Friday, February 3, 2012

Cancer Treatment: Out with the old, in with the new (Message 18 of 21)

15 July 2011
Hello! 

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying summer even if you have to work (like me)! 

Well, Wednesday this week was three weeks since my final chemo. This time I had no major side-effects except for a short summer cold with a three-day fever that never went as high as the time I wound up in the hospital. Recovery from a lingering breathing/coughing issue has been slow and frustrating for running, but other than that, I am very gratefully, healthy.

Since the treatments were three weeks apart, Wednesday was a great milestone. It's funny that with all the various complaints that the body comes up with during chemotherapy, the one that I hated the most was NOT the sores in my mouth or the fatigue, the bone & joint pain, or even the fact that I couldn't be out in the sun (although that rates REALLY high on my "ugh" list). The thing I hated the most was that metallic taste in my mouth, along with a generally dry mouth, that would kick in about two days after a treatment and last for about a week & a half.  It made most things taste wrong and some things downright inedible. I hope to never have to deal with that again. Life without enjoying food is just not living. This week I am celebrating the return to my diet of red wine and various forms of cooked tomatoes like tomato based soups and sauces. Pizza!! Life is so good.

(Side note in case, god(s) forbid you are ever in a similar situation: I had been putting mint & lime juice in my tap water in order to somewhat successfully hide the taste of the metals that are naturally in water, and during the last treatment I discovered that the Mojito is even better, since it also acts as a mood-enhancer.)

Yesterday I got tattooed in prep for radiation therapy, which begins on Monday and lasts a little over six weeks, M-F mornings for about 20 minutes a pop. They really are REAL tattoos. I thought the term was being used loosely, as in "temporary tattoo," but no. I now have three additional permanent freckles... one that actually looks like a mole! I have one freckle about three inches below each armpit and the third, bigger (mole-sized) dot is right over my sternum. Ouch, that one did hurt! Connecting these three black dots creates a boundary for the radiation beams. 

I am told that radiation therapy is a walk in the park compared to everything else, so really the only downside is that it's hard to get away for any kind of vacation. Other than missing a trip to blazing-hot Arizona when Robin moves into college, I'm okay with that, if just a bit stir-crazy. Getting away to Lake Placid next weekend to cheer on some friends at Ironman will be a GREAT break, and then October (after the initial "rush" of the beginning semester at work has passed) will be a good time for a short vacation.

This week I biked three times, including my first bike commute to work since last summer. I had forgotten how much fun it is to ride in traffic at rush hour! I'm going to try to add a second bike-commute next week. I also ran two short races this week, on Wednesday & Thursday. Every time I pull on the running shoes or get on the bike I feel a leeeetle stronger than the last time. Last night a running club friend/genius/inspiration/icon : ) couldn't count the number of times he's had to recover from scratch and reminded me to be grateful that I still CAN run at all, much less feel improvement each time, and to be patient with the slow process. Conversations like that have been sustaining and motivating throughout all of this.  I truly am blessed to have had you all to lean on & learn from.

Love,
Diane

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