Wednesday evening

Last night, for the first time in weeks, I slept the entire night. I didn’t get awakened by the dog wanting to go out. I didn’t get awakened from being too cold or too hot. I didn’t get awakened by any mysterious crashes from my sons’ rooms. Today I feel great--comparatively speaking, anyway!

This is the first full week of chemo and radiation and I think it will give me a good idea of what to expect for the rest of this phase. Today is the 3rd day after a chemo treatment; traditionally the day known for its butt-kicking abilities. (I was fine in the morning, and faded a bit in the afternoon, and then turned down a dinner invitation in the evening because I just didn't feel up to going.) The chemo takes about ½ the time to administer as before; there’s less happy juice and the immediate physical effects are much less, too. (I get to drive myself home this time! Yippee!!)

The radiation makes me tired, fatigued, lethargic, and all those other words that mean “no energy”. I understand that radiation is cumulative; that is, every zap adds to the one before, so I’m going to get REAL tired before this is all over. Something else I’ve noticed, too, with the radiation: The actual radiation is completely painless, but afterward, my chest hurts, and my jaw and ear tend to hurt. (This is referred pain since the tumor itself has no nerve endings, and the sensation has to be felt somewhere.) I asked my doctor about the pain and he said that some people are more sensitive to radiation than others and make more pain receptor cells, or it could be that the tumor is shrinking, and pressing on different nerves, but we can't know for sure. I know which one I'm going to believe. It also may just go away after a few more treatments. I remember coughing violently after the first 2 solo chemo treatments, and that eventually went away, so maybe this will, too.

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for my call, it may be coming soon. Don’t go away! I still have lots more radiation to go, and surgery is upcoming, after which I’ll be recuperating at home for a month. So if I haven’t been in touch before then, I probably will be at that point.

Thanks for being here. I could not do this alone, and I know it, and I truly appreciate all the help and support I’ve been given. Y’all are the best!  ¶ 5:16 PM