Slash, Poison and Burn
It's been a week and a half since my last chemo... that last one really knocked me on my @(#. Maybe it's because I'm fighting a dang cold too. (Well, I say allergies, DH says cold; wait I just read that a cough could be a side effect, so maybe it's just that - the doc didn't seem too alarmed) But geeze, I just want to sleep. Eating is a chore, and everything smells terrible. Luckily, I never got the mouth sores that were possible, however, I did get sores in my nose (no more nose pickin' for a while). I wonder what my digestive tract looks like... eek gads!

Now that I'm done with a portion of the treatment, here's a rundown of the symptoms I experienced the past few months: nose sores, food aversions, waves of nausea, constipation, headaches, dizzyness, gas (oops, sorry), horribly dry mouth, cough, depression (to some point), dry eyes, fatique, hair loss (I can't believe I almost forgot that one), heartburn, low blood counts, dry skin, and taste changes. And DH would probably say (or yell) irritability.

This being breast cancer awareness month, there's a lot of articles out there on the topic. The one that really interests me is the new drug they have coming out that could replace chemo for breast and lung cancer patients in that it targets the tumor and chemo would not be necessary. wow, wouldn't that be nice. No more poison in the Slash, Poison and Burn equation!

Ponderings
Life is easier with friends and family;
Friends can be family and family can be friends.
I miss the feel and smell of my hair...
I can finally eat what I want and not gain weight (I'm sure this is temporary);
Cake for breakfast settles the stomach;
I could always be worse... really!
Kids are a lot of work; but worth it (this from staying at my sister's)
Kids are always honest (well, maybe just the ones under 5).
Life is still good with only 10 pairs of shoes.
You really do need more then 1 pair of jeans.
We are all braver and more resilient then we think.
I need a vacation...
some place tropical.
Courage is doing something you fear...
Hope is essential.
Do a self-exam once a month.
Yes, we do need several pairs/styles of black pants.
Cake or frosting first? Both at the same time!

Walked for Hope
I did the Walk yesterday... my sister, DH, and 2 SIL's joined me. Thanks again everyone for all your support. By the way, I reached my goal of $1000; but I'm still taking donations ;).

It was an interesting day. I've done these walks before, in fact several, but never through the eyes of a survivor. I was awed, saddened, and (oh gosh, here it goes) dare I say, could feel the ... love.
It was sad that there are so many people out there that suffer with cancer; I was awed that all those people did this for me (and by "me", I mean all people that deal with cancer) (heck, these people got up at 6AM on a sunday!); and the love comes from the great group of cancer survivors I met that are so courageous, so giving, so welcoming, and so inspiring. Some times I felt like crying from saddness and other times from happiness.

I posed with the other survivors for the survivor photos in which I took off my cap and felt very proud to be among so many other survivors.

And they even had a survivors' cake! (I had 2 pieces)

Cake?
ah.... so glad it is friday, and I'm starting to feel like a human again.

Had the MRI yesterday, it wasn't too bad. DH was a real trooper and kept in eye contact with me so that I knew if there was an earthquake or some disaster, he'd get me out of that machine! With luck, next week, I'll hear that the MRI was clear and that a second surgery isn't necessary. Although surgery sure sounds a heck of a lot easier then chemo! Boy, that chemo puts a lot into perspective on what you can REALLY deal with! Surgery would be a piece of cake.

This weekend will consist of a visit to my parents' before they head off to AZ; and the City of Hope Walk. After that, some ice cream and a nap. Oh, and I've been thinking about some cake, that does sound good!

Support the Fight
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month .... and I'm soliciting $$ (again) for my upcoming walk... this Sunday at City of Hope. Please help me reach my goal. Donate now
and many thanks to all of you who have so generously donated to date!!

I have to keep reminding myself I'm half way there... cause I feel like crap this week. Most of my eyelashes have fallen out so, with the dry air and wind, my eyes are constanting hurting. Maybe I should get a pair of horse blinders...

I didn't go into work yesterday and slept until 1:30PM, don't think i've every done that! Some days I think that if I didn't have work to get up for, I'd probably just stay in bed and feel sorry for myself, then I think of all those cancer patients I see all the time at City of Hope who spend YEARS fighting this disease and feel lucky! I'm half way there..... half way there... half way there....