have a clear, runny nose that never stops.
* My mouth feels like a cotton ball all the time. Worse now that I can't breath through my nose. (I'm a nose breather, people so this is painful!)
* I've had a slight head-ache that turned into a really bad sinus head-ache.
* I am constantly having cold/hot flashes. (Bi-polar like moments less than 10 minutes apart)
* My sinuses feels swollen to double their size. I just want to constantly rub them to stop the pressure.
* My nose is running but it feels like it's burning and dry. It's starting to bleed a bit.
* I have a burning feeling like last week but now it's in my limbs and my head.
* My taste buds are completely shot. All food sucks basically! And I can't eat anything but ice cream or smoothies without tear-ing up. :(
* All my teeth feel like they need dental work done. OUCH! They all ache and have sharp pains in places. And the truth is- I already have really bad teeth so maybe I do need some dental help. (That makes me want to cry all by itself!) *NOTE to future Chemo patients- Before you start chemo- go get your teeth checked and have all problems taken care of beforehand!
* My gums are really sore.
* My tongue is raw from rubbing it on my teeth and is getting little bumps on it that aren't supposed to be there.
* Because of my sinuses dripping down my throat, I have a cough that started. It's making my ribs hurt a bit and is not helping that last 10% of my throat heal properly.
* My lips look like I have been licking them and they are all dry and chapped. Even with chap stick smeared like a clown, they don't feel any better.
* My ears are in a lot of pain. I'm a side sleeper but ANY pressure on them at all makes me want to cry. I'm having a hard time getting any sleep because 1- I can't breathe or 2- I can't get comfy at all. Then when I finally do get comfy enough to fall asleep, I have to pee! ARGGGH! (I know- waaaah!)

Brett and I teased that this may just ALL be in my head. No... I mean- it really is! Everything (all the pain and symptoms) have gone to my head! OUCH! What a pain!

Andrea, my Oncology Nurse called back later after she'd talked to Dr. Panwalker about my list with some suggestions. She said I can take an over-the-counter cold/allergy medication to fight the allergy stuff. Then she gave me a recipe for a baking soda/salt mouth rinse for my dry mouth and teeth issues. She told me that with the Chemo attacking my immune system that my body is having a hard time fighting properly. She said they think I will be feeling much better in a couple days but if not to give them a call. Fortunately by the end of the day, I could tell that I am on the mend from this mess. Hallelujah! But holy cow! I am surprised I survived- even if it's only in my head!

I'm in Charge Hair! (I mean Here- lol)

I washed my long, blond hair for the last time this morning. I don't try to dwell for too long on things during this Adventure so this moment will be no different. I actually even was a bit excited that it was the last time especially because of the 5 hours it took for the dang mop to dry. (I don't think I've used a blower dryer in over 5 years and there is no reason to start now. LOL)

In case you were not aware, Chemo attacks all your cells including those that attach your hair to your head. In 80% + chemo cases, patients lose their hair. One thing that I've heard over and over again from cancer patients was how hard it was to face Day 10-14 after their 1st Chemo when big wads of hair started coming off their heads. I heard it's one of the hardest things to face and a bit painful. (Maybe more like "I just took a really tight ponytail out of my hair" feeling) I can only imagine! Cancer is really good at taking away any resemblance of  being "in charge". Which is really irritating, by the way! So I came to the conclusion that with THIS part of cancer- I am totally in charge hair. (I mean here!) Take that Cancer!

In anticipation for my soon-to-be baldness, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands (or at least in the capable hands of my personal Barber Shop Quartet). What better time to shave my head than days before cancer can steal it from me? As a Birthday present to myself, [Happy Birthday to me!] Brett and the kids helped me shave my head. It was a little too emotional for Liberty so we let her skip the event but everyone else made it a party! (Sorry 'bout you having a bald mommy, Sis. It'll grow back, I promise!) A pair of scissors, the electric shears and a chance to cut off Mom's hair?- the kids were in heaven. We tried to make it very clear that this is NOT ok ever again or on anyone else. This will be the test to see if they really ever listen to us, right?  LOL

I experienced the whole gamut of hair styles- the Justice cut, the 13th Apostle look, the really long Mullet and then of course our final outcome: You can just call me GI Jane! And who knew I had such small cute shaped head? [I have to admit that I was a little worried with the perma-dent in the back that my dear younger brother gave to me when I was little with a screwdriver!! Crazy boys- give 'em a tool and watch out! LOL]

