Schools Out For Summer!

It’s that time again, 6 weeks summer holiday.  Which means both kiddies at home to entertain.  First port of call was Nana Jean and Grandad Chris for 3 days in sunny Devon. I started my injections again on the Saturday which I have to take for 5 days in a row, they tell my bone marrow to keep producing white blood cells as they take a battering from the toxic drugs.  This is why your immune system gets so low during chemotherapy.  I have to administer these injections myself, not something I enjoy! They make your body ache, like seriously ache.  This time was much worse than last round, I couldn’t bare anyone touching me as it felt like I was bruised from head to toe.  Day 2 wasn’t as bad and by day 3 of these injections I felt ok.

We spent a day on the beach at Exmouth in glorious sunshine and had another first, putting suncream on my head, vlol! Heading home we stopped via Gloucester for the night in a hotel.  Kids had a fun time with daddy in the swimming pool while I enjoyed a couple of hours playing in the gym.  First one I’ve been in for quite a few years.  We have a garage gym at home to save on gym fees plus I find it easier to roll out of bed and into the garage 🙂

The rest of the week was spent catching up with old friends from Jeddah and more grandparents and cousins.   It’s none stop this week.  Camping at our annual family festival next week, Starry Skies so we are all excited about that.

Round 2 day 12 and I’m feeling much more like my normal self again.  Side effects have been another mixed bag this time.  My steroids have been reduced which have made a huge difference, not so spaced out or physically shaking.  No sickness or nausea, heartburn but have controlled it better this time and (touch wood) no ulcers yet as I have prescribed mouth wash which I have been using.  That seems to have helped too with the awful taste I get in my mouth.  It’s still there but not as bad as last round.  Definitely felt more tired this time but still nothing I can’t handle.  Looking forward to a week of feeling good before it all starts again in round 3.

Someone switch it off!

So it’s almost 4am here and my brain has not turned off since I woke at 2am!! It’s just been going around and around……nothing too stressful but still very annoying when you are actually tired and want to sleep.

I’m now day 3 into round 2 of chemo.  Went in on day 1 probably feeling more relaxed than last time as I knew what to expect plus didn’t have the added time of cold capping obviously after losing my hair over the weekend.  Time wise it only took an hour and half which was much better.  I had a flick through a wig catalogue and I am allowed to choose 3 then I get to keep one for free, good old NHS! Can’t complain on that front.  So watch this space, hoping they arrive in the next week 🙂

Left he hospital in my usual Prosecco like headed state and we walked in to town for a light lunch in my favourite coffee house Bear.  By the time we got back it was almost school run so hubby went to pick up Reubs from his friends house and Millie from school.  By 4/5pm I felt like I had the worst hangover you could ever imagine! It hit me like a brick wall.  I managed to eat some dinner to her with the nausea feeling in my tummy and lay down on the sofa.  Couldn’t hack that for long to trundled off to bed at 8:30pm.  I was out for the count and slept like a log, so much so that I was up late! Haha typical.

Yesterday was much better, felt fine, took drugs and even managed a weight session in the gym.  Took little man for a walk into town later in the afternoon.  They decided to reduce the dosage of my steroids as I felt so spaced out and shaky last time.  I fell its made a huge difference as felt much better.  Still no sickness, so touch wood the drugs are doing their job.

So today is another day, mine has started just a tad early.  Am planning on going back to bed now even to get an hour or two.

Hair today…..gone tomorrow

Now I’m at the other end of round 1 about to start round 2.  It has been a rollercoaster of a ride the past 3 weeks.  Nothing I couldn’t handle, side effects were managed really well although I did have some days where I felt like Alice in Wonderland on an acid trip! Touch wood, no nausea or sickness only a mouth ulcer to cope with and the most appalling taste in my mouth.  But like I said doable for me and for now.  Who knows what round 2 will bring.  I take each day as it comes.  If I want to exercise I lift heavy shit and run but if I don’t feel like it then I don’t.  My fitness has given me focus and control when cancer has tried to take that away from me.

My worse fears did come true though as regards my hair.  I really thought I’d managed to escape the hair loss but just as all other side effects disappeared on day 17 I noticed my hair was falling out.  Not too much but it was definitely coming out.  I was told to expect some shedding even with the cold cap.  Two days later my hair was coming out in massive chunks, every time I touched it, it fell out.  It was heartbreaking, I couldn’t sleep and had nightmares about hair loss.  By the evening I had pretty much cried on and off all day, I couldn’t stand to see so much hair fall out.  It had thinned considerably in 3 days.  I decided to take control and asked my dear friend, Jen, to shave it off for me.  I will not let this cancer beat me.  It was a hard decision but one I had to make.  I didn’t want to spend anymore time crying over my hair.  And yes I know it will grow back but until you are in this situation you have no idea how it feels.  I have had my hair this short before, a long time ago.  So I kind of knew what to expect but still I am getting used to it.

The cold cap didn’t work its wonders with me, I gave it a go but it wasn’t meant to be.  I do wonder if it was fitted correctly.  The hospital had brand new machines but not all the different cap sizes.  It is meant to be a tight fit to ensure all the hair follicles are frozen but the one I had wasn’t tight around the back of my head, I could get my hand under the cap.  I had read this shouldn’t happen.  Anyway it is what it is now.  Tomorrow is another day for me to conquer.