5th Treatment
By far, Monday was the roughest day yet. I didn’t eat right, sleep enough, work out and worked way too much. I had been walking every Friday afternoon after treatment with my neighbor friends and we skipped last Friday due to bad weather. Basically, I wore myself down and didn’t follow any of the protocols from the week before. Luckily, I was taking Wednesday thru Friday off in front of the Labor Day Holiday. I can really use a little extra rest. My sister-in-law Tara and I went to a spa for a half day treatment for her 50th birthday. That was an awesome day. I learned a valuable lesson that I want to pass on--don’t ever get a scalp massage when you are on chemotherapy. I ended up with two areas of matted hair that I had to cut out and now I have 2 bald spots and the swooped hair look. I am so mad at myself!!!!
Unfortunately, I pushed myself too hard earlier in the week. My blood work was the worst it’s been and now am classified as a germ magnet (WBC below 1.0). My oncologist said I can’t be in large crowds or shake hands and absolutely stay away from anyone that’s sick. Our family’s annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair is now out of the question! Also, I have to wash my hands frequently and only eat food with utensils—does he think that I am a Neanderthal?
My oncologist allowed me to proceed with the treatment, but I need to get serious about the vitamins and recovery practices. My treatment went fine and I promised myself to focus on the recovery. One thing I noticed that makes a huge difference is moderate exercise. If I walk for 1.5 hours after treatment and then run sometime over the weekend, it makes a world of difference. I’m going to force myself to do it right this week. It’s going to be a lazy Labor Day weekend at home working on the website and information for the Congressman.