Holy "O"

Two days into week 5 and I'm exhausted. The cumulative nature of the side effects is true! I have to admit, I'm most comfortable when I'm lying in bed or on the couch. Overall, I am just wiped out. This past Friday and Saturday were the worst yet. The nausea was overwhelming. When I was in the shower on Saturday, my vision became blurry, I got dizzy and both my ears plugged. I got out and laid in bed for the rest of the day. I had to cancel my movie plans with Felicia because I just couldn't get over the nausea.  Things calmed down on Sunday. Just in time to have chemo again on Monday. Nick took me to chemo and radiation this time. I took Ativan to relax and drank lots of water on Sunday, but it still took two pricks to get into a vein.  My nurse actually put the IV in a vein that's in between my wrist and thumb.  My wrist is a bit sore today. It is hard open bottles.

  Chemo was definitely interesting. Besides entertaining ourselves with and angry birds battle, Nick and I had a front row seat to another patient being taken out of the chemo suite on a gurney. He was having chest pains, so they took him to the ER.  Oddly enough the building I go to for chemo is not considered the hospital (even though it's on the grounds of the Roseville hospital). So the nurses are required to call an ambulance just like you would at home. Six EMT's showed up (a little overkill?!) and took him out. He was a very cute elderly man who said "I'm still awake, I can walk!" After being convinced that the gurney is protocol, he hoped on. "Fine" he said, "but I'm not leaving here in a body bag!" Hopefully everything turned out well for him.

  I spoke with my chemo oncologist and got a prescription for what I'm calling the Holy "O"!  Tincture of Opium. That's right people, liquid opium. It's the last resort they can offer me to help with the diarrhea.  I'm supposed to take .6ml four times a day until the diarrhea stops. We'll see how long it takes! I thought it would make me loopy, but I actually don't feel anything. It doesn't even make me tired. I should say it doesn't make me more tired than I already am!  Tomorrow, I see my radiation doc, get radiation and then see my chemo doc. I learned too late on Monday that I could have switched to a higher anti-nausea drug, so I'll be reviewing my last set of IV's for chemo next Monday. Cross your fingers for me that the nausea doesn't knock me out again this weekend! It's time to begin the countdown; 3 more radiation treatments and 1 chemo! Hot friggin' dog! Once the treatments are over it will take 4-6 weeks for the side effects to go away. The radiation side effects- sunburn, inflamed organs/tissues, diarrhea, and fatigue- will take the longest to go away. Hopefully I won't need the opium that whole time! 

 So what about after treatment? I wait two months and then go back in for another PET/CT scan. The two month wait is to let my body rebuild after being torn apart for six weeks.  If the cancer shows up on the scan, then well decide what to do then. However, I know it won't!  That means it's back to living a normal cancer free life! I'll get a scan every three months for two years, then every six months for the following three years. At five years, I'll be medically cured!  Thanksgiving this week means yummy dinners with the families and the second year of black Friday shopping with my niece Brooke! We're doing it at midnight this year! 4am was brutal last year, and mornings are even harder for me now. I feel the best at night, so this Thursday night/ Friday morning should be a breeze.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays. I look forward to chilly weather, crackling fires, hot chocolate, Christmas lights and family gatherings all year long! Thanksgiving is the kick-off for me, and as you can probably guess, this year is even more special. This holiday season is going to be amazing, I can feel it. 

I need to say a great big THANK YOU! to all of my mom's colleagues at Sierra College who participated in making me an unbelievably beautiful quilt! 38 people took the time to decorate a square before they had them beautifully sewn together into a quilt. It is an extremely touching gift that I will never forget.  Thank you again to everyone who participated. 

It's time to hit the sack. Big day of doctors appointments tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy your food comas! I know I will... I love myself some stuffing!  XOXO Britni