Over the Hill

No, this title does not refer to my age! Today was my fifth chemo treatment, meaning I have three left! I started a new drug today (Taxol) which is fortunately supposed to be easier to tolerate than the first two drugs I was on. My fourth treatment left me with the worst fatigue so far. It kicked in during the end of treatment and it took me a week to get somewhat back to normal. Needless to say, I'm happy to be done with Adriamycin/Cytoxan. Luckily I was well enough to be at Yankee Stadium last Saturday for A-Rod's walk off homerun! It was a wonderful moment for Yankee fans, and A-Rod as well, who needed a heroic hit like that to win fans over again after his steroid scandel. I personally believe he hit it just for me!

I felt like Caroline again during the second week after treatment, and I've noticed that I'm so happy those weeks no matter what's going on. It's my week to not think about cancer, not feel like I'm sick, and enjoy those days of feeling well until the next treatment.

Speaking of my fifth treatment today, I was nervous because while the drug is easier to tolerate, the chance of having an allergic reaction is high so I had to take a heavy dose of precautionary medications to minimize that risk. One of those drugs included an injection of Benadryl, which made me feel like I took ten shots of Grey Goose in less than a minute. First came the goofy smile and giggling, then I made a stupid joke and laughed hysterically at myself, and then I passed out cold for two and a half hours...all in less than two minutes. But I had no reaction and have felt well all day so far. Side effects are most likely to kick in over the next few days so hopefully the rumors about Taxol being easier are true!

Since I was asleep for awhile during treatment, I missed any humorous hijinks that went on around me, although I did get to witness Dad reading the Cliff's Notes version of Macbeth when we arrived to the Infusion Center. Apparently he found a whole bunch of old Cliff's Notes somewhere in his attic (those must have belonged to my brothers and not to me. I would never, wink wink :).

I hope everyone, including me, gets out at some point to enjoy this long Memorial Day weekend! Being able to say that I'm more than halfway done with chemotheraphy is reason enough for me to celebrate with a Bubba Burger and potato salad! Whatever your reasons are, I hope you enjoy.