Time away from Chemo

Six months ago to the day, I was sitting in the chemo chair getting my last dose of treatment. I had a bald head, and feeling quite emotional for making it through everything that I had faced since my July 2020 cancer diagnosis.  Ringing the Cancer Bell for the final time... There is an overjoyed sense of relief that you are done... but then chemo starts to do its thing to work internally. The chemo flashes where your whole head gets hot, the cold flashes where your whole body is freezing. Michael would laugh at me sitting in a 24c temperature under my cancer blankie, then I would drop dead to the world into an exhaustion sleep, only to wake up 3 hours later wondering who and where I am. Feeling like sh*t was the norm, taking my anti-barf pills to fight nausea (and I still take them sometimes), and the metal chemical taste that lingers way longer than I think it should have.  Thankfully, I was provided with the rinse bottle and simple mouthwash recipe which helped a lot with that metal taste, and fighting off thrush infection.

I'm sharing the recipe here with you because it's good for sore throat, canker sores, and a quick mouth refresh.

Needed:  large water bottle or jar
1 bottle 500ml water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:  combine ingredients and shake well.  Good for 24 hours.

Neuropathy in the feet continue to be a big issue for me, and it leads to insomina, which leads to being overtired and exhausted.  The dreaded chemo brain leaves you mentally frustrated of not being able to get out what you want to say, or just losing a whole conversation and looking blank at the person because I lost my whole frame of reference to what in the hell we were talking about.  I am definitely not the person I was before this all started, but my chemo doctor says the best treatment for those post-treatment symptoms is time away from chemo, so that is what we will do!  Wait and see how it goes.

Having my second round of scans and meeting with my chemo doctor on August 6th, she said I was progressing as expected, and I seem to be doing things right... trying to become more active, trying to exercise physically and mentally, and resting when I need to.  My scans reinforced the positive results that I can say I am 6 months cancer-free tomorrow, August 17th.  BUT, we monitor my heart, lungs, liver, bladder, and hip bone to make sure I don't light up like a glow stick.  

Although I'm very pleased... feeling the sense of overjoy eludes me somewhat because they fail to tell you about the days where chemo blues take over.  Those days are a right-off.  Otherwise, I say I'm doing good.  I am rebuilding strength and mental capacity.  My hair is growing back with chemo curls, and I am getting lovely compliments on it.  I told Michael that people pay to get white tips and I got them for free.  He reminded me that it wasn't for free... yes, I guess it wasn't.  It was probably a far greater price to pay then getting it done at the salon.

Despite the ups and downs in my journey with cancer, I have found tremendous support from family and friends, and even strangers during this past year.  When I went public about my cancer, I wanted to help build awareness, and it helped me to talk about it.  I was amazed how by starting the conversation, I have reconnected with family and friends going through the same journey.  I have also met some lovely ladies through social media who shared my timeline for treatments, and have become friends from around the world.  We have commiserated and cheered, we have cried and laughed, and still we persevere without much choice but to carry on regardless.  Hugs to all my cancer sisters and brothers xo 

Always in my heart remain the ones who fought and didn’t make it through treatment, and their families who have experienced the heartbreaking loss, something of which I can relate to as well.  

OMG, what a year it has been!!  Look at me now 6 months after treatments, still just carrying on regardless.  And yes, the best medicine now is time away from chemo.

https://youtu.be/aOkNxoEfnuo