If you aren’t following me on Instagram or my Facebook page, you might not have heard that I did not make it to my chemo infusion this past Monday. I was extremely nauseous and had gotten very little sleep the night before. It also felt like -32 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so I felt the wisest thing was to reschedule.
I ended up moving back home Tuesday afternoon, as the flu hit at my parents’ house. That’s where the above picture is from -- My medical evacuation! I threw on comfy clothes, my old boots, a wig and a mask. Apparently, it wasn’t a great look. My husband called me “cancer cowgirl.” I’m still not convinced it won’t become a trend.
I was able to reschedule my infusion for Thursday at 10:15 am. Thankfully I was feeling better by then.
All went well and I now only have FOUR more rounds of chemo left! Is anyone else crying/screaming for joy over this?! My schedule has been altered since I had to change my chemo this past week, meaning I am not sure yet what the exact date of my last chemo will be. Tomorrow I will meet with my Nurse Practitioner at 12:15 pm but my infusion was rescheduled to Wednesday, January 30th at 12:45 pm. Side note: I received a phone call today that my oncologist has the flu -- please be praying for her to have a quick recovery!
This week has been hard, there's no way around that. I was unable to go to my younger sister's baby shower on Saturday because I didn't feel it would be smart to be in a big crowd. But on the upside, my fantastic cousin Rachel offered to FaceTime me from the event. I decided to get dressed and put some makeup on, as if I was actually going to be there.
It was wonderful to see so many of my cousins and aunts (and some friends) over video! I am so blessed to have an amazing family. I've missed them greatly so it was definitely special to see their smiles!
I had one request of my sister -- I wanted to take a picture together at the baby shower. I think the result is pretty special and will make for a funny memory.
Saturday night I was experiencing some gastro-intestinal discomfort that gave me a good scare. I'm so grateful for how calm Ricky is able to stay in these moments. He was able to get me into bed and eventually I fell asleep.
I am still nauseous today but I am feeling better. I think at this point, the side effects are what they are and I just need to press through the next few weeks.
There's one other happy moment I wanted to share with you all. My oldest niece (I'll call her J) has learned how to FaceTime. She has called me several times this week and I cannot explain how much joy these calls have brought me! We set up a date for 1 pm one day and she called me at 12:40 pm, saying "I just couldn't wait any longer!"
One of my greatest fears when I found out I needed chemo was that I would miss out on spending quality time with my nieces and nephews for almost half a year. This was a devastating thought. Considering J is only 7 years old, L is 6 and H just turned one (nephew number two will be born in March!), I didn't know how they would respond to my cancer (I mean, age doesn't really matter when it comes to cancer; we all have unique responses but I was more concerned they'd be scared of how I looked, etc). But they have been nothing but love and sunshine in my life. L and H also get on FaceTime with me every once in a while, providing much needed laughs!
So to sum things up, I am ending this week on a good note and I am ready to continue kicking cancer's butt!
Updates & Prayer Requests:
Please pray for the health of my family. Seeing the ones you love come down with the flu is not fun and I miss them a lot!
Please pray for my continued protection from the flu and other illness! I want to stay on schedule and finish chemo ASAP!
One of the possible side effects of chemo has to do with changes in your nails. I have been thrilled that up until now the only thing I've noticed was increased brittleness. This week my thumbnails started to hurt and I noticed some dark lines under the nail. Please pray this doesn't get worse.
My acid reflux has been pretty awful. Please pray for some relief.
I believe I will find out about scheduling my imaging at tomorrow's appointment. I will keep you posted!
I found out I will get about a month off between chemo and surgery! That puts surgery sometime in mid-March.
We are approaching the finish line and I can't help but feel excited!
All my love,
P.S. I will hopefully be making some changes to my shop very soon, so I would like to clear out some of my current inventory! For the rest of January I am offering free shipping on orders over $19 (coupon code: January19)! Please take a minute to check it out and shop!
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