Halfway There!

Day 8 of 2nd chemo and I'm feeling good!  I'm a little cautious to say this but I think the 2nd round was easier than the first.  Maybe I just knew more of what to expect, maybe I had already experienced it once so it seemed like a piece of cake...either way I am thanking God for it!  One thing that I was really curious about was what my effects would be from the Neulasta shot this time.  You may remember that on Day 7 last time I had lower back pain & spasms that kicked my butt.  Well I had some pain yesterday but it wasn't nearly as bad.  I had been taking Claritin to help with this and I also decided to keep moving because sitting still seemed to make it worse.  I also started alternating the ibuprofen and Tylenol right away when the pain started coming on.  I guess I will never know if any one thing did the trick but you can be sure I will be doing all those same things next time!

Today was blood work day.  It was a beautiful drive into Hastings with the snow softly falling.  The lady helping me in the lab told me to have a Merry Christmas and I said, "oh, don't worry, I'll be back here next week!". Then Kyle's Mom & I met with his Aunt for some nice chatting and yummy lunch at Applebee's.  She is only a few steps behind me in her breast cancer journey so we of course talked non-stop about all things oncology.  So besides getting to talk with Janice today, I talked briefly with Olivia Sprague last night.  She is a young lady from Nashville who is also currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments.  There is really a lot of truth in the saying:  Misery Loves Company.  Just talking with others who are in a similar place as I am makes me feel less alone.  

I have avoided watching the show Parenthood ever since Kristina was diagnosed with breast cancer back in September.  I watch the previews to see what's up with her but haven't watched a show-until tonight.  Of course I pick the show where she gets sick, winds up in the hospital and makes video messages for her children.  Probably not a good idea, but thankfully my life isn't a Hollywood drama!