Christmas highlights

Well.... I did have my chemo last Wednesday, which in this festive season seems like a lifetime ago. It had been a month since my last infusion and the space inbetween had made the whole experience seem a bit hazy, but it all came rushing back when I walked through the revolving doors of the Marsden. 

Hospitals have a specific smell. I don't know if each hospital has its own smell (and I don't intend to find out either) but the Marsden waft of chemicals makes my stomach roll over. I read in one of the handouts - Coping with Nausea and Vomiting: A Guide for Cancer Patients - of anticipatory sickness. That's what I get! Just the thought of chemo makes me feel queasy. Afterwards, managing the sickness in first days post chemo is an alchemical process. If I eat at the wrong moment it all comes back, but if I wait too long and get hungry all I can smell is chemo. How weird is that? I've spoken to a few of the other women doing chemo on the same day as me and they say they have experienced this, but even so - it's odd!!

So, it was touch and go in the run-up to Christmas day if I would be able to eat all the goodies B was preparing. My sister has arrived from Australia and sadly for her she saw the worst of my sickness (YUKK). All three of us were willing that my stomach would behave on the big day, and lo it came to pass. After two days of not eating, I was able to tuck into everything! I may have been bald, with marginal eyebrows and minimal eyelashes, but I had a party hat and a full plate.

Now, six days on from the infusion I feel tired, full of cold but basically fine. I was sent home after the chemo with an injection that tops up my white blood cells. Have I mentioned that I am a dab hand at injecting myself? It's hardly worthy of putting on my CV but in my landscape, being able to take control of one aspect of my health - injecting myself - makes me feel quite proud. The injection is a 'smart' injection, which is designed to top up the different components of the white blood cells to just the right amount. How amazing is that? The result is that I shouldn't miss any future chemo sessions, good news as I want to stay on track. 

Thank you so much for your lovely messages, they have really cheered me up. Here's to 2012!