Chapter Two: Bald and Bossy

As expected, my hair has started to fall out. Not noticeable, unless you're eating dinner I prepared, using my shower or sleeping in my bed. Lucky for you, only Reed is fortunate enough to enjoy those three luxuries. Besides the gross factor of hair everywhere it's not supposed to be there's the hurt factor. For the last couple of days my scalp has been really sensitive and sore. It felt like I had been wearing a tight pony tail for the last 30 days and just let it down. Not comfy. So today Lisa called to see if the girls could stay the night. Which of course they couldn't get there fast enough! They had all kinds of plans for their big sleep over...Patterson's littlest pet shop collection, bowers (for those of you that are not familiar with a bower it's a bath/shower) and reading books until they all fall asleep in the really big bed. Anyway...on our way home mom and I were discussing my hair situation. I decided we should stop in and see Kim, the most wonderful hair stylist EVER! Timing couldn't have been better...she was just finishing up for the day. So now I'm bald...well...almost! Important part is that my head doesn't hurt anymore and I'm not tripping over wads of hair on the floor.
So as you can see...sleeping is a problem. It's 2:45am and I'm awake. So let's catch up.
Monday was a really nice trip to Greenville for a bone scan. And no...I'm not joking. It really was nice...because of two super sweet friends that spent their entire day with me. Karen and Denise volunteered to take me and even though it was extremely uneventful it was so nice! My mom usually takes me, and as much as I love it was nice to catch up on what's going on outside my house!
Wednesday, Cindy the Saint (aka my mom) took me to Greenville to have this port put in. It's really pretty cool. It's a little round disc like thing under my skin up near my collar bone that has a line that feeds right into a vein in my chest. From now on anytime I need an IV or blood work they can just stick a needle into this port and it's supposed to be so much easier on me. I don't know why but they have had a really hard time getting a vein. If you don't believe me ask Karen and Denise, they witnessed me being poked by several nurses and even led down the hall to another department where that nurse finally got it...after a couple of tries. The surgery itself to put this thing in actually hurts a little more than I expected and I've had the worst headache yet. So Thursday and Friday I was in bed...story of my life! Today I felt much better...now I can't sleep!
This Thursday, March 25th, my birthday...second Chemo treatment. The only thing to do about that is to turn it into a fun trip. So Elizabeth Robbins and I are heading to Greenville Wednesday to do whatever we want. Translation...Target, Shoe Crate, TJ Maxx just to name a few and start my birthday off with the breakfast of champions...Cracker Barrel! I don't know what it is about the Cracker Barrel but I can't imagine chemo without it!
Of course Firday is Brandy's Pretty in Pink fundraiser party. And I want to go more than anything! I've already got my outfit picked out. Hopefully I can make it for a few minutes.
Well...I guess I'll go catch up on Days of Our Lives. Reed will be leaving in about an hour to go fishing. Maybe I'll have his coffee ready for him when he comes downstairs!

Well, it's been a little over a week since my first chemo treatment and I've done surprisingly well! I have been so blessed...I haven't felt sick! Of all the possible side effects...and trust me, there are some scary ones...the only ones I've experienced are fatigue and headaches. The fatigue has been the worst of the two. I have literally slept for DAYS!!! I got my treatment on Thursday and slept until Monday afternoon! And even then I took several naps a day. I'm getting my energy back a little more each day. Now I just have this headache that sometimes keeps me in the bed. But overall, I feel like it's nothing I can't handle!
I went to the doctor this past Thursday just to have my blood levels checked. Well, my white blood count is pretty low (that's what fights infection.) I could get sick very easily and it would be pretty bad. Apparently, even a little cold could send me to the hospital. So...anytime I go out in public I'm supposed to wear a mask. That's why I wasn't at the spag dinner Thursday night. I was planning on coming and I really, REALLY wanted to but just couldn't risk getting sick. Never mind the fact that on my way TO the doctor I stopped into preschool and saw all my kids in PMO that I miss soooooo much and kissed all 8 of those snotty little angels! I don't even care...it was so nice to see them. Anyway...my house is my sanctuary. This is where I'll spend a lot of time over the next 17 weeks. I've decided that I need a hobby while I'm on house arrest...so I'm starting a garden.
The doctor has also decided to put in a port. This is a little disc like thing that will be under my skin up by my collar bone that feeds right into a vein. They had such a hard time getting an IV in last time that they're concerned about the Taxotere damaging my veins and possibly having to miss some treatments. (I guess I'd be a terrible heroin addict. What would I do if I couldn't shoot up?) It is supposed to make my life so much easier, especially since I hate needles so much. They can even draw blood from the port.
So I'll end my post with a sweet story from my precious little girls. Willa came up to me one day and said, "Mommy, you have no boobies?" "No baby, mommy has no boobies." So she pulls out her shirt and looks down and says, "You want one mine?" Then Madison comes running out of the office (still not sure how she found her way out of there) and says, "You can have one of mine too!" As crazy as they are, they are so sweet! Some people would give you the shirt off their back. My children would give you the boobies off their chest! If that ain't love I don't know what is!

First Chemo Treatment...

So today was the day. Overall...okay. Started out a little rough. The nurse had a really hard time getting the IV in and had to try two different spots. And as I said before...I HATE needles! So that was a little tough. Then I got a couple of things through the IV before the chemo drugs. One of them was Benadryl. That hurt like crazy...and I got a rash around the IV. So then they started one Chemo drug. That went fine. Second Chemo drug...not so fine. They told me that there could be some side effects and what they might be but they didn't make it seem like a big deal. So when I started having a hard time breathing and having back pain I just sucked it up and dealt with it. After a couple of minutes it passed. They came to see how I was doing and if I had any side effects. So I said, "Yes. I was having a hard time breathing and having some back pain...but it's gone now." She looked at me like I had 4 heads and wouldn't leave my side for a while. From there it was fine. So far I feel fine, just a little off. Not really sick in my stomach, just off. The next couple of days are supposed to be the hardest so we'll just have to wait and see.
Had the brain MRI and the full body CT scan yesterday. Got the results today. Dr. White was very frustrated with the radiologists because she felt like he was reading too much into the scans. He saw all these small spots...too small to measure...which she said was probably just scar tissue and nothing to worry about. However, I will have to have another CT scan in 3 months.
So...we're off to a good start! I've got a long way to go and it certainly isn't going to be fun but I can do it!