Side effects

So I noticed I haven't written in a week, and thought maybe I should write something. So, how about an update on how I'm faring with the chemo?

Generally, I'm doing very well, working full time and not feeling too tired. But there are a few little, shall I say, "annoyances," that I can't wait to get rid of. And that won't be until after my last chemo on May 28 (a national holiday on Running Creek Drive in Ballwin, Mo.).

So, here's a list of the chemo side effects that are a tad bothersome:

• sensitivity to cold. It's now mostly in my fingers, but even today -- a week after treatment -- if I touch something cold or even put my hand in the freezer, yikes! The tingly, pins-and-needles feeling is exceptionally annoying and so I feel compelled to warm up the hands as soon as I can by wrapping them around a hot coffee or even laying them on my car's dashboard that's been baking in the sun on the parking lot. Surprisingly, I can handle ice cubes in my drinks just three days after treatment, but this cold-fingers thing seems to last forever.
• nausea. But I STILL haven't used the high-powered anti-nausea pills that are in my purse, "just in case." My nausea -- usually on the first four days after a treatment -- is very mild. Sometimes I take a compazine, sometimes I don't. I'm grateful it's not worse.
• sore mouth. Don't panic -- I don't have the horrid, nickel-sized mouth sores that I had in the fall when I was doing the chemo 24/7 for five weeks. But my tongue, especially, is a little sore most of the time. I've got a mouth rinse (that I didn't have in the fall) called "Prevention" that's specially made for cancer patients. It helps, as do salt-water rinses. So it's not so bad.
• "tired eyes." I wear soft contact lenses, and sometimes my eyes get watery or dry, and just plain "tired" feeling. It helps to close them for a minute or two.
• bloody nose. It doesn't actually bleed, but when I blow it, there's usually a little blood on the tissue (TMI? Sorry!). And right now I've got a sinus thing going on, so I'm blowing pretty often.
• thin hair. I've been assured by Dr. W-G that my hair will NOT fall out in a major way. The chemo mixture I'm getting -- or maybe my menopausal age (ooh, I hate typing that!) -- are making it thin a bit, but I shouldn't go bald. But at any given time, there's always at least one or more long strands on my clothing, so I'm trying not to brush it too much or be too rough when I wash it.

Anyway, virtually ALL of the above side effects are supposed to go away after I stop the chemo, so hurray for that! And, as I said earlier, this really isn't so bad.

I've got a piece of child's artwork (see above) that says "God is with us," and shows lots of everyday people with God "in them." It's from a children's art contest/show, and is on display at work, along with lots of other pieces. I really liked it, so I got permission to copy it.

But here's the thing: I feel like God IS with me, especially now that I'm going through cancer treatment. So, really, nothing can be that bad, can it?

Thanks for checking on me.

Until next time ...

P