Chemo Treatment #4

Happy Friday!
Yesterday was a pretty damn skippy good day overall. I decided to let my freak flag fly and rock my 'hawk in all it's glory one final day.

My first appointment was to get my blood drawn. The tech opened the door and gave me the "holy hell, she has a mohawk" look and handed me the clipboard. I signed in, smiled and went back to my seat. You'd think in a cancer wing, they'd have seen it all but perhaps not.

Having my blood drawn is basically a non-event. We marvel and joke about my pretty, juicy veins and after a stick and two vials later, it's over.

We headed up to the MD Anderson oncology suite afterwards. Today was the day that I meet with my oncologist as well. While in the waiting room a man in his 70s sitting a few seats away said "I like your hair!" and took off his fisherman's cap to reveal his shiny bald head. He said "I wish I could pull that off but I just don't have enough hair!" His wife echoed similar feelings regarding her hair, too. It was nice banter.

Next stop, vitals and then the quick nurse visit. My nurse this time was Mark, who is a big, burly dude. He's way cool. The first thing he said when he walked in the door was "I've heard about you!" I said "Me?? Uh oh..." He laughed and said "They told me that there was a lady with a Mohawk here today!" He loved it. I even let him take pics with his cell phone. Was it the most appropriate thing? Likely not, but it's only my head and not like he asked for a nip shot or something, right?

After a rather long wait, Dr. Nelson finally came in. He laughed when he saw me and said "Wow! That's great!!" I told him that it was likely my last day since it was falling out so badly and that I had bald spots and everything. He told me not to actually shave it and to not use a super close guard because the risk of infection should I happen to get nicked is too high. He said "You wouldn't want foliculitis". I'm not even sure what that is but it sounds yucky.

He pulled up my blood work and said that it's very rare that he sees blood work as good as mine at this stage. I didn't have any Hs or Ls (highs or lows). He told me that I was doing "awesome". That's great stuff!!!

From there, he did a quick exam of my heart and my breast to see if the tumor had changed. He believes that it's actually begun to shrink a little. Yippy-kie-aye!! I will have an ultrasound prior to my next visit with him to confirm but this is such great news!! He also had a prescription for Ambien called in since I haven't been sleeping at all on chemo nights. Oy. Ambien. Will I try to drive to work at 3am? Make a sammy? Consider inappropriate things with my lab? I told Matt that he may want to lock me in the bedroom to keep any drug-induced shenanigans at bay.

From there, we headed back into the waiting room since my chemo room wasn't quite ready yet. My PIC (partner-in-crime), Jenny, was coming to visit me during chemo. Yay!! Matt waited until she got there and then he left to give us some girl time.

I was told that I would be in room 14 today. As I walked past the nurse's station, I got many compliments on my 'do, so I did what any self-respecting woman should do... I did my slow walk and princess/Queen Elizabeth wave.

I had a new nurse today, which saddened me a little since Lilli was there! I had Angelette, who is very nice. As she got me all hooked up, several of the nurses came in to admire my Mohawk and several suggested pinking it out. Hey, I DO have my limits, people! Haha...

The premeds went as they usually do. The Benny is awfully fun still but I'm decidedly more coherent now. Only mild slurring, etc. Slowing the drip down helped immensely.

I asked Angelette if my current reaction was any indication of things to come. She said that it can be; that it's very likely that I'll continue to tolerate it well, which is great to know. We also talked about the next chemo cocktail
that I'll get, which is known as the "Red Devil" or "Red Death" for a variety of reasons. I hope to fare pretty well on those treatments but I know that they're brutal and I expect to be pretty sick. One day at a time...

After chemo ended, Jenny and I met Matt at Panera for lunch. All I wanted was a desserty treat after watching some show about cakes. DAMN that steroid! I chose a carrot cake muffin AND a brownie. Why not, right? Yes, I had "real" food but these were the highlights. Delish. Yes, Jenny and Matt followed my lead but they showed more restraint and had just one dessert each. Needless to say, my tummy was a little upset afterwards but it was soooo worth it.

After we parted company, Matt and I headed to get his wig busted in solidarity. I couldn't be more proud. His took less than 20 minutes - and that included the beard trim and streamy towel and scalp and back massage. (Oh, get your mind outta the gutter. I was right there. Kinky-free zone!) He totally rocks it and looks all kinds of badass. The girls and I love it!

Later in the evening, I let Matt and the girls buzz my Mohawk off. As fun as its been, it was just so messy and itchy and sore with all that hair continuing to fall out. I went from a punk rocker to GI Jane in about 20 minutes - well, minus the buff body and Ashton Kutcher connection. He went slowly with various sized guards to not irritate my scalp. It feels weird but I do love it. I may never want hair again!

I'm also pleased to report that I got a full, very uneventful, night's sleep with my friend, Ambien. I could have slept more, but I did wake up on my own (no alarm). I didn't drive anywhere or cook or call/text random people. Life is good.

Bottom line: Even with this poison in my veins, I continue to be very healthy so far. I have a new 'do (x2) and wonderfully supportive family and friends. What's not to love about that?