84 Days of Chemo - The First 21

Round 1 began on May 5, 2022. It was pretty apropos for me to be having cocktails on Cinco de Mayo, except that this cocktail was nothing like the yummy margaritas of years past. This year there was no salt rim, and instead consisted of Herceptin, Perjeta, Taxotere, steroids and anti-nausea meds, given over 7 hours through my decollete's weird new port.

I worried about this day. How was I going to handle it emotionally, physically and spiritually? I knew that there was really no way to completely prepare. So I did what I knew I could control - I brought my bestie and our Fuck Cancer shirts and got on with it!

The prior month had been a blur. With appointments/tests almost every day, I was weirdly ready for the diagnosis period to end and treatment to begin. The sooner I started, the sooner It will be over. Surprisingly, although my first chemo treatment was 7 hours, it went by pretty fast, and I left feeling normal. I was amped up on steroids and fluids which made it hard to sleep but helped me get through days 1 and 2. This whole situation messes with your mind, as I didn't have symptoms of breast cancer. So I was feeling fine, and then was given all kinds of meds to make me feel terrible, and I just had to wait to go downhill. Day 3-10 would be bad they said.

Like clockwork, the bus hit me on Day 3. The next few days were rough. The overwhelming fatigue and GI issues weren't fun- and then the bone pain broke me. This was caused by the Neulasta shot that helps stimulate white blood cells in my bone marrow. It felt like early labor throughout my lower back. Ladies - you feel me right?

I have been pretty positive thus far, but this put me over the edge. I went for a check in with my oncologist on Day 7, and was an emotional mess. They gave me fluids, and tips on how to better manage the side effects for this round and the next ones. I will give you two words of advice if you ever go through this: medical card. Yep - it was a game changer!

As the week progressed, my side effects improved, with mainly fatigue remaining. This was good news, as I had to be feeling good for my Hairwell Party! It was so awesome that it got its own blog post!

One of the things I am trying to do during this journey is to be in the moment. As a type A personality, this has been one of the hardest challenges of my diagnosis. But I am really thankful to be forced to give in and allow myself to rest, say no, and focus my energy on the important things - and more importantly - people. AND my new hair. Isn't it fabulous? My hair would never hold a wave like this, and I am like a dude now - ready in 5 minutes. It is really awesome not being so high maintenance!

During my 4 rounds of chemo, I will have one good weekend each round. Summer is my happy time, and DE Seashore State Park is my happy place. We found a great beach on the bay where we can bring Stella and hang out, paddle board, and just relax. Oh- and tell cancer to F off! (Sorry - not sorry for the potty mouth.)