What Happened to Wonder Woman?

Okay, everyone. Where did she go? Anyone? Crickets …..

I have faired quite well through the first seven rounds of chemo. I think I'm lucky in that I've had very few side effects ….. until now. Even now, I would consider them minor in nature:

•  My nasal passages are drying up, causing minor bleeding when I blow my nose. Coconut oil definitely helps (Thanks, Jen!). 
• My lips are chapping. Savannah Bee lip balm is a godsend (thanks again, Jen!).
• I have dry mouth. Biotene is a must right now; of course, a gallon of water a day can help with most of the above.
• I am having bouts of insomnia thanks to the steroids. Being an insomniac anyway, I already have non-addictive sleeping pills for that. I only take them when absolutely necessary.
• I have bouts of severe acid reflux and some nausea. My prescription meds are helping with that. Most of the time I just suck it up, but there are times when I need to pop a pill.
• I'm more tired than usual. 

I'm not complaining, just keeping it real.

Time to call out my own personal Petronus (Harry Potter reference; courtesy of Amanda Butler). There she is!!

Be gone, side effects!!

Truth be told, I hate admitting I have any side effects at all. Especially being tired. I hate feeling this cancer crap is slowing me down. I am the Warrior! I am Wonder Woman! How dare I succumb to side effects! It's a huge blow to my ego. The good news is my red and white blood cell counts still have not reached "stay away from crowds" level. 

I am a bit concerned how my body will deal with my final session of Taxol on Wednesday. Typically, my chemo sessions are one week apart. This week, it is only five days from my last round. Texas Oncology is closed for the Thanksgiving holidays on Friday. The nerve! (Just kidding there. I would feel bad if staff had to come in for a handful of us on Friday). At least I have several quiet days to recoup before heading back to the office.

I remain thankful for my family, my friends, and my co-workers who lift me up everyday! Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!

Happy Thanksgiving!!