Well, there isn’t any way to sugarcoat it but the last 5 days have been rough. Wednesday was my second chemotherapy infusion. The actual infusion went a lot better than the first, after adding five additional premeds to help prevent any reactions from occurring.  It was an all-day event arriving at 9 and finally making it home right before Emery got off the bus. By the time we were home, I was exhausted so I made my way upstairs in an attempt to “sleep off the chemo”. When I finally awoke, the nausea was intense, so I took some medicine and went back to bed hoping it would be better in the morning.  

On Thursday, I went in for my first Neupogen shot. After chit-chatting with the nurse while waiting for my observation time to be over, she became quickly concerned about my nausea. I took notice of her change in demeanor and told her I would eat after this appointment and call if I hadn’t eaten by tonight. Luckily, this sufficed and I quickly texted Terry that we needed to grab something on our way home from the clinic. I placed a to-go order on our drive home and within 20 minutes had a quesadilla in my lap. However, within 5 minutes I knew I made a mistake and settled on a sugar cookie instead.

Unfortunately, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea have lasted a long time after this infusion. On Friday, I finally caved and asked for additional medicine to help with the nausea. I was getting sick upwards of 25 times a day and knew I needed something before the weekend. On Sunday, I was sick 6 times before I even attempted to eat breakfast and sick shortly after which seems to be a pattern. Today I feel a little better and I hope that the GI discomfort is finally resolving.

As the GI discomfort is slowly improving, it is making my body ache, bone pain, and neuropathy become more noticeable. I have been having difficulty moving due to my body aching in a way I have never felt before.  The tingling and burning sensation has started in my hands and fingers which makes it difficult for me to hold my phone, let alone Kanan without pain. As hard as this is, I am thankful for the time I feel good enough to sneak downstairs to be with the family.

Although my weekend was rough, the kids had a great time going to a local Pumpkin Patch with Nana, Grandma Tina, and (great) Aunt Amy. They could enjoy the beautiful weather and run out some extra energy. Terry and I were able to sit in silence for a little while after another crazy week, which was just what we needed.  We are so thankful to have the extra set(s) of hands and help and couldn’t do it without everyone. 

This week is a week off from chemo, and to be honest it couldn’t have come at a better time. My body is in need of rest and I wouldn’t be able to stomach (quite literally) chemo again this week. Although there is no chemo this week, we still have a few doctor appointments, labs, and dressing changes ahead of us.  Most importantly, we meet with a cardiologist who specializes in oncology patients. Our hope is that we get a better idea of my heart health after two cardio-toxic chemotherapies (seven years ago and now) plus the upcoming bone marrow transplant. In addition, we hope to learn that my heart is strong enough to undergo the bone marrow transplant which will be coming quicker than we ever imagined.

Thank you to everyone who has texted and called over the last week.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful family, friends, and work family who have made this process tolerable knowing that I have the support behind me. Besides continuing to rest this week, I am looking forward to spending some quality time with the family.  #OneDayAtATime #BattleForBecca

**Emery and Rowan helped make my chemo sign again this week and added some much needed extra letters at the bottom. They were thoughtful enough to add a “K” for Kanan.