Best one yet!

Since the third round of AC was sort of rougher on me than the previous ones, I half expected this round to be rocky, as well. So far, much to my surprise and delight, however, it has been a virtually nausea-free day for me. I didn't even have to munch every few hours to keep my tummy fully enough to prevent queasiness. Of course I was tired and generally lacking energy, which probably wasn't helped much by the fact that we had what felt like the hottest day of the year so far. So it's  not like I did tons of stuff, but overall I feel good enough to proclaim this my best first day post chemo yet! Yay!

So keep your fingers crossed, knock on wood, pray, or do whatever else will help, that the remainder of my AC cycle will be equally benign as its beginning. 

It is not as though I am not having any side effects at all. There is the ever-present fatigue, of course, as well as some continued disgestive issues. The latter are not exactly made better by my twice-daily lovenox injections that make any bleeding I experience more pronounced than it would have otherwise been. So I am going to have to keep a watchful eye on that. Furthermore, the Decadron still has me in its grip. On the one hand, it gives my cheeks that almost healthful flush (to the point where I wasn't wearing makeup today, but the nurse exclaimed "you look so good!" when I showed up for my Neulasta injection today). On the other hand, the steroids make me heart beat fast and keep me from getting a good night's sleep. With currently no nausea present, the 'roid effect is actually the most bothersome, as I have gotten somewhat used to the fatigue. 

Overall, however, I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised how well I have done throughout the first half of my chemo treatment. The side effects have definitely been there, but they are all manageable and tolerable. I thought it would be much worse. Of course, it helps that I do not currently have to work, so I can afford to be fatigued all I want, and just hang out and chill out whenever I feel like it. 

I have a lot of things to be grateful for as I look back on my chemo experience so far: a loving and supportive husband, who is always by my side for appointments, chemo, and such and who has taken on the caretaker role in the household without complaint; my close and extended family, who love and support me like only they can; a bunch of wonderful and supportive friends, some of which live near and some of which live far, who have found a myriad of ways to support me; and last but not least, a group of marvelous doctors and dedicated nurses who have taken care of my medical needs with efficiency and compassion. I couldn't have asked for anything more (except maybe for not getting cancer in the first place...?)

On this happy note I will close tonight, hoping that despite the steroids, I fill find some hours of restful sleep tonight.