Victoria was really cute after- she told me she was sad that my hair was gone but it was ok cuz I needed a haircut anyways. LOL She was right! I was in desperate need of a color and haircut anyways. Look at me- I just saved myself a $100 salon visit- another fantastic unknown bonus of my cancer. Wahoo!
PS We are totally gonna pee our pants if I am part of the 20% that don't lose their hair. Wouldn't that be a kicker!? Guess we'll just say I'm just taking one for the TEAM anyways. Besides- I already bought a wig- might as well get my moneys worth from it, right?
PSS A couple days later I was trying on a few different wigs and hats and Glory was helping me take some pictures. In between each wig, she would giggle and tell me saw my "BORING" hair! I really think she meant my bald head but maybe not... Maybe to a 3 year old a bald head is boring. I'm sure she means no offense to any who are follicly challenged themselves. LOL

The Vampire Life

The first couple days post-chemo haven't been too bad. I'm a little achy and a WHOLE lot of tired! But that could be mostly because of NO SLEEP! Gotta love those Steroids! My body is tired but my brain just doesn't shut off. It's kinda like I'm embracing the Vampire Life except without the blood drinking. LOL Although I am downing the liquids like they are going out of style so perhaps I'm more vampire than I thought. ;)
A few other things to note:
* I haven't lost my appetite at all which is great but I constantly have a dry cotton-y feeling in my mouth. Gross! Even with all I'm drinking I can't get it wet enough. It's actually causing me to feel like I have a bit of a sore throat. Arggg!
* The most soreness I feel is in my mid-back and in my Gluteus Maximus. LOL! I didn't even know I had that many cells for the Chemo to kill in that area. LOL It's just like a dull achy feeling that's more irritating than anything. I'll take that over vomiting anytime though.
* The steroid should be out my system soon.  I am a little worried about the days ahead but we'll just hope for the best. Hopefully I'll finally get to sleep a bit and just take it easy! Oh yah- and be able to ParTay for my birthday! That would be a good thing!

UPDATE:
Day 4- 5: So I am living the Vampire Life WAY more than I intended! I have read/talked to several people that have had chemo before and they say it feels a little like being run over by a truck. Well... for those of us Twilight Fans that have seen Bella tranform into a Vampire in Breaking Dawn: Part One-- you know the part where all her cells start burning from the inside out- well with my first hand experience in mind, that's what I imagine being "run over by a truck" feels like. We always knew I had a "sparkly" personality just not to this extent! LOL

Insomnia & Chemo Brain

A couple things that you get privileged to experience as a cancer patient are Insomnia and Chemo Brain. Oh the joys you never knew about cancer!
First, during chemo they pump you full of Steroids the day before, the day of and the day after (and possibly an extra day if your birthday is coming up. What can I say?- my doctor loves me! LOL) to help your body fight against the effects of the chemo. You know prolong the achy, no energy, possible vomiting, diarrhea, etc, etc. Basically all the real fun stuff! LOL As a result though, your brain doesn't shut off. Middle of the night, completely exhausted but there's no OFF switch. Kind of a bummer but makes lots of time for blogging. Bonus for me! and lucky you- there's more for you to read! Wahoo!
Next, onto Chemo Brain (or Chemonesia as I like to call it). Supposedly during chemo the drugs mess with your memory and Chemo patients tend to forget things. It can be mid-sentence and the thought stops flowing. Or you simply can't remember information that you know should be there. Dang! As if 4 kids didn't suck enough brain cells from me. LOL Good thing I got a Life Coordinator on hand! So if I forget something we have planned or who you are- Call KBro, I'm sure she'll coordinate a way to fix the problem! LOL Luv ya lady!

Now for the funny part of these two things. First I asked Dr. Panwalker about Chemonesia and he said, "I'm not sure there's such a thing." I laughed and smartalec-ed back to him- "Yah- cuz you've never gone through Chemo!" He totally laughed. I'm telling you- I'm just SO funny! 
Next, I also told him that I truly believe these two gifts are actually in effect the moment you find out you have cancer. Believe me- the moment they say, "You have cancer!" you automatically get a case of insomnia and chemo brain. Seriously, who can sleep or possibly keep straight all the information that is thrown at them in the next few weeks? Don't let them fool you that these are side effects of Chemo. Poor Chemo gets blamed for it but it's really just the Nasty C word that is to thank for these wonderful gifts. Thanks a lot CANCER!

Well off to bed I go cuz it's either really late (or way early in the morning)  But who knows-- Maybe I already started chemo and I just don't remember? LOL