Photo by Anna-Louise

Phew!! Time has been flying by so fast, I cannot keep up … with anything. I had good intent to keep everyone updated as to my progress through this round of chemo, but managed one post after Cycle 1, Day 1, and here is it a new year and I have completed Cycle 4, Day 3 (one more day to go, but that is hydration only, so not too bad.) As we approached year’s end, one question kept popping up.

“What are you doing for New Year’s?”

I cracked up. I’ve essentially been a hermit for the past three-and-a-half years, so it isn’t likely I’d suddenly throw on my party togs for a night out on the town … especially not while undergoing chemo. But I did have an answer for the question.

“Mainlining (chemo) drugs and passing out.

Yes, I spent New Year’s Eve hooked up to a drip in a chemo chair and it was my long day, so by the time I got home, I literally had something to eat and passed out. The fireworks here aren’t for celebrating New Year’s Eve. They are in celebration of two more cycles left in this round of chemo. A celebration of going into a new year hopeful for a nice period of remission where I might get some normalcy in life back. A celebration of the hope that I will soon get my creative mojo back so I can finish the book I’ve been tinkering with. It’s all in my head, it just hasn’t hit the page yet.

How have I been doing? For the most part okay. I have been having more sensitivity to the chemo drugs as far as allergic reactions go this time. But that is due to my having a reaction to more than one of the drugs. My fatigue levels are high, so I manage to get through the day job and pick at some of my writing stuff, but haven’t accomplished a whole lot. Which is frustrating at times. But for the most part I focus on getting through the next couple of months with the anticipation that I won’t feel quite so tired and then will be able to get things done.

Part of my ability to get through the day job was that I took the month of November off to give myself extra time to rest. My fatigue levels had been creeping up even before I knew I’d be going through chemo. So I had already planned to use a good chunk of vacation time. At the end of the vacation, I wanted another month. I’m still tired most of the time.

Unfortunately, extreme fatigue does not always equal good sleep. If only it would. HA! The next two months should be interesting. Before I know it, it will be chemo time again. Time to pack the blankets, snacks, liquids, and laptop. Time to dredge up the energy to get out of bed two hours earlier.

The passage of time between cycles is swift, but the time in the chair is long.

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