From chemo Thursday:
I am sitting in chemo appointment #6, and felt that I had to start this post now or else I might forget something (something I have been even more prone to do lately). As I signed in and wished the front office girls my standard "Happy Thursday" I was approached by the nicest woman. (I really wish I remember her exact words, she was so diplomatic and yet blunt about what she wanted to know.) She was interested in my opinion of the office and my journey, and she looked on the outside exactly how I feel on the inside. (stressed, worried, like she was going to crack at any moment I) I gave her a big hug, and I immediately reached for my Thirty-One card and wrote the blog address on the back. Like I was going to fit my story and emotions in the 3-4 minutes before she was called while she was supposed to be filling out paperwork... Good luck with me fitting any one story into 3-4 minutes.
To my (our) new friend--I hope you have made it here and read about my journey. I hope that you really do give me a call; I have some things I could ask you too!! I hope that you have found a doctor that you trust and have faith in. I hope that you find some inner peace once you know your next steps and believe that they are the right ones for you. I hope that while it sounds as though our journeys have different paths that we both end up kicking some serious cancer ass. :)
From Monday:
Ouch. Ick. Ugh. Those are the words I have for Taxol. I try not to complain here too much, and certainly don't want anyone to worry. I am 75% done and two more treatments I can do easy peasy at this point. (what? it isn't like I can ask them to take it back or say, "ya know, I'm done with this. I'm going to skip the last two." --because you know you have done that with an antibiotic or class or book) That being said, and because this is my little corner of cyberspace, I'm gonna whine for a few.
First, my joints hurt like no other. 800mg of Motrin and 5mg of melatonin puts enough of a dent in it that I think in the past three days I have managed 8 good hours of sleep total. Usually just as I fall asleep is when Sean's alarm goes off, and I spend 30+ minutes trying to peel my eyes open (knowing gratefully that it can take me as long as I need--Thank you Dad S!!!). Only to discover that this is another morning that my toes are going to start off numb. Crossing my fingers that my fingers stay achy and sore (instead of turning numb). I have a new med to start tonight that is supposed to help with some of this.
Second, to all of my family and friends who are passing another female only milestone, specifically menopause, OMG this crap sucks. I really hope that God has some sort of plan for explaining these atrocities when we get to Heaven. Not even kidding, why exactly do we have to bear the indignity of having a period for (well normal people) 30 years or so then this.... Who hasn't heard the old joke about never trust something that bleeds for 7 days??? Oh wait, I forgot the part about Auntie Flo arriving unexpectedly/unannounced/brutally at some random time in your life when you are most vulnerable and confused about the world. Then when she is leaving you have these lovely things that people refer to as hot flashes, or in my case right now, night sweats. I wake up 2-3 times a night feeling like I just spent an hour in a sauna. My dear friends who are, like I was, not even contemplating the concept of menopause, be kind to your moms, this stage sucks.
Final whine, I promise, I just want to feel better!!!!!!
From Friday: (no spoiler, don't worry I know most of you are going to see this movie)
If you are contemplating seeing the new movie Brave, do IT!!!!!!!! Great movie! Bring your mom, daughter, and tissues (wish I had waited to see it with my mom)! I love the old school Princesses with all of my heart for all of the fun and fancy that I have enjoyed because of them. BUT it is about time Disney made one like the strong and wonderful women I look up to and those I want my daughter to look up to.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Compliment to contest
I'm not sure if I have written about this yet, but I think I at least mentioned it at one point... But I am going to rehash the story anyway for my own self serving reasons. In case you read no further, please vote for me.
The story starts with all the emotions that go along with hair-loss due to chemo therapy. I was feeling like GI Jane with nothing to prove and an insatiable appetite in the morning. It was a Friday, so when the boys said they were going to breakfast and to get hair cuts and asked if I wanted to come along I said, "OK." (laughing out loud now at the humor in the fact that I had just shaved all my hair off and was choosing to go into a barber shop)
For the record, Sean is waaaaaaaaay more picky about where he gets his hair cut than I am. His favorite place, Rex's Barber Shop, still charges $7 a haircut and I would be willing to bet that the interior decor has not changed since the 50s. The kind of place where they actually use a straight razor to clean up. I am 100% certain that they will never ask if he would like a glass of red or white, but if he was having a particularly bad day someone might have a bottle of Jack Plague to pass him.... I digress, Rex's is in Dearborn Heights, and since the boys were missing their regular Friday routine breakfast was at Leon's in Dearborn.
Breakfast was uncomfortable for me, it was the first time I went out in public with a scarf on my head. Dearborn has a large Muslim population and seeing a woman with her head covered isn't strange, but I am not Muslim and I have no idea how to wear a hijab (perhaps I was feeling a bit silly too, why doesn't this woman know how to wear her scarf properly? Like there is some right way for a cancer patient to wear a scarf--or be bald-- and not be obvious). I was beyond self-conscious and felt as though every person was staring at me. I knew that they weren't, but it sure did feel like it.
As we were leaving there was a woman who stopped me, she literally grabbed my arm and stopped me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "You are beautiful. I would like to give you a makeover." It felt great to hear that from a complete stranger. I am a huge fan of giving strangers compliments, but I have never experienced receiving the right one at the exact right moment. Sometimes, God sends people to the exact right moments in your life and all you can do is thank Him.
