This round I am starting the new drugs. Meet Carboplatin and Taxol. This is a 3 week cycle, for 4 rounds. (12 weeks total). I will get Carboplatin and Taxol, week 1, then only Taxol week 2 and week 3. From what I have heard Carbo is just as ugly as the AC, but I am keeping an open mind. Carboplatin has to be brown bagged, as it is sensitive to the light. So naturally, I had to take a picture. Also, Taxol is known for causing neuropathy in the hands and feet, so some chemo patients find that freezing them for 90 minutes during the treatments have helped. I added some pictures for you to see! I have requested that I continue to get a liter of fluid during my weekly treatments. This is not typical, but I have advocated for myself. I get dehydrated quickly and this helps prevents some of the side effects of the steroids, plus gives me the boost in hydration.
Chemo day I felt ok. This was a big change, since I usually feel crummy. I was able to eat dinner with the family and that felt great! We had a delicious meal delivered to us chemo day and Friday. My sweet friend, Sarah, brought us Rizzo’s Spaghetti house take out and it was so good! Can you believe she even brought me cheesecake? My fav! She also brought over a freezer meal, compliments of her friend Amanda. How nice to have that in the freezer for a day when I am out of energy. Friday, I got my dream dinner wish grated. Dream Meal is an organization where anyone can get a dream meal delivered that is in need of care or extra support. Definitely check out the website. www.thedreammeal.com - Ryan from The Dream Meal catered my family, Olive Garden. We had an abundance of salad, bread sticks and chicken parmigiana. It was an amazing surprise. We ate on that the whole weekend.
I woke up Friday with a ton of energy. Of course, I think it was from the large steroid dose they gave me on chemo day, but I wasn’t complaining. I was able to clean and organize the house. I spent a lot of time doing normal household chores, but it really helped make me feel normal again.
The energy was fleeting and Saturday and Sunday were spent on the couch. I wasn’t able to do too much and just spent time being present with the kids. My down days were still Monday and Tuesday. I couldn’t really get out of bed those days. I am thankful my friend Hillary brought over pizzas, a veggie tray and cookies on Monday. That made dinner so easy for Jack and the kids. After working all day, wrangling the kids too, Jack is worn out on my down days, as well. Cancer effects all of us. I am so thankful for the friends coming together to bring us meals and send the food gifts cards. They are helping us so much. It really makes a difference in our lives.
By Wednesday, I felt pretty good. Even though I am not getting the Neulasta shot (white blood cell boosting shot), I still had a little bone pain and soreness, but definitely manageable. I spent the day picking up the house and working. I was able to cook dinner for my family (and clean it all up) before my energy started to wear out. I did use the crockpot for a pot roast (the kids favorite), so it wasn’t too intense!
Thank you for your prayers and support! I love you all!