I guess you can tell by the fact that there have been a couple of posts on the blog since my last chemo treatment that I did not have an allergic reaction to the Taxol and die. The whole chemo process took longer than usual (I was there from 7:45-3:00), but I didn't have any adverse reactions to the new drug. I am so relieved! Thank you for your prayers! I go again on Friday for my next treatment and this time I won't be dreading it.
Not only did I not have an allergic reaction to the Taxol, but I have been nausea-free with this drug. I can actually drink Diet Coke again! Blessings upon blessings! :) I am not out of the woods yet, though. I am still dealing with the fatigue. It's a side effect of chemo, but I also found out that I am anemic, and that causes fatigue as well. So it's no surprise that I used my free time during the women's retreat this past weekend to take a (unplanned) nap from lunch to dinner. So much for all the books I brought to read!
I've also continued to have the stitch abscesses. As soon as one or two go away, I get one or two more. They don't hurt; I think because I don't have any feeling where they did the surgery. But they do bleed and ooze, mostly at night. I often wake up with blood on my pajamas. Yuck. I certainly didn't expect that I would still be dealing with surgical recovery three months after surgery. I think some of the skin breakdown/lack of healing is due to the chemo, though. It's made my skin dry and every little cut takes a long time to heal. Hopefully, I will heal faster when they do the surgery to put in my final implants.
I haven't had any expansion in two months. I go to see the plastic surgeon again tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure he's going to say my skin is not healed enough to be able to start expanding again. Maybe after Christmas...
As I'm starting to feel better, I've begun to reengage with the world. I've been thinking about the future again, instead of just how I'm going to make it through today or tomorrow. I've asked for new projects at work. I've thought about resuming work on my master's degree. I've picked up books to read that require actual thought. I think these are good signs that this breast cancer ordeal is going to be over soon. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that it's going to be over, because some of the effects will always be with me, and I'll be on an anti-estrogen drug, Tamoxifen, for the next five years. But the day in-day out battle with cancer is going to be over soon, and that, in itself, is reason to start thinking about the future! God is good - all the time!
Not only did I not have an allergic reaction to the Taxol, but I have been nausea-free with this drug. I can actually drink Diet Coke again! Blessings upon blessings! :) I am not out of the woods yet, though. I am still dealing with the fatigue. It's a side effect of chemo, but I also found out that I am anemic, and that causes fatigue as well. So it's no surprise that I used my free time during the women's retreat this past weekend to take a (unplanned) nap from lunch to dinner. So much for all the books I brought to read!
I've also continued to have the stitch abscesses. As soon as one or two go away, I get one or two more. They don't hurt; I think because I don't have any feeling where they did the surgery. But they do bleed and ooze, mostly at night. I often wake up with blood on my pajamas. Yuck. I certainly didn't expect that I would still be dealing with surgical recovery three months after surgery. I think some of the skin breakdown/lack of healing is due to the chemo, though. It's made my skin dry and every little cut takes a long time to heal. Hopefully, I will heal faster when they do the surgery to put in my final implants.
I haven't had any expansion in two months. I go to see the plastic surgeon again tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure he's going to say my skin is not healed enough to be able to start expanding again. Maybe after Christmas...
As I'm starting to feel better, I've begun to reengage with the world. I've been thinking about the future again, instead of just how I'm going to make it through today or tomorrow. I've asked for new projects at work. I've thought about resuming work on my master's degree. I've picked up books to read that require actual thought. I think these are good signs that this breast cancer ordeal is going to be over soon. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that it's going to be over, because some of the effects will always be with me, and I'll be on an anti-estrogen drug, Tamoxifen, for the next five years. But the day in-day out battle with cancer is going to be over soon, and that, in itself, is reason to start thinking about the future! God is good - all the time!
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