Crossing Chemos off the List

I'm currently recovering from the heavy-hitting chemo I received this week for cycle 15. Those nasty side effects I wrote about in my early blog entries are back. My throat hurts after the chemo killed the mucus and dried it out. My appetite has gone back to intense cravings for small meals heavy on protein. I've lost a number of my taste buds. I don't have much taste for bread. This all said, though, I could be feeling worse. The prior three times I received this chemo combination, I had a big crash and slept most of the weekend, but here I am this morning writing this post!

The medical explanation would be that the extra off week gave me more time to recover from my last cycle, but I would also credit something else -- the good feeling of crossing these chemos off the list! It started on Monday, which was my last dose of vincristine. Then on Tuesday, I got my last doses of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. On Thursday, I was disconnected from IV fluids, and with that, there was no more evening backpack.

My Monday doxorubicin dose. Harsh stuff. It's bright red color makes me think of the red button in all those childhood cartoons, where bad things happen after it gets pressed.

As good as it feels not to have to get any additional doses of the heavy-hitters, or constant IV fluids, I'm still far from done. First off, I have to get through my low immunity period. Then, I have two more cycles of irinotecan and temozolomide. But with no more heavy-hitters lined up, I am feeling this big rush of positive energy that the side effects have yet to make a dent in. Power through, power through, power through!