Sliding Into Round 5

Wow, what a beautiful weekend. The weather was PERFECT! Now it feels like Fall again. 

When visiting the oncologist prior to Round 4, I was told that I was being "moved to the top of the class", meaning things were going so well, I could start getting every other treatment done at Maple Grove. 

Of course, that got blown out of the water by neuropathy in my hands and feet on Thursday (the day after my treatment). This is the one side effect I was told that I needed to tell them about at it's slightest onset. 

The reason? 

It's the one side effect that can be permanent. 

It was at it's worst on Thursday. My feet and hands were...sluggish, like they were moving through mud. And then, there was the slightest bit of tingling in my feet, similar to the end stages of "pins and needles" when your foot is waking up from sitting on it. The sluggishness subsided quickly, but the tingling remained until Saturday. Then, a couple of days ago I was vacuuming and I noticed it in my left foot. 

That'll teach me to do housework!

So, I called the nurse, and my oncologist wants me seen at the U this time around so they can tweak things if necessary. Oh well, no big deal. My hands and feet are more important than avoiding a crazy commute.

On a good note, I picked up my wig on Friday! It's perfect!

While I was there (Merle Norman), I thought I would have them fix me up with some new makeup. To me, my skin doesn't look the right color anymore. The girls set me up with a new face that looked like me! It feels really good to look in the mirror and see ME, rather than SICK me. 

I cannot say enough good things about the staff of Merle Norman. They treated me so nice, and made sure I was happy with everything. They gave me a little goodie bag of samples. In it, was a card that wished me a speedy recovery. Before I left, one of them gave me a hug. It was a great experience, and I will never forget it. I will surely return, and bring my friends!

So, now that I have "hair backup" and a new face, bring it on #5! We're almost halfway there!

UPDATE: Oh, crap! I totally forgot to share the best news of all! We met with the genetic counselor last week, and it has been determined that my cancer is NOT hereditary. This means several VERY good things...my brother can rest easy, he just has to stay on top of recommended screenings, and I don't have to have any more surgeries to remove "at risk" organs! 

The bad thing? I can't blame my parents for EVERYTHING anymore. 

I'm kidding, there is no bad thing about it. It was a relief!

Ok, I think that's it for now.