Hi Everyone! Sorry I
haven’t updated lately. Round 4 was a
doozy…it took a bit of time to recover from that one. Then, the new semester started, life got
crazy, I finally took down my Christmas decorations, and what do you know but
its time to head back up there AGAIN!
First, the family and kiddos are all doing great. They have indoor track, Jr. Jazz bball,
piano, scouts, dance lessons, school, and ski passes to keep them totally
busy. Troy continues to pull triple duty
around here and keeps life running! I
love him!!!
Troy just started kicking it in for the Whistler Ironman
this summer. He will be doing it the
exact same day my sister will be doing Lake Placid. Oh how I wish I could be in two places at
once! Liz, by the way, has met and is
still taking donations to exceed her goal of raising $5,000 for cancer
research! Thank you to everyone who
donated!!! Just wait…I’ll be back out
doing another one here soon. (Just
probably not in 2015, unfortunately!)
Alrighty then, round 4.
ICK! I was scheduled for right
over New Year’s so I went up there on the 30th and 31st
(my birthday – how fun is chemo on your birthday!?!) and then…the outpatient
clinic took the day off. Right when they
told me that, I knew it was a bad idea, (why would I want to prolong
infusion!?!) but they promised me that
things would be fine. So, I got juiced
up for two days, then spent January 1st at home letting it all
simmer and work its magic, and then went back up on the 2nd for
another infusion. That night…it hit with
a vengeance! I was so sick!!
I went back up on the 3rd and they immediately
hooked me back up to an IV and gave me intravenous anti-nausea meds. They helped maybe a little?? I don’t know.
I threw up while I was hooked up.
After a full IV bag had been infused, the nurse asked if we thought that
was about how much fluid I had lost. Ha
Ha! Troy and I both laughed out
loud. I would have had to be hooked up to
about 4 bags to replenish me. But, they
got my blood pressure (it gets really low) and nausea under control for a time,
finished my treatments, and then sent me home.
Usually a couple days later I can function, but I was down –
literally – on the couch for 3 more days.
And I was still vomiting the next day.
But, the car makes me that much more sick, so I decided it was better to
just stay home and try to get hydrated.
My sweet neighbor Melinda came over and brought oils and
even rubbed them on my feet! How’s that
for a great neighbor!?! I also had my
other neighbor Chad and his wife come over.
Chad and Troy gave me a blessing.
I’m very grateful that I have so many people that love me and are
concerned about me!
Once I got feeling better, I’ve done really good. This time I didn’t get nearly as achy as I
have in the past. I even rode my bike twice and did yoga once this past week. That’s
kind of major! I’m in horrible shape (fitness) now, so after
this is all done, I’m going to do those before and after pics to see how far
downhill I’ve gone and how long it takes to get back. :) I’m hoping for some serious muscle memory to
kick in because I’ve lost all muscle tone now. Dang it!
I’m also still eating relatively crappy! I tried some salad the other day when I felt
pretty good and it was bad news!!! I knew better...but still! I
love salads…I’m craving every salad on Blue Lemon’s menu right now…but I cannot
eat a lot of fruits or veggies or my stomach gets really angry at me! I’m thinking it has to do with all of the
meds they have me taking. So, I eat a
lot of carbs, potatoes, meat, etc. It is
really a ridiculous diet! I’m looking super forward to the end of all of
this when I can:
1) Finish chemo
2) Get my port out
3) Stop taking meds
4) Start exercising again
5) Start eating healthy again
But, before that, I have two more rounds. I head back up to Huntsman on Tuesday. So far, the only round that has been somewhat
OK and not horrible has been round 3. We
are going to try and duplicate that.
Same meds, no break, lots of rest, etc. I’m hoping it goes well. And, I’m hoping I recover quickly because….I’m
going out of town!
The U of U has a lot of success in recruiting students from
Norway because of the great skiing we have here. There is a big college fair in Oslo. I was forced (read that as I volunteered!) to
go with my staff to help recruit. We
have high school visits, alumni visits, and the college fair set up in Oslo and
also in Copenhagen! Can you believe it!?! I just wish I could take Troy with me. I totally would if he didn’t have to
teach. He will be heading to Europe with
me this summer though.
I know…I know…I’m a lucky girl! No, cancer isn’t super lucky, but
all things considered…if someone has to have it I’d rather it be me than anyone
else. I’m tough, I can handle it, and I’m
learning from it.
I’m usually pretty out of it for the week of chemo. I’ll try to post sooner than later. If it goes well, it will be sooner! And I’ll for sure post some pics from Norway
and Denmark!!
Thanks for all your love and concern!
Rock on!
