Team DeAnne

All’s well.  No news is sometimes good news, and that’s been certainly the case for me, this first round.  For the first week, I was a little tired, suffering brief bouts of narcolepsy.  I had occasional strange rumblings and aches in the liver or kidneys, but usually when i needed more water.  I drank water, ate with a vengeance, and ran 20 miles the first week and 30 the second week.  I kept my hair.  The boyfriend has hung in there, even cooking me dinner several times with really spicy things, so I could still taste it. 

The word got out at the gym where i work out.  A few ladies were complimenting me profusely on my new haircut.  It’s funny how when you have cancer, people rush to compliment you, just like when a woman is expecting a baby, no matter what everyone gushes on about her “glow”.  Well, I don’t glow, but they say I look “phenomenal”.  I looked those ladies in the eyes, told them that “yes, it’s true, I’m dealing with cancer.  I’m skinny right now not becuase of the cancer or the treatment, but because I’m eating only healthy food, so now I’m finally at my ideal weight!  And please, get you check-ups and mammograms.  Cancer’s not as bad as everyone says it is, so far, but don’t flirt with it!!!” 

Really, by the time I’d de-toxed it was Thursday.  I felt fine!  My wierdest side-effect?  Chemo guilt!  I was going running and taking naps, with a good excuse!  I was going to the movies with a hot guy, having meals cooked for me.  I didn’t even have to clean up my own kitchen… like I said, my schedule allows for me to cook and eat, but not necessarily to clean up.  We’re still working on that one!

I developed chemo guilt when my lovely and concerned mother stopped by, gasped in horror at the sight of my kitchen, and set to work.  She looked exhausted.  She hadn’t been sleeping.  Some students stopped by for lessons, and somehow we had crossed wires due to ski-week schedule, and I didn’t think they were coming so I stepped out to run some errands.  When I returned an hour later, everyone was looking for me, afraid that maybe i was passed out in the bathroom, or worse yet, had gone for a run and keeled over in the gutter!  No, not the case…I had gone to Target!  I was merrily spending money on inconsequential items, which is what most people say is normal DeAnne behavior.  Much more normal than keeling over!  Then my heroic sister was flattened by some nasty late-winter virus.  She always says being there for me, and doing all that she does for me is no problem, she’s happy to do it, etc.  But I know that it’s all just another track in her multi-tracked life.  So for a few days Jenny was sick as a dog.  I longed to go help her…but no!  The kids were sick too, and I have cancer!  So I just had to sit and twiddle my thumbs!  Every one else is caryying my butrden so that I can live happily ever after in spite of cancer.  I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart, and can’t wait until this is all over, so I can learn to become a more loving and giving person. 

This now brings us to Round 2!!!  I went to meet with the oncologist the day before.  My phlebotomist that day was not the ferocious eastern European leady, but a jovial guy from Fresno.  (Jenny would say that’s scarier.)  He asked if I was afraid of needles.  Of course I said yes.  So he screamed when he poked my arm.  Loudly.  After much laughter, he patched me up and sent me on my way.  Mom and I headed over to the oncologist’s office.  I kept tugging at my hair.  That morning a ton of it seemed to be coming out, though I realized that I hadn’t really bushed it, had been treating it very gingerly, for the past two weeks…

The oncologist said, “You’re still standing!”  “Yeah!  I ran my usual 30 miles last week!”  He lookd at my mom, and good naturedly rolled his eyes.  “Any big side-effects?”   “Yeah, those steroids ruined my complexion.”  “  That can happen!”

Then he got the results of my blood test, and I’m in better shape than before the chemo!  HAH!   We are bigger and badder thatn this!  ROAR!!!

ROUND TWO:

We got to Marin General Hospital at 9:00.  They gave me the same room I had last time.  My nurse, Fran was not there, so I had a delightul nurse named Coreen to look after me.  Due to being heavily hydrated, finding a vein was not suck a digging expedition!  (We still had to send Mom out for a walk, until the IV was in.)  “Oh, Deeder, I can’t believe how grown up and brave you are about all this!”  “Yeah, Mom, remember, we don’t worry, we deal!”

We watched my mom’s soap operas, and Rachel Ray, and the infusion went off without a hitch.  We drove home through the rain, picked up my anti-nausea meds, and then I cleaned up my own kitchen.  I ate a mountain of organic pasta with Arrabita sauce, an atichoke. more green tea, and a salad, and some almond milk.  (The vitamin E in it helps protect the heart from chemo’s toxicity…)

I taught four lessons, then feelt so fatigued I headed up to eat, sleep and drink more water at my mom and dad’s house.  Alls’ well,that ends well. 

When I woke up in the morning, there was news of a horrible earthquake in Chile.  It was worse than the one in Haiti.  And a tsunami warning!  My problem seems very small indeed. 

Two down, 6 to go!  Woo-HOOOO!

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 10:39 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.