Sorry, I know I have been M.I.A. once again. I have been super busy, which has been a good thing for me, because it is DECEMBER. In two weeks, I get to go up to Boise to watch my husband graduate! And then, the most important part, move him to back to Sacramento with me! But anyway, I'm sure most, if not all of you, are looking for a status update. I will be better about updating in the coming weeks!
I am continuing to feel pretty good. I am definitely more tired as I have more treatments, but it's nothing to complain about. The anti-nausea medication I was given has been the ultimate lifesaver. I started out being able to do only Zofran, but these last couple times I've added some Decadron (which is a steroid--yay) to take the edge off. Also having my port (or, #surfport or, #PORTition)* has been incredible. I haven't had any vein problems with my last two treatments :). I just had my 8th treatment (of twelve) yesterday, so I am officially 2/3 of the way done! I will have one more treatment and then Nate will be able to start coming with me. All the nurses at the infusion center are looking forward to meeting him, because I talk about him all the time, and he hasn't been able to be at a chemo with me yet. So, our first appointment together will be New Year's Eve! I am going to take in headbands, sparkling cider, and some kind of treat, just to make it fun for everyone (because ain't no one wanna be there). (Sorry to all the English professors reading this, but there was just no other way to put that. And, I have chemo brain, so I can't be held responsible for grammatical errors.)
Here I am at chemo #8! (staying hydrated)
And another big update: I have busted out my wig.
It is definitely a strange adjustment, but I have gotten used to it pretty quick. It's nice to have a little more hair for a change. Here is what my hair looks like now:
It has definitely thinned out, but it is GROWING in the back. I styled it in a mohawk just to show the growth I've had! And yes, this is my natural hair color. To have this much hair this far into my treatment is incredible to me. My doctor told me I would be completely bald within a month of starting treatment.
I still feel comfortable wearing it out like this (if it's styled), but the wig is fun. If it starts getting more patchy, I will probably cut it all shorter, just so it's evened out.
I have also been able to experiment with some new #cancercouture looks! The scarves have been fun (once you figure out how to tie them to your head!) Here is the "chemo glow" I have been telling some of you about... there's more about this down below.
I have come across a YouTube channel called "Confessions of a Bald Girl" that is done by a girl who just survived Breast Cancer! She is super stylish, and has a lot of good tutorials like this one. I love the bow!
One DEFINITE bonus from having chemo-- it is like getting botox and a facial every time you go. It, like, perfects your skin. I had heard other people say they had had this as a side effect, but I didn't believe it until I saw it on my own face. A lot of people ask me if I've been out in the sun or using tanning products, but it's just the "chemo glow!" Obviously I don't recommend taking this route for skincare haha, but it has been nice to have #flawless* skin for once in my life!
*Some of you are wondering about some of the funny hashtags on my chemo posts from Instagram. I have a little group of friends that I have met on IG (there are 5 of us, and we are all around the same age and all were diagnosed with Hodgkin's in 2014, so it has been an AMAZING support for me). So to make things fun, we incorporate Beyonce songs into our everyday chemo posts. If you've heard the songs, it is probably all clicking for you... "surf port, surf port...." If you don't know the songs, just disregard it ;)
