There are so many unknowns with chemotherapy and each person responds differently to the drugs. At this point in time, I am trying to find what chemotherapy will mean to me. Thursday was a pretty good day for me. I stayed home all day and rested with a couple of short walks with Kramer mixed in the day. My nausea has subsided and I have been able to eat today, but I am still experiencing fatigue. I am hoping that will be the extent of my chemotherapy side effects!! That's all for now.
Love to all,
Mary Kay
I officially have Chemo Brain! So from here on, anytime I make a mistake or forget something, or say something silly, it is because I have Chemo Brain. My first treatment lasted three hours - I started with a couple of short IV drips of Benadryl and anti-nausea medicine. That was followed by 'Red Devil' or Adriamycin. That is what you see in the photo below that the nurse is administering. Finally, I had a 2-hour drip of Cytoxan. I did not have any pain or discomfort while I received the chemotherapy. In fact, we (Nancy, Jody, Debbie, and Susan) laughed and told stories which made the time go really fast. I had one visitor - Barbara Steinle Trickle stopped by to say hi. She works in the Breast Center at KU Med as a Mammogram specialist. Barbara and my sister Debbie were best buddies in high school in Dorrance, so we heard all about the slow-gin fizz stories and adventures in Barbara's black Volkswagen bug.
By the time we returned to Manhattan, I was having significant tiredness, nausea, and headache. I walked right in the house and had a little energy work from Barbara (Nancy's sister, the massage therapist at Body First), ate a little food that Grace had delivered, and then I tried to go to bed. It was a rough night for Nancy and me. I just could not get comfortable. IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT THAT I REALLY FELT LIKE I HAD CANCER. The pain had arrived. Up to this point in my cancer journey, I had not had physical pain, I only had mental and emotional pain. My nausea and headache lasted until 3 pm Wednesday afternoon when Candi and Todd took me to the doctor's office for my Neulasta shot. They stayed and talked and really put me in a better place. Nancy was busy taking Frances (her second Mom) to the doctor. I have said it before and will say it again, Nancy is a wonderful person!!
I want to give a special shout-out to my friend and colleague Grace Hwang. She has done so much for me during my short journey with breast cancer. It was Grace who called KU Med to get me in so fast. Grace has had her own battle with breast cancer for the past two years. I am happy to report that Grace has completed her battle and will be having her port removed on Thursday. I don't know what it is about Leadership Studies, but we have had our fair share of challenges. Anyway, more about Grace. She has organized a Meals-on-Wheels brigade for my chemotherapy days, it is called Friends of Mary Kay (FOMK). Grace tells me she already has two members!!! (Just kidding about the two member thing.) When we arrived home from KC, Grace had delivered baked chicken, fried rice, shrimp salad, and ice cream!!! Thank you Grace.
I feel so blessed to have the support system of family and friends who have given so much already. I also think about how fortunate I am to have quality health insurance so that I can have access to treatment. There are some who are fighting a much different battle than I am. So I end this day feeling grateful of all that I have and I send blessings to all of you.
With Love,
Mary Kay
