Monday, October 1, 2012

Catching Up with my Battle

I had planned to review an e-book I finished yesterday and it's a good one, but since some people have been asking, I thought I would take today to let you know how it goes in my battle against lung cancer.

I'm halfway through my chemotherapy.  Next week I'll have round #4 of 6 (at 3 week intervals) so I feel like I'm getting somewhere.  The bad part is that I was sicker this time so I suspect that the drugs are having a cumulative effect on my body and each treatment gets a little bit more difficult.  I had more nausea and vomiting this time, but mainly I was just plain wiped out.  That doesn't do my muscles any good since the worse I feel, the more I sit and lie down.  Now I'm due for a pretty good week in which I'll eat better and get out to walk around the yard.

My main talent during this time appears to be my ability to sleep.  I swear I could sleep around the clock every day and still be tired.  I take a nap every afternoon, then sleep like a log all night long.  Well, of course, except that I don't have bugs under me.  :)

Dave thinks my nearly bald head is cute and hysterically funny.  He's constantly rubbing my head and grinning.  Thankfully, I'm not upset about my loss of hair because for one thing I know it's just temporary.  My mother lost all of her hair permanently due to a skin disease so she wore wigs for many years.  Maybe that's why I'm not thinking this is a big deal.  I'm signed up for a class on how to tie a scarf in an attractive manner since I'm a klutz at such things but for now when I go out, I wear a baseball cap, of which I have about a zillion.

Yesterday I was sick and tired of the bad taste (chemo mouth) which lasted longer this time so I bought a box of Popsicles.  Now that was genius.  A flavor like lemonade seemed to cut through the ick and tasted really good to me.  Glad I bought a big box.

The main lesson of my disease has been how good people are and how many friends I have.  I'm on the prayer list at two local churches, one protestant and the other Roman Catholic so I have the bases covered.  :)  People know I'm avoiding crowds because my immune system is compromised so they keep in touch in other ways.  My friends are true friends who are sticking with me through whatever comes my way.

Yesterday we had an excellent example of the kindness of strangers.  We were paying at a local pharmacy and since Dave didn't have coins, I was counting the coins in my purse and came up one cent short.  As I laughed and went to grab a larger coin, a young woman behind us ask, "Do you need help?"  She was holding out a $5 bill and sincerely wanted us to take it if we needed help paying the bill.  I thanked her profusely at the time and explained that we didn't need the money, but I'm still just floored at her generosity.  Life is good, you know?

7 comments:

  1. My mother-in-law is having chemo every three weeks right now too. Her biggest complaint is the fatigue. I'm praying for both of you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara, I appreciate the update and glad to hear that you are making progress, and seem to be in the right frame of mind.....our thoughts are with you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The popsicle thing sounds brilliant! And you're on the back stretch! Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kathy, Please give my best to your mother-in-law. This isn't fun. Fatigue is really disabling I've discovered. You just push yourself to do the littlest thing and then take another nap. I wish her well.

    Diane and Jill, I appreciate your support. Popsicles are absolutely brilliant in this case, especially lemon flavored. BTW Jill, I still have one package of chocolate left. I'm savoring every bite and thinking of you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's so good to hear that you're making progress, Barbara. And I'm so glad the popsicles worked to cut through the ick!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was wondering how you are. So sorry about the sickness but glad you're sounding so positive about it all and thank goodness for the popsicles. May life continue to improve for you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Belle and Margaret, I appreciate your thoughts. I'm hoping you feel much stronger now, Margaret.

    ReplyDelete