Half Way There

Today I had my 4th chemo treatment which means I am half way done with chemotherapy. This was the last dose of the "red devil". The picture doesn't really doesn't do it justice but it is bright red and looks like hair gel. Only 4 more treatments to go. My next 4 treatments are with a drug called Taxotere. My first dose of Taxotere with be two weeks from today on April 10th. After that the treatments will be every 3 weeks. This will be slightly different that we originally thought but this is the drug that Dr. Gray feels will be the most effective for my type of cancer. It also has less side effects than other drugs which is nice for me. We won't know how I will react until I have the first dose. I am a little nervous about changing to a different chemo drug but we will take it as it comes. I am just glad that I am half way there.

There was an older lady at chemo today that had just finished her last chemo treatment. She didn't know it but her entire family was waiting for her outside with 100 pink balloons, a sign that said "You Rock, Grandma", roses, and music. They were celebrating with her in the parking lot. The nurses got a real kick out of the celebration. They were so happy for her because she has had a lot of problems with side effects and reactions to the chemo. It was fun for the rest of us to see someone who was finished with this "fun" experience.

My nurse was excited for me today, I wasn't so excited, I gained a few pounds. They like it because it shows that I am still eating. Unfortunately I think it is that I am eating too many gummy bears. I like the gummy bears because they aren't too sweet yet they fill up my stomach enough that it tricks it into feeling full in between meals and less nauseated . That is something that I found out by accident but it works for me. The medicine for my sore mouth also worked. I only had to use if for a few days and I was filling back to normal. I am glad it didn't get bad because it would have made it more likely that I would get dehydrated.

My white blood cells are still doing well which is good because David called me during chemo to let me know that Tyler was throwing up at school. He was on his way to pick him up and take him home. He is feeling much better now. I think it was probably nerves from him worrying about me. Mariah has also been much more emotional lately and has climbed into bed with me the last two mornings after David leaves for work. She says she just wants to snuggle. I think it just reassures her to know that I am still there because she goes right back to sleep on David's side of the bed.

A little more information about the gene testing. In case you didn't read the previous blog, my gene testing was negative for both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The info that I received today actually breaks down what is tested which in summary they tested a "total of over 17,600 base pairs analyzed". It doesn't say what did cause my cancer, we probably will never know, but it does eliminate the genetic worry for my sisters and other relatives.