It turns out that the woman is named Sharon Parker and she is a Mary Kay consultant. We exchanged numbers and when she called me I was still riding the compliment high and agreed to the makeover. Secretly, I was worried that I was going to lose my eyebrows at any moment. Being more tomboy than glitter-girl, I have no idea how to use makeup for everyday things and figured that THIS had to be the right person to show me. I confessed to Sharon my lack of proper glitter-girl training, and that I have no intention of ever wearing makeup as a daily routine. She was understanding and immediately started asking questions about how my treatments make my skin feel.
We decided to do a "night out" look so that I could get all dressed up to celebrate halfway (or whatever I decide to celebrate next). Elizabeth was home that day due to a teacher work day, so I let her play makeover with us. IT WAS SO FUN!!!!!! We tried lots of stuff, picked everything sparkly/shiny/pink/purple or with names like Fancy Nancy, and giggled a lot.
Shameless plug: If you do not have a Mary Kay lady, or just want to check out what they have nowadays her website is www.marykay.com/sharonparker. I ended up getting moisturizer (w/SPF so my head doesn't burn) and the pampered hands lotion in peach (thank God that smell wasn't ruined by chemo). My face is no longer flaky and my hands feel better. AND while I am mentioning direct sales, I am going to make a June Thirty-One order, if you want something let me know!
Before we started Sharon mentioned that there was a contest going on for before and after shots, so we took them. I debated about whether or not to submit my photos for a while. After looking at the website and the rewards, I felt that I had to do it. $2,500 shopping spree and $5,000 to the charity of my choice are two good reasons to play the cancer card. So I did it!!!! (I am the dork that read the fine print to see how these prizes are awarded--turns out I can split the charitable donation between 2 organizations!!!!). Now I need you to spread the word! Below is the link to vote, you can vote 5 times a day from now until June 15th. Thank you in advance for your support here and belatedly for the countless "you're beautiful"s that you have given me. Trust that every one of them is appreciated.
Mary Kay Makeover. Get Beautiful. Give Back.
The story starts with all the emotions that go along with hair-loss due to chemo therapy. I was feeling like GI Jane with nothing to prove and an insatiable appetite in the morning. It was a Friday, so when the boys said they were going to breakfast and to get hair cuts and asked if I wanted to come along I said, "OK." (laughing out loud now at the humor in the fact that I had just shaved all my hair off and was choosing to go into a barber shop)
For the record, Sean is waaaaaaaaay more picky about where he gets his hair cut than I am. His favorite place, Rex's Barber Shop, still charges $7 a haircut and I would be willing to bet that the interior decor has not changed since the 50s. The kind of place where they actually use a straight razor to clean up. I am 100% certain that they will never ask if he would like a glass of red or white, but if he was having a particularly bad day someone might have a bottle of Jack Plague to pass him.... I digress, Rex's is in Dearborn Heights, and since the boys were missing their regular Friday routine breakfast was at Leon's in Dearborn.
Breakfast was uncomfortable for me, it was the first time I went out in public with a scarf on my head. Dearborn has a large Muslim population and seeing a woman with her head covered isn't strange, but I am not Muslim and I have no idea how to wear a hijab (perhaps I was feeling a bit silly too, why doesn't this woman know how to wear her scarf properly? Like there is some right way for a cancer patient to wear a scarf--or be bald-- and not be obvious). I was beyond self-conscious and felt as though every person was staring at me. I knew that they weren't, but it sure did feel like it.
As we were leaving there was a woman who stopped me, she literally grabbed my arm and stopped me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "You are beautiful. I would like to give you a makeover." It felt great to hear that from a complete stranger. I am a huge fan of giving strangers compliments, but I have never experienced receiving the right one at the exact right moment. Sometimes, God sends people to the exact right moments in your life and all you can do is thank Him.
It turns out that the woman is named Sharon Parker and she is a Mary Kay consultant. We exchanged numbers and when she called me I was still riding the compliment high and agreed to the makeover. Secretly, I was worried that I was going to lose my eyebrows at any moment. Being more tomboy than glitter-girl, I have no idea how to use makeup for everyday things and figured that THIS had to be the right person to show me. I confessed to Sharon my lack of proper glitter-girl training, and that I have no intention of ever wearing makeup as a daily routine. She was understanding and immediately started asking questions about how my treatments make my skin feel.
We decided to do a "night out" look so that I could get all dressed up to celebrate halfway (or whatever I decide to celebrate next). Elizabeth was home that day due to a teacher work day, so I let her play makeover with us. IT WAS SO FUN!!!!!! We tried lots of stuff, picked everything sparkly/shiny/pink/purple or with names like Fancy Nancy, and giggled a lot.
Shameless plug: If you do not have a Mary Kay lady, or just want to check out what they have nowadays her website is www.marykay.com/sharonparker. I ended up getting moisturizer (w/SPF so my head doesn't burn) and the pampered hands lotion in peach (thank God that smell wasn't ruined by chemo). My face is no longer flaky and my hands feel better. AND while I am mentioning direct sales, I am going to make a June Thirty-One order, if you want something let me know!
Before we started Sharon mentioned that there was a contest going on for before and after shots, so we took them. I debated about whether or not to submit my photos for a while. After looking at the website and the rewards, I felt that I had to do it. $2,500 shopping spree and $5,000 to the charity of my choice are two good reasons to play the cancer card. So I did it!!!! (I am the dork that read the fine print to see how these prizes are awarded--turns out I can split the charitable donation between 2 organizations!!!!). Now I need you to spread the word! Below is the link to vote, you can vote 5 times a day from now until June 15th. Thank you in advance for your support here and belatedly for the countless "you're beautiful"s that you have given me. Trust that every one of them is appreciated.
Mary Kay Makeover. Get Beautiful. Give Back.
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