"Whooah, We're Half Way There..."

So I have finished Cycle 3 of my chemo treatment, which marks the halfway point! Part of me can't believe how fast it's gone. But part of me can't believe how much I have left. Especially since they tell me it will only get worse. Yet, I can see some light at the end of tunnel and I like thinking about all the things I'll do when I feel like a normal person again.

This morning I woke up feeling nauseous, which is the first time I have felt sick from just a Taxol treatment. It leaves me wondering if that is telling of what the next leg of treatment will be like. Will the nausea and fatigue be my companion these next 9 weeks? Anyway, I got to try the Zofran... And within 30 minutes I was good to go! So this is a real blessing.

I also met a new patient at treatment this week. Her name is Sheila. Hearing her story really put things into perspective for me. She has two ports in her body: one in her chest and one in her abdomen. When she comes in for chemo, she gets drugs injected into her veins and also directly into her abdomen. She has ovarian cancer that had spread to things like her colon, appendix, intestines, and I don't know what else. But she is constantly in pain and constantly nauseous. When we were getting up to leave, she said to me, "So when you leave here you can pretty much go do anything you want?" (meaning that afternoon)... When I told her that I could, she responded, "Lucky." She's right, I have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm loosing my eyebrows and eyelashes now, too. Such a strange thing! I feel anxious when I think about getting through next week's treatment. They stick me several times a week now - sometimes in my chest, sometimes my arm, sometimes my vein, sometimes my butt... I've got a CT scan scheduled for the morning. It's a routine thing. But also kind of scary when I think about it. I don't expect the scans to show anything at this point, but the thought creeps in... What if something's there? Oh life as a cancer patient. Lots of waiting. Always unpredictable.

"...Whooah, living on a prayer!!!"