Aftermath

That title sounds more serious than it is. So far so good. I'm tired. My head hurts. My skin is turning a little ruddy and burn-y in a few places. My food chute is a little bit of a mess. Hiccups, indigestion, stomachaches, a little bit of nausea, but not unbearable. Nurse Nicole said day 3 would be when it really kicks in. (That's today!) All things considered, I think I feel pretty good as of now.  

They didn't have time to put a port in, so we did round 1 in my arm. I was happy about that, especially since I found out that once the port is in, it will stay in for a year. They will continue to give me Herceptin weekly for another 30 weeks after the chemo is done. That means I'll have the port in for the wedding, not just a scar. It's gonna be so sexy. 

No time for a port. Hook it to my vein! 

I talked to the doctor about "staging." She was reluctant to name it. She said if I HAVE to give it a name, it's III because of the size of the tumors BUT they prefer to call mine "locally advanced" and even though III sounds bad, she still considers it early stage because it's so curable. It's about the biology of the disease (remember? Not the sharpest crayon in the box.), not the stage. So that's settled. 

I've been doing positive affirmations about healing, feeling good, a strong and healthy body, etc. I've also been doing negative affirmations aimed at my cancer, and I invite you to do the same. "You're dumb. Nobody likes you. When you leave the room, everybody breathes a sigh of relief. How does it feel to have no friends? You're ugly. All the other cells talk about you." That's pretty satisfying.  

Another fun visualization is seeing all my good cells holding hands, humming Darth Vadar's Theme song while marching in unison toward the tumors. Then, I made The Imperial March my ringtone so whenever anyone calls me, the cancer will have flashbacks. 

Just thought I'd put it on the defensive a little bit.  

I'm going to sleep. Thanksgiving was faaaaantastic. Tell you all about it later.  

P.S. Did you see that I learned how to put a picture IN a post? #babysteps