A few good days!

Finally! The last few days I have felt really decent. Did I mention before that chemo was horrible? I think I did, but I feel the need to bring it up again. It was awful. The suggestions that I would only feel fatigued on days four and five, and that the nausea would be well controlled, were so far from the truth. I am actually a little mad at myself for believing it. In reality the nausea was debilitating and the exhaustion only finally started to lift Thursday. I did call the oncologist's office earlier in the week to talk about what I was experiencing and the nurse agreed that my meds the next time need some adjustment. No kidding. I won't get my hopes up for a better experience, though. Really, whoever invented chemo was both brilliant and a jerk. Below is a picture I took of myself when the nausea really hit after chemo:

On Wednesday I picked out a wig for when my hair comes out. I have been told that hair usually drops between week 2 and 3, but that was probably a lie. Watch me be bald by tomorrow morning. Anyway, my sister-in-law Joy went along with me and the experience was great. We visited Studio 409 in West Des Moines, and they specialize in helping cancer patients with wigs. I showed Zac Morlan a couple pictures of what I was thinking and he picked out the perfect match right away. The whole process was really easy, and I am pretty excited to show off my new hair soon. Best of all, the cost of the wig was covered through a group called Strands of Strength. So, to anybody who donates to that great cause, THANK YOU!

I went back to work on Thursday and Friday. I certainly didn't work full days, but it was great to be back. I work with really amazing colleagues and that certainly makes a world of difference.

Today, we (Troy, Marah, me, and Troy's mom Rhonda) headed up to the Center Grove Orchard. The weather was perfect and we had fun picking out pumpkins and just spending time together. I actually feel close to normal today, and when that happens I am going to take full advantage of it.

One thing that has been so strange for me is the weight loss. I weighed myself this morning and I saw a number that I probably haven't seen since high school. After a moment of slight concern, I realized that I truly can eat anything I want and it doesn't matter. I can't get fat right now! I have lost nearly 15 pounds since July (I started losing weight with Farrell's, so we can give them some credit here as well). So, I went to the grocery store this morning on a mission to buy a ton of foods that will help me keep weight on. I was really proud of myself, thinking I had done a good job, until I got home and started putting away the groceries. Cabbage, peaches, broccoli, bananas, apples, chicken, whole grain bread. Oh, wait, Cheez Its and Caramel Dip. Score! That's all I ended up with for "fat food." I'll try better next time.

Tonight is the final celebration for Farrell's, where the 10-week winners are announced. Of course I am not in the running to win, since I took a big break in the middle (lazy me), but I am looking forward to the party. I have been thinking about what I should wear, and I remembered all these really cute tops I had in grad school. I had been holding on to them for a long time, hoping they would fit again some day. So, I started looking all over for these long-lost tops, and it appears I gave up hope at some point and gave them away. I'm sure I'll figure out something to wear; maybe my baggy skinny jeans.

In the "better late than never" category, I want to give a big shout-out to one of Troy's friends who provided me with stud muffins a week or two ago. I think this was brilliant:

That's it from here on this beautiful day! I'm happy to be feeling good!