Skip to main content

How I'm doing (4 days after 2nd infusion): Still minimal side effects

When you wonder how I'm doing, just imagine me walking around normally and living life—with hair, good skin coloring, and a smile. I'm also mobile and walking miles a day. That's how I still am.

Here are some of the common side effects you might hear about and where I am with them: 

Hair loss. My nurses told me to expect hair loss at any time now. Others have shared that they started to lose their hair after the 2nd infusion. I'm mentally and logistically preparing for this. Nothing's happened so far, although I can tell my body hair has stopped growing, and my hair text has become softer and at times, straighter. 

Nausea / stomach issues: I had an inkling of nausea coming on on Saturday, so I popped one of the nausea pills and went to the gym as planned. It went away. These past two Saturday mornings my stomach has gotten upset after breakfast, but in a manageable way where it didn't interrupt my plans. 

Muscle aches: This is my most common one that creeps up. I suspect it's triggered by inflammatory things like meat and alcohol (or the actual infusion). Hence avoiding those things except for a couple times a week, if that. 

Neuropathy (tingling fingers and toes): This is an ever-so-slight presence that comes and goes for a hot minute. 

Headache: I noticed I'm getting a dull, slight headache regularly. Manageable though. 

Fatigue: I don't have the type of fatigue I've heard about, but, I am feeling it. Today I canceled some plans that I initiated because I sat down before meeting up and just felt exhausted.  

None of these symptoms are long-lasting so far, and they're so mild I feel like they're not even worth mentioning. Fingers crossed. 

This week: I meet with my cardiologist, have another check-in with my oncologist, have acupuncture, and am having lunch with friends. Oh! And it's Christmas week!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sara's playbook for dealing with cancer

My care team has commended my playbook for managing symptoms and dealing with cancer treatment.  I can't compare my cancer experience to others', because everyone's cancer is different. But, I can say that I'm coming out of this feeling like a better version of myself, and I didn't experience the intensity of symptoms that most people experience.  I'm a firm believer in doing what I can to manage what's thrown at me and take control where I can.  Here's my playbook for dealing with cancer in case it's helpful.  Note: If you think it might help to share with someone who has a recent diagnosis, I recommend first asking them if they're open to a perspective on managing life during treatment, sharing only if they say yes.  I treated food as fuel. I learned which ingredients reduce inflammation and which ingredients help the body recover, and I chose foods with them instead of comfort foods as often as possible. These ingredients can be found across c...
1 comment
Read more

How I'm feeling: Warmth from returning to work

I went back to work this week, and the best word I can describe it is dreamy. You read that right.  I had the best welcome back from teammates and others. The best. I truly felt joy seeing them, and I received so much warmth and even love back, it really makes me count my blessings. The only triggers I had were problematic, institutional terms in our work that we haven't solved yet!  I also reviewed final content from a big project I had been working on before I left, getting to see how the team finished the foundation we started and how they applied the content guidelines I drove. I couldn't tell the difference between what I wrote and what they wrote, which is amazing! This is what you want to happen! It was also dreamy because my directive from my new manager and partner lead recognized my leadership and strategy skillset, versus a more tactical starting point of, "Can you write this line of copy?" Like I said, dreamy .  There was a weird part I got through. I re...
1 comment
Read more

How I'm doing: Positive reflections as I head back to work

My Florida trip brought paddle boarding, crystal clear waters, tequila, sunshine, and laughs with friends. My final few days before work are a wonderful balance of downtime, long walks with Monty, rest, and fitness. I was also asked to be one of the speakers at the hospital cancer center's Survivors' Day of Celebration this year. Yes, there's so much to celebrate!  And, it's fitting to share my reply to an e-poll question that I answered in a group of former colleagues. The question was, " If you could relive one year of your life, which would it be? "  Here's what I wrote:  " My first thought was age 26. I just remember it as coming into my own and having so much fun. Then I saw [so-and-so's]  mention of studying abroad, and my 2001 experience changed my life in so many ways. But my final answer, if I were to pick one year, would be this past year, actually!  "A year ago at this time I finally, finally just felt so comfortable in my own skin...
Post a Comment
Read more