Cancer Treatment

  I feel like a rookie all over again.  Our family is taking a quick flight for a weekend volleyball tournament, and I have no idea if flying will have a different effect on me because of chemo.  I know to be more careful about germs, but what about air pressure, dizziness, headaches?  One of my most common side effects of chemo is over-analyzing!  The good thing is- any little ache, pain, or mental lapse...I can blame on chemo!  But then I think...realistically, most things have been pretty much the same, even while I'm being poisoned.   Chemo is geared to attack fast growing cancer cells, so it attacks fast growing healthy cells too.  That's why hair comes out, and the stomach lining is affected.  The medications have been working really well for my digestive system for the most part, and I'm now thinking about shaving the rest of my stubbly hair.  Maybe we'll do that this weekend.  I just hate the look of pity I get when people s...

  As I go through chemo, I keep realizing how lucky I am.  Really!  I have had some yucky days in the weeks following my three chemo treatments, but only two days that were bad enough to stay home from work.  Even then, there is no nausea or horrible pain...just headache, aching eyes, some numb-ish fingers and toes, and the feeling of tiny buzzing bees in my mouth.  (Not stinging, just buzzing!)  And, yes, fatigue...but not exhaustion.  A nap or two is helping a lot!  Oh, yeah...today my daughter told me I've been a little bit spacey lately.  My husband will agree!  Chemo-brain seems to make me search for words more than normal, and forget things like who I told what.   Chemo is such a strange poison.  It terrorizes some people with nausea, some with pain, some with exhaustion, some with everything.  Every person is different, and each cancer is different, so it makes sense that each chemo cocktail will have different effe...