Starting Round Two
Week four was a week-off for chemo, and perfect timing for our daughter's elopement. Even though it was a tiny affair in leu of a big wedding event planned for 2023, we had the decor and the venue in our backyard and while I played decorator and officiant, Melisa felt well enough to grab her camera and shoot some photos for the event.
Feeling Good, with Side Effects
The chemo is working on the original issues and Melisa says that her stomach and back feel better than she's felt since mid-last year. That said, side effects of the chemo suck.
"Yesterday I started round 2 of chemo. Loved, loved my week off. Honestly I don't know if I could have felt any better than I did. I was able to photograph Dylan & Sean's wedding ceremony (will post pictures later). It was an absolutely beautiful day. Had hair left for the wedding on Saturday. Sunday I shaved my head. Just couldn't take the hair constantly coming out in clumps. It is very strange not to have hair, but I am getting used to it. Part of the process.
"Glad to still have eyebrows & eyelashes. Everything else is going so great. My bloodwork from yesterday looked amazing. All my numbers went up and the doctor and nurses commented on how great my labs were. Starting round 2 healthier than I started round 1. I am scheduled for 2 more weeks of chemo - then scans on May 26th and depending on the results of the scans we will know what the plan is moving forward. Thankful to be feeling SO good💜"
For her, the biggest side effect has been a horrible, itchy rash. Without going into too much detail - it's like road rash all over, and she has a very hard time sitting still. We use a combination of prescription salves and OTC anti-itch creams to fight the itch, and have antibiotics for warding off possible infection due to open scratches.
As she said, she started losing hair last week. It was amazing how much hair she had, and how quickly it was falling out. Melisa decided she was over it, and shaved off the remaining hair Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, the doctors advised her to go a little shorter, so I helped shave her head down to a "1" with our clippers. She did well, having had time to process over the week off and having made the milestone of Dylan's wedding. She had the idea for the photo below, which I thought was a hilarious idea.
Scans on the Horizon
Heading into round two feeling good, with good numbers, and smiles. Best we can do as side effects started to rear their ugly heads again today. That said, we're focused on getting through the round and getting those next scans to see how the cancer is responding.
As always I can't say enough about the level of support - you've all been wonderful and we appreciate all the messages of support, the checking in on SMS, the stops to help with chores -- just, everything. We're psych'd, and moving!