Treatment #3 and Updates

Updates and Chemo #3 Down.

This past weekend was really nice. Saturday Chris turned 40 and we celebrated with 2 virtual wine tastings and a private chef at home. Sunday we went on a 3.5 mile walk, the most I’ve done at one time since treatment began (which was my average daily before treatment began but also wore me out). Relaxed throughout the day and ended the weekend with a ride in the Jeep to watch the sunset in Long Beach.

Health updates so far.

Friday night - Chris buzzed my head even more. Come to find a patchy leopard looking design on my head. This was quite shocking but I’ve gotten used to it now and am just accepting it. I’m sure the next phase will shock me again and I’ll get used to it again. You can call me patches or leopard for now, if you’d like.  It’s pretty wild how chemo works so quickly to tackle fast growing cells, like your hair (and tumor size, I’ll get to that in a minute). As you may recall, Thursday 5/26 was when Chris buzzed my head because it was falling out like crazy and then 8 days later another buzz to find all these patches, which have already grown since Thursday. Beanies and hats are definitely my outing head coverage of choice. 

Monday (yesterday) was treatment 3. My sister-in-law sat with me during this treatment, Chris got a little break and waited or us in the lobby! Thank you again for sitting with me yesterday, Jen!  Yesterday treatment was 3 bags of anti-nausea meds - 1 small tube, 1 small bag and 1 large bag. Funny side effect about these meds, they have to insert them slowly through the tube otherwise patients will get butthole burning…so thank you nurses for going slowly 😬🤣. Followed by what I have termed my 2 Jell-O shots (red tubes of chemo meds that make your pee orange, which then I say makes me a Unicorn 🦄) and then 1 large bag of another chemo med. Followed by 2 port flushes, one that makes the back of my throat very bitter. And 3.5 hours later I get to head home. I was really tired yesterday and of course lost all color in my face again, but had no other side effects. Unfortunately I notice that on treatment days as tired as I am, I have a very hard time sleeping.  

Yesterday also consisted of a visit with the oncologist, Dr. Vandermolen. We met with him briefly, he measured my tumor prior to treatment. It was measuring 2.5 x 2.5 cm back in April and now, after 2 rounds of chemo and 2 rounds of Keytruda the little sucker is 1.5 x 1.5 cm - which made him (and of course us) very pleased!! It’s still a long road ahead based on the type of cancer I have, so 13 rounds of chemo to go and a full year of Keytruda (the immunotherapy) but it’s necessary because again my cancer is easily escapable from the ducts so they want to ensure they catch any stragglers and kill them off. But, to hear that all of this is doing it’s job is wonderful news. 

Today I have my Neulasta shot and then hoping to be able to get some work done and take some naps. Staying strong and positive as much as I can and looking forward to meeting with the therapist on Thursday so I can work through all of these emotions. I try really hard to live as normal of a life as I can. The hard parts is not being able to floss my teeth, of course losing my hair, battling the ever changing food and tummy issues, oh and not being able to workout at the capacity I was - but I know in the end this is all temporary and for that I’m grateful. 

Thank you for checking on us and thinking of us often.

All my love,

Lauren