Round Twelve

Hi there,
Today mom and I went for my twelfth chemo treatment.  We started our weekly ritual by leaving the baby boy with my dad for their "boy bonding day" and mom and I headed to breakfast.  Afterwards we get a HUGE fountain diet Mt. Dew and head to the treatment center.  Today was an unusual day at the facility, typically the 15 chairs are filled with patients and their guests end up standing around their loved one or sitting on the tiny tables next to each recliner us patients sit in while getting our IVs.  My poor mom has resorted to bringing a "butt pad" to sit on one those days because it's a long day to have to sit on a tiny table that's meant for a drink and maybe a snack.  I hate when she has to do that...Today there were only 5 other patients max and I received my treatment in under 4 hours! And mom got to sit in a recliner alongside of me for the entirety!  My white blood counts were lower than usual so they reduced my taxol amounts by a fraction and I got the good ole booster shot that hurts like 10 bee stings but all in all the day was a success, mom and I got to chat about our favorite reality shows we are addicted to and laugh until our bellies hurt...our chemo treat is a small bag of jelly bellies (kid mix).  Post baby, we've been trying not to bring a smorgasbord of candy and treats to help with getting this baby weight off, so we've reduced to a proportioned snack bag and healthy treats.  Hilarious how we are getting this date day to chemo down to a science with only a month left.  I LOVE these days with my mom.  She somehow makes me forget what we are doing and where we are and I can laugh and enjoy my day with my mom.  It's this support that keeps me going, keeps me sane and most of all, happy.  Thank you Mom, you are the best mom a girl could ask for.  Because we got out of chemo early I was able to hang out with my parents for a little while afterwards (usually I race home so that I am at home with the baby before the symptoms start to come on).  I had an awesome surprise when I got to see both my sister Tess and brother Ross!  I hardly ever get to see them and for it to be on the dreaded chemo day was an added plus!  I also got a phone call from my brother Wade while at treatment!

After getting home I started to feel like crap pretty quickly.  I'm so tired and weak.  The shoulder pain is always quick to start, but my toes are starting to ache pretty bad...sounds petty, but when you are trying to relax and if I'm lucky, sleep, this is the most annoying pain in the world.  I'm thinking if I can keep my focus on other things (like writing this blog) I can forget the physical pain.  Like I said yesterday, I'm losing my patience and tolerance of going through this.  I read in the beginning of receiving treatment in some brochure they have lying around at the treatment facility that people have a tough time with chemo in their last weeks of treatment for several reasons, one: the treatment has a cumulative affect, two: (which was surprising to me) because people get exhausted both physically and mentally with the process.  I had imagined that when you get close to the finish line you would get the endorphins to see it through, but I'm learning otherwise.  It's okay, thank god for my husband, baby, immediate family and friends that keep me happy when I'm with them.  Also, we just invested in Netflix and I'm loving it!  I had no idea there was soooo much on there.  Did I mention I've become a total TV junkie (which I HATE) but there is a lot of time to pass these days and I have to find some way to deal with it.  If you don't have Netflix, definitely worth checking it out.  Another awesome distraction I have these days are two of my dear friends are getting married!!!! Brooke and Lauren!!  I get to help them search for decor ideas, dresses, jewelry (my very favorite) while Lansing is sleeping.  I don't get to be with either of them as much as I want to be, so this is my way of feeling a part of their experience and help them in a way that is conducive to my unpredictable life..hope it's helping anyway ;0)

I have a shout out I'd like to give to my BF Leslie, she is giving a presentation on Friday at the Stock Piling Moms conference about crafting and how to get started.  For many of us Pinterest has been such an awesome tool to get creative and get ideas how to do pretty much anything that you want, but in a way that may be a tad (or a lot) better than what you may have come up with on your own.  Leslie is teaching women how to do this and to show you that's it's not impossible for even those who feel craft-inclined to make fabulous crafts for your home, nursery, clothing, hosting a party, etc. while on a budget.   Check out their blogs at: Leslie's: www.jarofvintagebuttons.blogspot.com & www.stockpilingmoms.com.

Hope to keep up with the daily posts so that I can keep track of this experience.  Even though it's not always as cheerful as I'd like for it to be, I feel a ton of weight lifted off my shoulders after writing.  I am getting my need to be creative again which I'm soooo happy about.  I even made my girlfriend Jess a pair of earrings for her birthday, something that I haven't been able to do for months!  Things are slowly moving in the right direction.

Peace & Love,
Misty