Apr. 7: Chemo #7, rock star edition

Yesterday was the treatment I’d hoped I wouldn’t need. I’m not ready to call #8 my last one, because I don’t know what Dr. O will want to do if O.J. is still  hanging around after #8. Will I have more chemo? Radiation? Surgery? A spinectomy? I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the spinectomy.

I was borderline on my blood counts again yesterday, but Dr. O still wanted me to do chemo. She said if the counts are in the same area before #8 that they’ll give me a shot that stimulates my immune system. I bet it’ll hurt. Besides that, we talked about my continuing back pain—it’s nowhere near as bad as it was before my diagnosis, but it’s still a good six on the pain scale sometimes—and she gave me suggestions for pain relief. I’m supposed to continue with physical therapy (I’m on a home program now) and also try eating more nutritiously to lose some weight. Pffft. I mean, um, WHATEVER IT TAKES!

We discussed my current sinus infection, and rather than go on antibiotics, Dr. O suggested I keep my sinuses moist and get them unclogged. She likened a sinus infection to an abscess—you don’t use antibiotics for an abscess; you drain it because that’s what works best to make it go away. Besides, antibiotics at this point would cause a host of additional side effects she promised me I wouldn’t want to deal with. I’m taking her word for it. Today I got Afrin and saline and am using them as directed because I’m a good, attentive patient.

Lastly, we asked when another test will be done on my heart, and she said “soon.” It sounds like it’ll be one of the many tests done near the end of this whole process. That makes sense—it’ll tell me what shape my heart is in as I move forward into the next phase of GOOD health. (Right?)

Now for the good stuff.

We made ourselves comfy in the infusion room after talking with Dr. O, and Sherilee unloaded her many, many bags. That girl brought so much stuff for me! It was AWESOME. First, there was a box of amazing rainbow cupcakes topped with thick frosting, to which she added Pop Rocks. Here they are in all their deliciousness:

As if that wasn’t a lovely enough treat, she brought them in a really cool cupcake carrier. Here’s a picture:

…and since I know you’ll ask (because everyone who saw it yesterday did), she ordered it from RSH, a catalog boutique.

Sher also brought candy necklaces for the two of us, a very tall stack of trashy magazines, and a CD case full of amazing music and comedy mixes—perfect accoutrement for a day of chemo! (You can punch me for using that fancy word right now. Right in the face. Please. I deserve it.) And look at this treat she got for Victor—bacon and chocolate; can you imagine a more perfect combination?

He tried it last night and said it was surprisingly really, really good. I don’t have the stomach for it yet, but I’m hoping there will be some left next week when my appetite is back.

Kim F’n surprised us with a visit too. I got to rub her butt—specifically, the tattoo on her butt, which she had done partly for me, so I kind of OWN part of her butt now so I can totally rub it whenever and wherever I want don’t judge me do NOT judge me I said.

After giving Sherilee the basics of IV pole-dancing—Kim did invent it, after all—we got a good pic of her with the Pop Rocks and candy necklace. You can see part of the cupcake carrier there on the chair behind her.

Notice also that there’s no stack of recycling viewable in this area of the infusion room—we sat in a different place than normal, where the chairs are much more comfortable and the view is a bit nicer. Still lots of old snarly people, but the windows and a little bit of sunshine made it better than the dark, dank corner in which we usually set up.

As if Sherilee’s companionship wasn’t enough for chemo #7, Kathy announced to our friends and family that it was Rock Star Chemo day. She had people texting and Facebooking me all day long with links to headbanger music videos, band photos, and lots of other fun things. I even got personalized messages from The Rouge:

 Jack (bass) and Adam (guitars, keyboards)

 Steve (drums)

Stephen has called me “Hey Lady” ever since he was about four years old, when I had just flown in for a visit and he was so excited to tell me something, he forgot what my name was. Sometimes I’m even “Auntie Hey Lady.” I love it. And him. And I haven’t met those other guys yet, but I think I kinda love them too.

Always one to play along, here’s Kathy’s doing her best impersonation of a rock star too:

My uncle Paul and Claire recorded a video of him performing a song about rocks—he’s waaay into literal interpretations!—and I would post it here if I could figure out how to steal it off Facebook because it was hilarious.

Thanks to everyone who sent all the good vibes in their varied forms yesterday—it made an otherwise icky procedure as close to being fun as it could be. (We’ll just not ever, ever speak of yesterday’s bad IV start experience, OK? Just trust us—it was awful awful awful.) And huge thanks also go to Sherilee, for driving down and back from Walla Walla yesterday to be with me, cupcakes and music and magazines and candy goodies and speeding ticket and all. You’re wonderful and I love you as big as the sky.

P.S. Just checked Sherilee’s blog—she’s got her chemo day story up too. Read it here, and leave a comment to tell her what a good friend she is!