Weekly chemo treatments leave very little time to recover…or anything else.  Last Friday my infusion was only Taxol, Heceptin and magnesium (no Perjeta).  The infusion was about 6 hours, and is usually the case, I feel pretty good leaving the infusion center.  (It helped that I got a special delivery of Jamba Juice by my friend Michael.)  Which was a good thing because I went to a concert that night with my good friend Melissa and my niece.  The concert was Train, The Fray and Matt Nathanson, and it was really, really good!  We had a ton of fun.

Sunday the effects of the chemo started.  Even though I received a lower dose, the effects are cumulative.  At least I wasn’t nauseous, but I have been dealing with heartburn, stomach aches and diarrhea since Sunday.  I finally relented and took Lomotil instead of Imodium today.  Hopefully that will help.

I have been having problems with my fingers and toes.  Mild neuropathy, which is common, but on the other hand, my nails hurt.  I can’t open cans; the pressure against the nails is painful.  That means anything, like flip tops for lotion or makeup compacts, are difficult to open.  I took a closer look at my toenails, and it looks like I may lose a toenail or two.  I was fully expecting to lose my hair, but not my nails.  And I’m sad that I can’t get another pedicure for a while.  Just another day in the life of a chemo patient.

And yet I continue to be blessed.  A college friend, Ann, messaged me yesterday to let me know that she would be in town and could we get together?  She lives in CT, so it was great to spend some time with her, and she brought Garrett’s Chicago Mix, along with some hand dyed yarn and a great tshirt.  I received a beautiful bouquet of farm fresh flowers from a former work colleague, and over the weekend the best cap from another work colleague.

Of course, the best thing of all is that despite the symptoms, I’m mostly okay.  I’m managing to still do most things, both professionally and personally.  Just maybe a little slower.