I’m well into chemo #4, and infusion day was pretty uneventful, I kept falling asleep.

Dr Oncologist was away and so I met an Oncology NP with a Mennonite last name, and she was a delight. I felt like we learned things from her that we didn’t get from our breezy but lovely Dr Oncologist. I think that was a very positive thing. She ordered an Echocardiogram because one of the drugs I’m on has (big fancy word here for) toxicity to the heart.

Um.  

Bless my heart.  

The Chemo nurse who is a marvel said my labs looked good. My glucose levels are usually flagged as high, and I thought I understood the whole glucose thing but Every. Single. One. of them explain it differently. So I don’t even know. Time to spend some quality time educating myself.

There are indications that the starfish has continued to shrink! #happydance

The most recent round of effort with the seroma has been frustrating. There was a Monday office visit with a PA and a huge needle, and that was excruciating and singularly ineffective. We followed that up with an ultrasound guided puncture on Thursday, and that was much more comfortable and much more effective, but somehow I still managed to get home with a sizable hard and plump seroma still in my pit. They’ve explained that it must have a lot of scar tissue, hematoma, and inflammation in there at this point from all the punctures. This may be as good as they can get it for now.

I’ve left it alone since then, happy to have some space between me and the stabby people. The inflammation has subsided thankfully, but the underlying river rock is still in my arm pit. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me too much. I’m getting some numb tingling sensations in my left wrist, hand, and fingers, so maybe it is in there getting in the way a little.

Please pray for my starfish to continue to go away as well as this annoying river rock. Honestly, I would really rather keep the beach at the beach!

The PA says it’s capable of going away on its own.

So be it.

I have had a good bit more nausea and GI discomfort with this round of chemo, which does track with the expectation that the dosage of chemo is the same but the effects are cumulative. So far it seems that I can lay in bed or the recliner and watch tv and barely move except for trips to the bathroom and just get more and more depleted – or I can take the anti nausea medication and be stopped up for days. I would love to find some space to inhabit more in the middle…

At least when I take the medication I can be active without feeling so delicate.

I am so grateful I discovered multivitamins that come in a dermal patch. At least I can get a multivitamin no matter how happy my GI tract is or isn’t. #grateful

I was also very happy to discover I got an A in the class I took this term. I have turned my mind to interesting things and have been gently working away quietly trying not to jostle this body too much. I am enjoying thinking some present-future thoughts about my business and some things I want to share online this summer. I’m like my dad on that, always thinking present-future.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, my righteousness!

Sending love and healing your way through this journey. It does have its twists and turns. Please remember, you are not alone!

Carmen