It begins again. Day one.
I had someone ask me what I mean by the day of the cycle and I realized that not all of you reading this are chemo savvy and understand the language of chemotherapy.
My chemotherapy is on a 21 day cycle. Day one is the first day of the cycle, and for me on this Ixempra it is the day I get my entire dose of chemo. We talked about breaking it up into two doses on day one and day eight, but I decided I’d rather just be really sick all at once. So day one is today, the day I receive my chemo. I enter into this day with great trepidation but with determination that I will make it through. I have made it this far, I can certainly do it one more time. I am not looking forward to this chemo, it is such a brutal experience, but I have fabulous new shoes to fortify me. Then we just start counting the days, day two tomorrow, day three on Saturday and so on. Yesterday was day 21, the final day of the cycle. I don’t get chemotherapy on any day but day one, the rest is just survival. I start the Neupogen shots on day two and continue with those every day until my white count stabilizes and I am no longer neutropenic, usually about day 14-18. Other chemotherapies have other cycles; my chemo four years ago was on a 14 day cycle. So 21 days is not universal, it depends on the drug.
So…I mentioned the shoes. Have I talked about the shoes yet? I think I referred to them in a previous blog, but let’s review again, since this is probably the most important factor of the day. The shoes. The fabulous shoes. The crux on which the entire treatment rests. Peyton and I went shoe shopping a few weeks ago. We were unable to find that pair of shoes that screams my name and says “buy me, I am perfect for chemo!” The type of shoes I look for are unique, heeled and closed toed so I can wear them to work. Unfortunately, no opened toed shoes are allowed in my office. So, we searched, and while we found some amazing heeled opened toed or peep toed shoes, nothing with a closed toe, in my size, that fit the requirements. A quandary. What to do?
Well, Buckle had some fabulous summer sandals. And I mean fabulous, gorgeous, amazing. Peyton was dying for these rhinestone sandals and I found some sparkly ones that made me smile and my heart sing. Could we mix it up for this round? Would it jinx it or bring in a whole new dimension that we had yet to explore? I had to make a decision. Me and my daughter together, we are a force to be reckoned with. Together, we are an amazing team, a team worthy of fighting and winning a battle against cancer. So together we would stand, on this last round before my CT in new shoes. In fabulous new sandals that will carry us into the healthy days of summer, into the sunshine, into a cancer free future. Together, we stand and together we fight in our new fabulous shoes
Today is the first day I have really enjoyed a cup of coffee and it saddens me to know that tomorrow, the taste will be gone. The nausea will be back, but at least I had today. Yesterday I was actually starting to feel like myself again and Mike and I went to the Quattrocelli concert which was wonderful. Four cellist from Germany, with beautiful music, wit and humor, it was a great way to spend the evening. We ran into Nancy Lyons and her husband DJ and all sat together enjoying the company and the music. Its moments like this on which a life is built. Those times with the people you love, enjoying the things you love and the sharing that time together.
I am ready. I have my shoes on my feet (they look magnificent!), a lapis necklace around my neck that was given to me by a friend to open my heart to possibilities and a smile on my face. I can take anything that comes my way. Bring it on.
I had someone ask me what I mean by the day of the cycle and I realized that not all of you reading this are chemo savvy and understand the language of chemotherapy.
My chemotherapy is on a 21 day cycle. Day one is the first day of the cycle, and for me on this Ixempra it is the day I get my entire dose of chemo. We talked about breaking it up into two doses on day one and day eight, but I decided I’d rather just be really sick all at once. So day one is today, the day I receive my chemo. I enter into this day with great trepidation but with determination that I will make it through. I have made it this far, I can certainly do it one more time. I am not looking forward to this chemo, it is such a brutal experience, but I have fabulous new shoes to fortify me. Then we just start counting the days, day two tomorrow, day three on Saturday and so on. Yesterday was day 21, the final day of the cycle. I don’t get chemotherapy on any day but day one, the rest is just survival. I start the Neupogen shots on day two and continue with those every day until my white count stabilizes and I am no longer neutropenic, usually about day 14-18. Other chemotherapies have other cycles; my chemo four years ago was on a 14 day cycle. So 21 days is not universal, it depends on the drug.
So…I mentioned the shoes. Have I talked about the shoes yet? I think I referred to them in a previous blog, but let’s review again, since this is probably the most important factor of the day. The shoes. The fabulous shoes. The crux on which the entire treatment rests. Peyton and I went shoe shopping a few weeks ago. We were unable to find that pair of shoes that screams my name and says “buy me, I am perfect for chemo!” The type of shoes I look for are unique, heeled and closed toed so I can wear them to work. Unfortunately, no opened toed shoes are allowed in my office. So, we searched, and while we found some amazing heeled opened toed or peep toed shoes, nothing with a closed toe, in my size, that fit the requirements. A quandary. What to do?
Well, Buckle had some fabulous summer sandals. And I mean fabulous, gorgeous, amazing. Peyton was dying for these rhinestone sandals and I found some sparkly ones that made me smile and my heart sing. Could we mix it up for this round? Would it jinx it or bring in a whole new dimension that we had yet to explore? I had to make a decision. Me and my daughter together, we are a force to be reckoned with. Together, we are an amazing team, a team worthy of fighting and winning a battle against cancer. So together we would stand, on this last round before my CT in new shoes. In fabulous new sandals that will carry us into the healthy days of summer, into the sunshine, into a cancer free future. Together, we stand and together we fight in our new fabulous shoesToday is the first day I have really enjoyed a cup of coffee and it saddens me to know that tomorrow, the taste will be gone. The nausea will be back, but at least I had today. Yesterday I was actually starting to feel like myself again and Mike and I went to the Quattrocelli concert which was wonderful. Four cellist from Germany, with beautiful music, wit and humor, it was a great way to spend the evening. We ran into Nancy Lyons and her husband DJ and all sat together enjoying the company and the music. Its moments like this on which a life is built. Those times with the people you love, enjoying the things you love and the sharing that time together.
I am ready. I have my shoes on my feet (they look magnificent!), a lapis necklace around my neck that was given to me by a friend to open my heart to possibilities and a smile on my face. I can take anything that comes my way. Bring it on.
