December update

3 December 2009
No hair for my hairbrush

I am now bald.

2 December 2009
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

A couple people have pointed out that R’s Zodiac sign is Cancer. My Zodiac sign is Sagittarius. If there were any significance to astrology, then if R lost a battle to cancer, I would lose a battle to an archer. Highly unlikely, right? So there you go.

2 December 2009
Lunch Noodles

I had pho for lunch for the first time in ages. I stayed too long at work and got too tired but am recovering now.

1 December 2009
Bleomycin

Feeling a little funny/tired from today’s chemo, but with an extra Ativan or two I think I’ve mostly recovered and will be back up to full speed tomorrow. (I finished a cool work project, too!)

1 December 2009
Om Nom Nom

R’s appetite is starting to get back to normal. We’ve heard ubiquitously from both medical professionals and cancer survivors about how chemo wiggity-whacks your tastebuds and how it’s hard to want to eat anything even if you can keep it down. But, relatively speaking, it hasn’t been too horrible for R. Since last week he’s kept everything down and has even had a hankering for a few things in particular. A couple of days ago he told me that he was thinking about how good it would be to smell tacos cooking. So tonight we made tacos. Mmmmm.

Doc says it’s a marker that the treatment’s working.


1 December 2009
Outpatient Chemo

Didn’t get out of bed last night for the first time since pre-cancer (although I did wake up a few times), and was less sweaty than normal. Outpatient chemo was a lot of waiting because the office was backed up and they had to flush my matrix plug, but everything worked fine after that.

30 November 2009
Full Day of Work

First full day of work in the office since chemo—I even went to lunch with the team. Tired now though, but excited to do it again tomorrow.

30 November 2009
Poem #657

I found this poem in a book I read while we were on vacation two months ago. I’ve always loved Dickinson. In my reading notebook I wrote about how this is a poem of how R lives life. Creative, present, and with a rich, practical imagination of the Possible.

29 November 2009
Energy Levels Rising

Still sweating through the night, but I’m eating regular meals now and feeling pretty good most of the day.

29 November 2009
Ready Already

Monday, 7 December is the earliest that R can start chemo again, but last night he said he felt ready to start it again this Monday. Thanksgiving was his lowest day — he was wrung out and lethargic — but he didn’t stay low for long. (The typical chemo low is from days 10 to 14 after day 1 of chemo. Thanksgiving was day 10.) On Black Friday he was already starting to feel better, well enough to sit up at the table for some games. My mother sent Ticket to Ride, Europe to me as an early birthday present after I mentioned that we planned to stay in and play lots of games while my brother N and sister L were here for Thanksgiving. We’re so glad they came.