Monday, June 9, 2008

Chemo 2 is Done

Well, I made it past chemo number two without much problem. My reaction was pretty much the same as the first time. I fought the nausea for several hours after the infusion and then felt tired, irritable, and hung over the next two days. I hate the nausea part but the rest of it I can tolerate. The weird part about the nausea is that even after it’s gone, if I think about it, I start to feel queasy all over again. It takes a few days to get it out of my mind.

The hair… is gone. It became such a mess I had no choice but to shave it all off. My sister-in-law, Diana, brought clippers to the house and shaved it for me. I have to tell ya – it is weird being bald. The loss made the weekend a little harder to handle. It’s a lot easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk – if you know what I mean.

For the first 24 hours, my head felt like it had mentholated cream all over it; it was tingly and cool. And my scalp feels very tender and vulnerable. There is still some stubble left so right now it feels rough like a cat's tongue! I’ve never been very good with accessories so this whole scarf and hat thing has me rattled. So far, I am clinging to one orange-ish scarf in particular. Every outfit will have to match this scarf because it’s the only one that feels comfortable!

This will take some getting used to….

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wear it with pride. You have the strength, courage, and beauty to pull it off with flying colors! xoxox - Nicole

Anonymous said...

You are walking the walk for so many of us who haven't had this experiece, and if it comes our way, will be stronger for sharing your story. Orange is a great color, and I bet scarf/hat texture has a whole lot to do with it too. How about thinking of orange as an anti-nausea fighter...

jojo said...

I stand stronger from all those who have walked before me. There's no doubt that many vibrant, courageous woman have changed the landscape of breast cancer over the years.

Orange - the anti nausea color. I like that. I already have 3 orange hats in addition to my favorite orange scarf. It feels vibrant, alive, happy. I'm working it!