Round One

People, I finished my first round of chemotherapy! Last Friday, I started a regimen of Adriamycin and Cytoxan, plus a kabillion or so anti-nausea drugs to go along with the chemo.

Symptoms and side effects, it seems, vary widely from one person to another, even when those people are on the same drugs and dosage levels. Here's what I had: a painful tummy (that's still there), a headache (mostly gone now), a strong need to sleep at all times, feeling like I had the flu, complete with aches and pains, and "chemo brain."

I have heard the term "chemo brain," but not from the doctors or nurses who educated me All About Chemotherapy. My brain seriously felt as though it was functioning at about 40% of its usual capacity, and it continued to climb upward from chemo day until I finally feel almost back to normal today -- maybe 90%? Or maybe I just like that "chemo brain" as an excuse for my typical forgetfulness?

The day after chemo, I visited the hospital again for a shot of Neulasta, which is another one of the many miracle drugs I am lucky enough to receive. Neulasta helps my body create more white blood cells so that I'm not quite so vulnerable to infection. It makes my bones ache, but no worse than a regular trip to the gym, really. Still, I enjoy Lysol and hand sanitizer very much these days, and I think my boys are tired of me telling them to wash their hands.

My hair is still attached to my head, but the nurses refer to the Adriamycin as the "automatic hair removal system," so I expect to start losing it next week, and George has promised to shave it when it's all falling out. Even though Courtney looked great with no hair, I am not so optimistic for myself and am not looking forward to that day!

I feel well enough now that we can celebrate Ro's birthday this weekend, and I hope to get caught up on life again next week before round two: on September 19.