Round 2

May 28... Round 2, here I come!  I was feeling much better going into this round and was hopeful that was a sign that the chemo did its job for Round 1.  I was pleasantly surprised during vitals to find that I had not lost any more weight (yay for stability!) and my pulse was down from over 100 beats per minute to 84!  I was getting tired of everyone asking if I was okay since my pulse was so high... No, I wasn't okay.  Why would they ask that?!

My appointment with Dr. Sinclair before chemo was very encouraging and brought me a lot of hope. She was very impressed with my reaction to the first dose of chemo.  With inflammatory breast cancer, you develop a rash, swelling, and hardness in the breast.  The rash is receding, the swelling has gone down, and the breast is not as hard as it was two weeks ago.  I also have a lot less bone pain and I feel like my lymph nodes are not as swollen.  The fevers have also disappeared.  I have had so many symptoms go away or lessen.  It kind of makes the whole treatment worth it, though I still wish I didn't have to do it, of course.  The doctor was not expecting this level of improvement after one treatment.  She wants me to go back to Dana Farber at the end of June/beginning of July for an update on what my next steps in the treatment plan should be.  I'm very pleased that she encourages me to go to Dana-Farber.  Some doctors can have large egos and feel that they don't need assistance from other doctors.  I like that she values Dr. Overmoyer's opinion.

After that appointment was a lot of waiting for Round 2 of chemo.  Chemo is put together on the spot based on your weight so you have to wait while it's put together by the pharmacy.  Jason, my husband, and Laura, my sister, went with me to keep me company.  You get a small room with a "comfy" chair for me, and 2 chairs for visitors.  There's a tv, but the volume is hard to turn up since it's just in the remote.  I tried to watch the Price is Right but it was on during the one part of treatment that the nurse hand administers so I didn't get to see much of it.  I felt like a kid at my grandmother's watching Price is Right like when I was little.  😂.

Round 2 brought on a headache, nausea, and some fuzzy eye issue.  But the headache and fuzzy eye issue are gone this morning, thankfully.  The nausea has lessened and as long as I take my nausea medicine on time, I can handle it.  So far no vomiting!  Last night my hair started falling out more rapidly.  It's only a matter of time at this point, I assume.  Deep breathing through it... it will be ok.  A friend has told me about a wig shop in Boston that I plan to check out next time I go.

I have to go to Blue Hill hospital at 1 today for a Neulasta injection.  This injection increases my white blood cell count to help me fight infection.  Blue Hill was awesome last time I went.  She gave me a tour of their very humble setting, but they are able to do this injection and the convenience makes going there worth it.  The nurse was super nice and was great with Owen.  It was the first time that we took Owen to any of my appointments since we knew this one was just a shot and would be quick.  She let Owen sit up in the big chair and checked his vitals just like she had done mine.  Then, with her assurance that the shot was pretty painless, I let Owen watch me get the shot.  Trying to set a good example for him!  Hopefully it will pay off and his next set of shots goes well.

I am so thankful to all of you that are praying for me and sending good thoughts.  I truly believe what you are all putting out into the universe is helping heal me.

Love this guy more than I can express!