So How's the New Chemo Going Anyway?

Hey folks, two treatments down and ten more to go of the Taxol/Herceptin regime.  I have to admit, so far so good.  Going weekly for chemo gives the impression that time is going faster and that this will be over sooner, so that's a nice delusion.  The side effects have been relatively minimal and certainly manageable.  I would have to say the worst side effect is the bone/joint pain which appears to be related to the neupogen shot rather than the chemotherapy.

One of the challenges with having "manageable" side effects is that it makes me feel almost normal.  Big mistake, I'm certainly not anywhere near normal.  Something as simple as a walk up hill can knock me out for the day, and complicated mental tasks appear to be beyond me right now.  Yes, I can still do my morning crossword puzzle with my hubby but my goal of advancing from the easy Province Crossword to the New York Times crossword will have to be put on hold for a while.  I spoke to Dr. S about going back to work however with the number of treatments I still need and the necessity to keep my energy up to withstand these treatments, returning to work is not an option yet.  Probably a good thing for my clients as my thinking cap isn't quite on straight.

Although there has been no change in my breast/cancer growth size or skin colour change since starting the Taxol (it actually grew a bit after stopping the A/C probably due to all the stress I have been under), I do feel quite optimistic about my final outcome.  I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It's currently blocked by a massive barrier call Radiation FEAR, but it is there, somewhere far off in the distance.  I can tell that I'm feeling positive about the future because I'm getting concerned about my physical fitness and how I've let my body go over the last five months.  It is time for me to get back to yoga and stretching and start working on getting the little Michelle body back.  This road will be just as long as my recovery road, perhaps it will even take as long as it takes my hair to grow back in.

Speaking of hair, I got three super cool hats yesterday.  The first one is an Ambler Orbit beanie.  Mine is burgundy and it's great because it breathes.  Then I got two super cool hats with pom poms, I was just looking at the tags to tell you what they were when I saw that they are kids hats.....never mind, I love them.  I got one in blue and one in green...I guess they appealed to the kid in me.  Okay, so you MUST excuse all the bags under my eyes, I haven't slept well in 3 days, pretty cute hat though.

Well I'm off now got places to go and people to see.....
Enjoy your weekend.
Michelle