New Chemo

Evening all...
 Just to remember ..... here is a picture of me after diagnosis before chemo

before chemo

after Chemo
No hair is not so bad.

I think I look younger with no hair,  How about you?  I have to tell you that going bald is a best keep secret because it is to easy.   I now have a wardrobe of scarves and hats, and love wearing them.  Honestly, if it weren't for Chris, I probably would continue with ultra short hair after the cancer and chemo is gone. :-)

I mentioned that my last chemo was devastating to me.  Really really rough.  Fortunately my oncologist realized this as well and has greatly changed the chemotherapy, but hopefully not its effectiveness.
Starting tomorrow 8/21, my new regimen will consist of chemotherapy receiving taxol and herceptin.  A blessing is that I've made new friends who have differing forms of cancer who also go to chemo at the same time, so we'll have a good visit.  The treatments are each Thursday for the next 6 weeks, 3 1/2 hours each time in the chair.

After the chemotherapy is done, we'll wait 4 weeks and I'l have radiation 5 days a week for 3 weeks; then continue on with chemotherapy for a year with only herceptin.

I pray, pray, pray, that the side effects tomorrow are not as bad as the other medicine.  Doctors and nurses have said the "should" be a bit milder; but it all depends on the patient and the cancer.  So I am keeping my hopes up and hoping for the best.  I received a call from my family doctor that my labs from last week show low blood calcium, abnormal reading for the kidneys and the liver.  These are all side effects of the chemotherpy, and will be attended to as we go along.

The nurse practitioner said it well when describing the GI tract and my hair --- she said that both the gastrointestinal tract and all the hair follicles get really angry with chemo therapy.  I'm living proof as are many others, unfortunately.

On another note, I recently was hired as a full time associate professor at my college.  What is really cool is that for this year, I am working with ELI (extended learning instititute) so the vast majority of my work is online --- don't even have to leave home.   Today I lauched 4 sixteen week classes (all seem to have very interesting students). 2 - Psych 1 & 1-Psych 2, 1 - Developmental Psych.

The first six weeks might be little rough because of chemo, but at least I can get to it on my own time.
Despite everything, the blesssings still out way any sorrow.  God is good all the time.

Please keep your happy notes and comments coming.  I pray for abundance in blessing to come your way.