Round Two

First of all, thanks for all the support and encouragement I have received. A big thanks to the Women of Reform Judaism, who included me in their prayer for healing at our regional convention. It does help to know that I have all of you rooting for me!

Following my visit to the ER last weekend, and getting some antibiotics, my temperature returned to normal. A blood test yesterday confirmed that my white blood cells have regenerated into the normal range. Just in case they drop again and I have another bout of neutropenic fever, my doctor called in a prescription for the same antibiotic, to have on hand. 

I had my second chemotherapy treatment yesterday. The treatment room was completely full of patients this time, and we range in age from young adults to folks my age and older. This really brings home how pervasive cancer is. There is a level of camaraderie among the patients, and almost everyone has a "chemo buddy" or two. David was mine, and he brought along his laptop and got some work done when he wasn't fetching juice or snacks for me. Everything went smoothly.  I once again have a little device attached to my body that will deliver a dose of Neulasta this afternoon, to encourage white blood cell generation.

I got lots of sleep, and feel OK today. This time around, I made sure I started the anti-nausea pills earlier, and have not had any stomach upset. So far so good.

I had been warned that I would lose my hair, so it's no surprise that I have started shedding, giving our dog some competition.

I made a point of looking at the various types of headgear the women in the treatment room were wearing, and there are certainly a lot of options.

I went online to look up "chemo scarves," and I must say, the choices are overwhelming...another indication of just how many women have cancer. Of course, you know how much I love hats, so it was a bit hard to limit myself to ordering just a couple of pre-tied head wraps. I already have a wig, thanks to the Cancer Society, but I doubt that I will want to wear it most of the time. Some of the hats I already own will work, too.

I have experienced some other side effects of the chemo, and I have quite an array of medications at hand. As I mentioned to the doctor, it's ironic that every one of them is to deal with a side effect of the cancer treatment, not the cancer itself.