A week later

A week after my first treatment all I can tell you is chemo SUCKS! Starting with the needle put in my forearm to the 4th drug burning as it went into my veins and ending with the ridiculous dizziness that comes around every time I drive or walk more than 10 feet. I know, they pumped me full of poison so I'm supposed to feel crappy but I wasn't ready for this at all.

Lemme take a sec and take you to school about chemo. It's designed to kill rapidly dividing cells which include cancer, platelets (they allow your blood to clot) and white blood cells which fight infection. Hair is also a rapidly dividng, that's why a lot of people lose their hair during chemo. So with all these cells dying off at such a rate, your body is left with close to nothing to live one. That's not to say I'm barely alive the day after chemo but it's the reason why I feel so useless and can't do much but lay on the couch.

I had an appointment Monday to talk about side effects and any changes we need to make before round 2. The nausea meds have been adjusted and one of them also helps me sleep since I've had a hard time doing that in the last week. I also learned my Dr. is leaving the hospital for a new job in July which is right around the time I'll be ending radiation. Kinda sucks because I really like him and I've trusted him from the beginning. Plus, the dude wears cowboy boots to work everyday how can you not love that? After my appointment I went to work which is what responsible people do when they have a job. It was harder than I thought because the dizziness is still hanging around. It's tough when you have to keep walking in circles and turn your head a lot. I talked to my boss and she agreed to send me home with some supplies so I could fill greeting card orders from my couch. Hopefully this works well and will allow me to get paid but also work on my own time. I feel like I can be more productive if I can work for a half hour or so and take a break, something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing if I was there.

In other news, the benefit in Syracuse is less a week away and I'm sooooo stoked to see all my family and friends in one spot. I've said before you need things in life to look forward to and what's better than seeing so many people I care about and I know care about me. AND the night before that, a bunch of us are going to Fulton Speedway. I haven't been to a weekend dirt track with my old man and brother in years. PS Mike's girlfriend Bridget was super awesome when we talked about this upcoming weekend. When it came up in a text conversation she "requests my presence for a least a night sleepover (at their apartment) because the last time was way too much fun". People who treat you like that you're gonna wanna keep them around for a while, they obviously care about you. I just hope Mike's OK with his girlfriend inviting me to a slumber party :-P.

So this week I'm just going to try and grind it out and my goal is to work 20 hours without killing myself. Wish me luck and hopefully I'll see ya Sunday. Oh yeah and we have buttons now, $1 each.