Last time....

Received my last round of adriamycin and cytoxin on Friday.

Also HOPEFULLY my last injection of neulasta happened yesterday afternoon.

Thanks be to all of the gods!  Because DAMN I feel like crap today.

I am convinced it's the neulasta, that stuff in the thing they put on my arm that goes off 27 hours after treatment to boost my immune system.

I felt great yesterday, and got a lot done around the house, until that damned thing went off.

Then everything started to hurt.  I mean everything.  My forehead hurts to touch.  Jeezuz.

The nurse said that I can skip this drug during the last four treatments, provided my blood counts stay up.  I will do whatever I can to keep my blood counts up, mostly drinking my herbal teas that build blood, and eating my usual healthy diet.

It worked before, it will work again.

The last four rounds will be just one chemo drug, the name of which escapes me now.

This also means fewer steroids, hopefully no benadryl, and not as much need for extra anti nausea meds (I've been getting three per treatment).

Hopefully, the treatments won't take as long because of this, AND hopefully, I will be able to work the next day like I could with the first four, which were made up of more drugs than these will be.

The nurse said the last four will be a "cake walk."

I just have to get through feeling miserable for the next few days, and the rest of this process should be much easier.

I am nearly out of the chemo woods!

I had run out of paid time off at work, and mentioned it to my co workers.

It came up because I told them that I was scheduled off for tomorrow (using my FMLA), but that I would come in if I could because I wasn't going to be paid if I stay home.

I won't be penalized, but I also won't be paid.

I wanted to give them the heads up that I MIGHT be there if I am not too sick, so they might not have to do my work.

One of them marched in and donated a day of his hours so I could stay home AND be paid.

Then another one donated some hours, too, so that I have a little cushion for the coming weeks until this process ends in October.  I will still have to take more time off than I earn in a month as we approach the end of this.

I work with great people.

The office politics suck just like at any other job, but I stay out of it, collect my meager pay checks that never seem to get much bigger no matter how much my work load grows (or even with the title of project manager), and do my work.

We have a good team, and I am amazed at the support and love they have shown me.

When this is all over, I am going to buy them donuts or something....

Today, it's all I can do to sit and read.  It even hurts to let my arms rest against my sides.  Sitting at the dining room table with my elbows on the table and my back away from the chair is the only position that doesn't hurt.  As with the past three times, every inch of my body feels bruised.

This will likely last until I wake up on Tuesday morning.

The nausea has been better this time, though.  Last time, I felt sick for the full 4 days.  I think that was partially because I went into that treatment completely exhausted from the trip to Chicago.

This time, I was stronger on treatment day.

But I am still getting the chills, the body pain, and the frequent hiccups.  SO weird.

Everyone out there have a good Sunday.  We've been blessed with a break from the heat, happy to say, and a little rain.