Cytoxan Round Five - Health Update

One more round of chemotherapy down, only seven more to go! I am so excited to reach the halfway mark next month. These past five months have been rough, but at least I now have a solid routine to survive the few days of hell after each infusion. I have a little "chemo go bag" equip with peppermint gum, nausea meds, barf bags, and tissues next to my bedside! Luckily I also have a husband who helps me in the wee hours of the morning while I vomit! lol This round was a bit easier than the last as I know how to space my nausea medication exactly right to get some decent relief the entire few days. As I mentioned before I am already seeing some awesome results. I no longer have inflammation markers in my blood, such as CRP and SED rate which is amazing! That means my body is beginning to heal from the massive amounts of inflammation it's endured over the past four years.

I am officially down to 8mg of Prednisone. The first week was absolute hell. Absolute HELL -- but my body is finally beginning to adjust. Hallelujah! At one point the pain was just too much and I had to go back up, but I am proud to say I fought through it and made the decrease! I feel my breathing has gotten easier, and that my digestive track is working a bit better as well. (I had a milkshake and just about died of excitement!) I go in for a big "half way mark" appointment the middle of March for some tests that will lay out exactly how much the Cytoxan is really helping internal organ wise. I cannot wait to see those results!

I have had a few doctors appointments as well, mostly Physical Therapy which I am really beginning to enjoy, and an Allergist appointment. I can already tell I am regaining some core strength as my lower back is no longer in constant pain. My arms and legs are also a lot more reliable than they were before we started! lol The allergist ran a few blood panels to decipher why I have been plagued with odd rashes, and near constant hives the past few years. Unfortunately the panels all came back in-conclusive, so I will be seeing him again in March to follow up. He did however start me on a basic allergy med to help the itching, and it's been wonderful!

I am started to gain back some fuzz on my head and I am super in love with it! It's very soft like baby hair, and much, much darker than my hair originally was! I even got back much of the eyebrows, and eyelashes I lost which is so nice. I no longer have to wear fake lashes, or completely draw in my brows, though still a little. Woohoo! So glad I could bring my readers a happy update this week.

Hugs,
Chanel