Umm...A New Post...Posted Later Than It Was Written

Well, today begins my second day of my second round of chemo. So far it has been pretty uneventful. I woke-up around 7:30 a.m., wandered out into the living, sat on the couch, looked at the cloudy weather, thought about starting my online courses, and then wandered back into my bedroom, crawled under the covers, fell back asleep, and didn't get up again until 9:30 a.m. Now I’m working on this blog post and slowly eating a bowl of oatmeal as Dad threatens that I’ll get a tube shoved down my nose if I don’t eat enough.

Out of the two days this week, I must say that Monday has been my favorite day thus far. I had a saxophone lesson Monday morning, which was a lot of fun. I got to play out of a jazz fake book and then look at some classical pieces. Mr. Anderson even acted as my accompanist and went after the piano part while I stumbled through my part and its crazy sharp and double sharp patterns and runs of sixteenth notes. To say the least, I bombed the first movement of the song since I wasn't ready to think in 6/8 yet that morning and figure out how my part was supposed to fit with the accompaniment. The second movement went better. Luckily it was in 2/4 and was mostly straight sixteenths notes; however, there were still lots of sharps that my brain would blank on any time I reached them. But yeah, the lesson was the highlight of my morning and I even got to take home the music we’d looked at, so maybe next time I’ll be able to actually play some of it. =D

After the saxophone lesson I came home and Mom had me look at my online courses to see if I could access them and see what the syllabus for each class was. This was the low point of my day. I looked at the requirements for the health class and that alone made me break out in tears. There was so much to do and just for one class. I was thinking that the online courses would follow a pattern of, “Here’s the work. Go. Have all of it done by December 15,” but no. Instead, the classes have due dates for tests, quizzes, homework assignments, and online discussions. It was too much for me. I don’t even have the books for the courses yet! I had no idea how I was supposed to be able to get it all done when there are stretches of days where I’m too tired to do much of anything because of the chemo. So Mom decided the answer to my questions would lie in my aunt Linda, who is an assistant professor and uses the same program as my college for online courses. We met with her and started looking through the syllabi and some due dates. In the end, we decided I should drop the health class due to its heavy course load and strict schedule and that I would keep my environmental biology, sociology, and math class (my advisor never did sign me up for the 1 credit astronomy class). Hopefully I’ll be able to get everything done, and done well, for the online courses I’m keeping and that my books get here sometime today since they are still missing in action.

Anyways, my day improved later in the afternoon once I pushed aside all thought of online courses and went swimming with Ben. We swam at the St. Charles pool and it was wonderful since there were only about six families there plus some random kids that were swimming too. I really had fun. It was nice to get out and move around and enjoy what was probably the last time I’d go swimming this summer. There was enough room in the pool that I could swim laps, had I wanted to, and few enough people there that they had free swim in the deep end. I’d have to say the best part of the outing was when Ben got put on a time out for doing flips into the pool. He and a kid that was old enough just to come up to his shoulder both got yelled at and told to sit apart from each other on the cement surrounding the pool until a few minutes later when the lifeguards dismissed them. It was hilarious seeing them just sitting there.

After swimming I rushed home to get ready to see the Tamburitzans with Jase, Mom, Linda, and Grandma. For those who don’t know, the Tamburitzans are college students who perform traditional songs and dances from small, mostly forgotten European countries. I know most people think, “Oh, cultural dances. Those aren’t that exciting,” but I must say that these kids were insane performers who made you tired just watching them. They had interesting and entertaining acts, including one where a guy played a whistle with his nose and another where a guy was bent over in a costume that made him look like he was two small men wrestling with each other. It was a great show. It’s difficult to describe all the various dances and what they included, so I would definitely recommend that you see the Tamburitzans the next time they’re touring in the area.

So that concludes Monday. Tuesday was considerably less exciting. I woke up early for an appointment to have blood drawn at 8:30 a.m.; however, I was checked in and sat there waiting with Mom for forty-five minutes before I was even brought back to where my blood would be drawn. Since I have a port, it’s easier for me just have blood drawn from there. The original intention was that I’d be stuck with a needle only once that day, but then the fellow who was doing the whole procedure used a one-inch port needle instead of a ¾ inch needle to draw blood, so they had to take it out and re-stick me later in the day for chemo. Oh, by the way, I was told I had to fast before having my blood drawn, so I was starving by the time I was done getting blood drawn since I hadn’t eaten since 6:00 p.m. the night before. Mom and I ran down to the subway level and I got to have a raspberry smoothie and a slice of lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast. After that I had an appointment with Dr. Erlichman. It was rather brief. He told me my hemoglobin had dropped from 9.9 to 9.0 since the last time I had blood drawn. Sadly that meant I had to have another stinging shot meant to bring up my blood count. He also showed me some results that were about levels that related to my liver and bones. I can’t recall what they were, but I got the impression that the change in them was a good sign.

Once we were done visiting Dr. Erlichman, Mom and I bummed downtown, window shopping at a couple jewelry shops and galleries and stopping by the Galleria Mall. Nothing too exciting, just something to kill the time. I did find some jewelry I liked at Lasker Jewelers. The store has a collection known as “Angels with Attitudes” and they’re gorgeous. My favorite was “Renewal.” I’m hoping it comes as a small pendant instead of just as a brooch/pendant combination so that I can put it on my birthday list. =D

Afterwards we went back up to the tenth floor of the Gonda building and waited to start my chemotherapy. I was given my nausea pills, my shot, waited, had my port hooked-up, and then started receiving my meds. I was on the Avastin for an hour this time instead of 90 minutes, though I still received the same dosage as last time. Then I was hooked-up to the other two for a couple of hours and now I’m wearing the portable pump and receiving the 5-Fu until about 2 p.m. tomorrow.

All the normal side effects have returned. I can’t touch/consume anything cold, the most annoying part of the treatment. I’m also having pins and needles sensations in my hands sometimes, but it’s not too bad. Lastly, I’m starting to get a little lethargic, but again it’s not as bad as what it will probably be in a couple days.

After chemo I came home and was delighted to find that my replacement orchid had arrived unharmed. I repotted and watered it and placed it in the window beside my other two orchids. It’s a healthy plant with gorgeous blossoms and I’m happy it got here safely.

The next few fractions of my day included a two hour long nap, dinner, and a visitation from Ben, and bed. A relaxing and fairly uneventful evening. I liked it.

Well, my books have just arrived and Dad is encouraging me to look more alive and to at least contact my professors and let them know what my current situation is.

So I will conclude my post with a thank you to everyone for the cards and comments and a reminder that I need help thinking of some ideas for a team name for the World Grid project.

Much love,
Cheryl