Hanging in there

Hi friends, long time no type. I’ve been a bit in my own head, or rather, bed…in some instances. This round was not kind to me.

I threw up for the first time during this whole process – it was not fun. Luckily, it was not like my drinking hangovers where it lasts for the next couple days. It’s over once it’s over, so that’s something, Puking is THE WORST thing for me, but I powered through it like a champ!

I think the key here is continuing to take the nauseous medication throughout, rather than just at the outset. Some of the chemo drugs can really eff up your stomach, so mine must be rebelling. So good to note for next time (although I’m just gonna keep taking these pills). Water continues to be my best friend when it comes to symptoms.

Good news is that my heart rate is coming down – I think. I’ll get alerts when it gets too high (like a 120 heart rate when I haven’t moved), and I haven’t been getting any in the last couple days, so this is fantastic. Movement and meditation are what help this. It’s winter here in Minnesota (yes, the snow stuck around), so it’s hard to get walks outside, but I’ll be in the office this week and will get a few extra steps.

I haven’t been doing much outside of trying to work – the usual reading, playing with fountain pens. (Pretty colors make me happy) And taking naps. I’ve really tried to focus on easing my stress. It’s amazing just how quickly it can impact symptoms. I can see on my heart-rate app when I was diagnosed, when I started chemo, and when my mom landed in the hospital. It’s a little scary because one of the drugs I’m taking impacts heart function. My echo was clear, but you know, it’s not hard to worry about how the extra stress will change that.

Friday, I’ll be in Rochester to meet with the Mayo surgeon to hopefully set a date for that. I’m ready. It’ll be nice to get out of the house, too. Pretend like I’m normal again.

Because my regular chemo date falls on the holiday, it’s been rescheduled for Tuesday. I have another coworker going with me! ? I told a few coworkers about who was going with me and they all said, “I didn’t know you were friends.” (To be fair, she’s a relatively new employee who started during the pandemic.) It’s fun to say “well I make friends with everyone!” which I guess is true by how vast this Taco Team is. I’ve always enjoyed getting to know people, and it’s awesome getting to know coworkers (and beyond!) through this process. It makes the chemo days fun; it’s nice to not dread them. And it’s even better to find all the little silver linings, even when it feels like you’re getting dumped on.

xoxo