1/13 Update from Ruth – Halfway through chemo
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Ruth
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Ruth
Hi friends–
Chemo is well underway, with two out of four infusions down (!). I'm currently riding out the side effects of the second infusion at a friends' house on Cape Cod. I'm so thankful for a quiet and beautiful place to rest, and for all your thoughtful check-ins. Read on for an update of the last month.
The first infusion on Dec. 19 was chaotic and painful, with many interruptions and confusions regarding insurance coverage. Is it too much to ask for a smooth infusion of poison into my body, I wondered? Apparently, yes. My oncology nurse (Nick!) was looking forward to the Jake Paul heavyweight fight that night; meanwhile, I was developing a 'burn' on my arm from a chemo drug. Don't be upset at him, he's just a guy at work like the rest of us! He's still processing a break-up 🙃
Two days after this infusion, David and I embarked on holiday travel – first to Greensboro, NC, where his family gathers for Christmas, and then to Tallahassee, FL, where my family was this year. When I told my oncologist about our plans, she said, tentatively, "I...don't...love it." But she gave us the yellow light to travel, provided we took precautions to prevent infection, and that we would come back from Florida (apparently one woman she was treating went on a trip to Florida and then "never came back").
Holiday travel was indeed tiring, but it was so good to be with family. The side effects –fatigue, GI pain, bone pain, dry mouth, mouth sores– were disruptive and uncomfortable, but were ultimately manageable with rest and medication. Lows included painful back spasms on Christmas Eve and sleeping through most of Christmas day. Highs included eating David's annual fried chicken dinner, meeting his childhood friends, squeezing my niece and nephew, dipping a toe into the Gulf of Mexico, and playing games with both our families.
We arrived back in Somerville just in time for an MRI and biopsy on the 31st, which left me bleeding and heavily bruised. Because my hair had been falling out over the trip, David and I shaved our heads on New Year's Eve – one way to claim agency over a thing that's already happening to me, I suppose.
In the days leading up to my second chemo infusion, I was feeling better. We volunteered with our local food aid distributor. We started our membership at the local YMCA and lifted weights. We got hot pot. I went on a bike ride and long walk, catching up with friends on the phone. I felt like myself, mostly, just with a cold head (thank you for all the beautiful warm knitwear!).
Thankfully, my second infusion on Jan. 9 went much smoother than the first, with less pain and chaos, and fewer interruptions (goodbye, Nick!! Thank you, nurse Lauren!!). Certain side effects are better (GI pain), some are worse (bone pain). Once I get through the worst of it, I'll consider myself halfway through chemo.
Thanks for reading and for keeping me warm and well-fed. Love you all!
Chemo is well underway, with two out of four infusions down (!). I'm currently riding out the side effects of the second infusion at a friends' house on Cape Cod. I'm so thankful for a quiet and beautiful place to rest, and for all your thoughtful check-ins. Read on for an update of the last month.
The first infusion on Dec. 19 was chaotic and painful, with many interruptions and confusions regarding insurance coverage. Is it too much to ask for a smooth infusion of poison into my body, I wondered? Apparently, yes. My oncology nurse (Nick!) was looking forward to the Jake Paul heavyweight fight that night; meanwhile, I was developing a 'burn' on my arm from a chemo drug. Don't be upset at him, he's just a guy at work like the rest of us! He's still processing a break-up 🙃
Two days after this infusion, David and I embarked on holiday travel – first to Greensboro, NC, where his family gathers for Christmas, and then to Tallahassee, FL, where my family was this year. When I told my oncologist about our plans, she said, tentatively, "I...don't...love it." But she gave us the yellow light to travel, provided we took precautions to prevent infection, and that we would come back from Florida (apparently one woman she was treating went on a trip to Florida and then "never came back").
Holiday travel was indeed tiring, but it was so good to be with family. The side effects –fatigue, GI pain, bone pain, dry mouth, mouth sores– were disruptive and uncomfortable, but were ultimately manageable with rest and medication. Lows included painful back spasms on Christmas Eve and sleeping through most of Christmas day. Highs included eating David's annual fried chicken dinner, meeting his childhood friends, squeezing my niece and nephew, dipping a toe into the Gulf of Mexico, and playing games with both our families.
We arrived back in Somerville just in time for an MRI and biopsy on the 31st, which left me bleeding and heavily bruised. Because my hair had been falling out over the trip, David and I shaved our heads on New Year's Eve – one way to claim agency over a thing that's already happening to me, I suppose.
In the days leading up to my second chemo infusion, I was feeling better. We volunteered with our local food aid distributor. We started our membership at the local YMCA and lifted weights. We got hot pot. I went on a bike ride and long walk, catching up with friends on the phone. I felt like myself, mostly, just with a cold head (thank you for all the beautiful warm knitwear!).
Thankfully, my second infusion on Jan. 9 went much smoother than the first, with less pain and chaos, and fewer interruptions (goodbye, Nick!! Thank you, nurse Lauren!!). Certain side effects are better (GI pain), some are worse (bone pain). Once I get through the worst of it, I'll consider myself halfway through chemo.
Thanks for reading and for keeping me warm and well-fed. Love you all!
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