6th Chemo: No Prob!

I had my 6th of 16 treatments on November 17 w/no issues!!! I learned that when all goes to plan, I'm done within 5 hours! Thanks again Micky for the ride home!

Bounceback was just ok.. I found out last week that:

1) I had a sinus infection (antibiotics seemed to finally kill all those sinus problems I had been experiencing for the last 2+ months!!! AND, bonus: I got my taste buds back!)

2) I've become anemic, which explains a majority of the fatigue (& I mean, lots of sleep!!!). I received a shot of Procrit which will help slowly build up the red blood cells & if necessary they'll give me a blood transfusion.

I did have some bone/muscle ache in my jaw/pelvic bones/hip & hamstrings from the treatment, but just like Jan (my oncology RN) said, it was less pain than the previous treatment and Tylenol again did the trick.

Here's a pic of my Mom joining me on November 10 (this was the one that went until almost 10pm! Thank goodness she brought goodies!):

My next treatment is scheduled AFTER Thanksgiving, on Friday November 25, so I'll get an extra day to recover & ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Love,

~Christine

5th Chemo: 1st Treatment w/Taxol

I had my 1st of 12 Taxol treatments on November 10, without reaction! This is the drug known for reactions, and I got real lucky! The major glitch this time, was the misplacement of my lab tests, so my treatment was delayed several hours while the labs were redrawn.. my Mom & I didn't make it home until 10pm!

Thank you Winnie, for being there with Jacklynn & James, that means so much to all of us!!!

The bounceback, so far, hasn't been too bad.. some soreness & sleepiness, but nothing Tylenol & rest couldn't handle!

Here's a picture from Chemo #4, I had the honor of my Dad's company during my final AC treatment:

This online journal is written specifically with my daughter & niece in mind, so I want to be honest, for their sake. Although I'm doing fine right now, I wanted to mention that these past few weeks haven't been easy. My energy level has been pretty low and the sinus congestion is wearing me down, which makes it hard to keep up with all the important things in life, but I'm learning to accept it & realize this is temporary.. I have a lot to look forward to next year! I've also been fortunate enough to make it into work a few days, which has really helped my sanity, I couldn't ask for better coworkers/friends.

I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has left messages checking on me.. Can't tell you how good it feels to be cared about, I will always remember this.

5 treatments down, 11 (weekly) to go!!!

Love,

~Christine

4th Chemo: AC Complete!!!

I completed my 4th & final treatment of AC (Adriamycin/Cytoxan) on October 27!

Bounceback this time has been tiring, but not as painful.. My chief complaint is the cough/sinus congestion... still! One of the side effects I wasn't expecting, but is working to my advantange, is losing my taste buds. It is so strange to eat and not taste.. it's taken the fun out of meals and is helping w/weight loss; which in my case, is not a bad thing!

Thank you to everyone who's hanging in there with me.. I really appreciate all the calls & cards (and the extra generosity from my Cisco friends, the gift certificates are WONDERFUL). All your special thoughts are really getting me through this!

Love,
~Christine