Chemo Day 15

Last week at work was good... busy but very productive… lots going on with more and more students returning back to school.

And we hear the children are super happy and excited to be there, as well as the parents and staff. As we all know there’s a lot of new rules, but they’re there for a reason.

Hoping patience prevails!

For me… I’m still dealing with the many side effects… they come and go throughout the day and week, and as I’ve shared, you never know when they’ll come or go… or how long they’ll hang around. And then there’s those that have been around from the beginning and just continue to escalate little by little, week by week. I know they’re supposed to go away with time after chemo stops, just not sure what that means as far as when. The ones I’m most looking forward to never again are… the runny/bloody nose issue… it’s been daily for weeks (maybe TMI, but I go thru a ton of tissues); the persistent cough (it just happens all day long and it's been with me for weeks as well); my taste buds (things have a taste, but it’s just not the same... I can’t wait to taste things ‘for reals’); swelling/numbness (some days I’m normal, some days I wake up with swollen hands, feet and/or face, or numbness or pain in my fingers); I look forward to my electronic devices recognizing my fingerprints and face again (that’ll be exciting that my body has actually changed back as it was, ‘before-chemo’); oh and then there’s the obvious one - my hair returning (the little growth I see right now is very ‘whitish’ so it’ll be interesting to see if that’s my new look or just a temp look… but this might be the reason I’ll need to redo my electronic face recognition... lol!)

Spotlight, and shoutout to: Teamotions

So there’s this ‘Tea’ company out there that is absolutely AMAZING. And it’s not just because I’m related to them… it’s not just because of the very unfortunate reason it started… it’s not just because they’ve won awards. Those are the extras that make them more special, and make me love them even more! They’re AMAZING because their teas are truly incredible…. they are specially blended for emotional well-being. “Each tea is blended to have an uplifting aroma, to look beautiful, to taste amazing, and most importantly, to be effective.” I’ve gifted these to others for a few years, and of course I’ve bought them for myself, and I love everything I’ve tried. I really hope you visit their website and if you do, I hope you read their story, and lastly… I encourage you to try them… if you love tea, or know someone who loves tea, you'll see there’s something for everyone. www.teamotionstea.com

I absolutely loved these amazing gifts… wowzers! So very thoughtful, personal, and heartfelt, and I couldn’t be more blessed to have such amazing, caring friends.

~~ Thank you N for the TJ pink and white cookies… you are an amazing neighbor and friend and your texts are so much appreciated... safe travels and can't wait to see you soon!

~~ So this ginormous (and very heavy) basket was delivered to my doorstep (thank you S), and I’m touched by the beautiful gifts… the special handmade blanket (R) and soft spring blanket, the snacks and beautiful magazines, the lotions, candles and oil, the slippers, socks, beanie and gloves, the bath salts and books, the puzzles and puzzle book, and the cards and gift cards… you know you are all so very special to me. Thank you again for you never-ending love and support… I miss you so much and look forward to seeing you.

~~ To my knitting machine mom, yes I received another beautiful spring beanie and I love it (it’s not a great pic of the beanie, but it's debuted in the picture with my brother)

~~ To my incredibly amazing PhD friend B… thank you for the coloring books and pencils… you’re so right about how relaxing this can be, and these pencils are indeed amazing! This came just in time to help me through my Sunday night anxiousness!!

~~ To my neighbor K, your home grown lilacs are as beautiful as they smell… thank you for sharing them with us, and our little front porch chat!

~~ To my B, thank you for another beautiful bouquet of flowers, for your daily support, for being my uber and for being my personal shopper (especially since in-store shopping is seriously not at the top of your ‘fun’ list... lol!)!

~~ To Chef T, our Sunday Greek Dinner was incredibly Nostimo (delicious)… the Greek chicken, Greek lamb, Greek potatoes, pita and Greek salad was absolutely amazing (thanks Sous Chef N for the delicious salad). Your attention to detail and authentic-ness doesn’t go unnoticed… thank you so much for the amazing meal. OPA!!

~~ To B, thank you for the beautiful song, and the cover photo this week… it’ll be awhile before I can listen to it without bawling, but that’s because I love it that much. You’re so right… ‘no matter what, God’s always got you’! Those interested in listening, JJ Heller - Even Here on YouTube.

~~ And repeating this yet again but it’s because it means so much to me... the phone calls, FaceTimes, Zooms, texts, emails, videos, GIFs, responses and comments on my blog… all of them are so special… as are you… thank you thank you thank you!

This past Saturday was ‘Sibling Day’… but more importantly it was my brothers birthday!!

Two great reasons to celebrate him, and it was awesome seeing him in person, even if it was social distanced and brief. However, it was long enough to deliver cupcakes for our FT Birthday celebration that evening. Happy Birthday!!

I love you M, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for you continued support, love and prayers.

Today’s appointment...

Today’s appt was scheduled a little earlier in the day than last months appts, so it was way too early to nap. However, it was a busy day there today (which is sad and heartbreaking) so everything was delayed a bit… so by the time my infusion started it was creeping into my nap zone! Which translates to ‘I snuck in a little 15 min. nap’… which was better than no nap, right? So I talk about these ‘naps’ more and more because they’ve become part of my day, but it’s not because I love naps, it’s because the chemo is causing my body to require them… and I’m totally listening.

As I’ve said before, I’m grateful for my infusion team at CoH… every appt… every visit… every staff in the infusion room… they work hard and are always so caring, even on the busiest of days... all of them are ‘top notch’. I’m also grateful for my appts, and I say this because my neighbor today was going to be there for the entire afternoon… 3 different chemo infusions which was going to take 4 hours, so including transition time between each one… 6 hours... wow!! My other neighbor was there for his very 1st infusion and will be going there for the next 5 months… wow! It took me back to my 1st infusion on Dec 7… which was a very scary day! Again, a busy day there is a sad and heartbreaking day ~ way too many people battling this nasty frickin’ disease ~ F Cancer!!

Prayers to all of them and their loved ones.

Next, and last appointment... April 19

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

<3