Treatment Pyramid. Chemo { Round Two }

"Right Andrea, I need to ask you the usual before we start. Whats your full name and Date of birth?" 
"Andrea Leah Seymour. Twenty fourth of the the Third, Nineteen Ninety."
"Oh! Sweetie.......you're just a baby!!."

My Treatment pyramid.
Starting at the top and working my way down.


10. 10 more treatments to go. I cant wait for that number to be single digits and even more so, when its a big fat 0!! I have to be honest (when am I ever not!!??) and say that this treatment was a lot harder to deal with and has given me a bit of a wake up call as to what I could be in for. It has been 4 days since my second round and I am only just coming right.

Ice cube tray. Ice. Ice Cream. Ice blocks. Anything Ice related has been my best friend over the last few days. I have tried thinking of a way to describe how my mouth feels as the chemo treatment begins to take its toll. My tongue feels like I have had to many lollipops and the taste buds are wrecked. The beginnings of Ulcers surround my mouth and my Esophagus and my sense of taste has been altered by a lingering chemical taste. I almost lost my appetite because of the discomfort yesterday. It was at its worse yesterday. When they told me that I could have some problems with my mouth, I never imagined such a feeling. It sucks!!! I have accepted the fact that I will most likely turn into a lard arse because of the amount of Ice cream I will be eating for the duration of my treatment haha but really I shouldn't complain. When else can you have an excuse for eating so much Ice cream!!?? I am drinking a lot of fluid as well because keeping my mouth moist is key! I have started drinking through a straw as well to help my with the pain in my tongue. All these little things we are picking up quickly are definitely important so I know for next time round....WOO!!

Groggy. Like a hangover. Except I almost wish it was a Hangover. At least when you sleep a few hours, the hangover eases and you feel better. The feeling after chemo is like a hangover that lasts for a few days. I have also found that I am a little dazed at times. I noticed this with the first treatment. I had a photo shoot two days after receiving my first round of chemo and while I felt fine, I definitely wasn't. I drove up the drive after doing the Photo shoot and I couldn't remember how I got home and parts of the photo shoot were a little hazy.......I am happy to say the Photos were great haha but this is when I decided that I wont be driving for a few days following treatment....I hope its something my body overcomes. With everything, I hope its something I will just get used to. Time will tell.

FRENCH FRIES! Good God. They were already a guilty pleasure of mine but I have been having the biggest cravings for french fries/anything salty. Its funny because they say to help with the mouth pain, you should avoid salty foods BUT ITS ALL I WANT!! I was having a nap (Pretty sure I am in a constant nap state) and I woke suddenly and my brain screamed at me that I NEEDED a Spicy Tender crisp Chicken Burger combo from BK. So I hauled Cam away from what he was doing and made him drive me to get the combo, to which I then basically inhaled! It was the best burger I have EVER had and I was most content for the rest of the day. I tell ya, between the Ice cream eating and burger + fry cravings I am going to be a little on the heavier side. I probably could do with a bit of weight gain. My Nurse has made it clear that if I have problems with Nausea/vomiting + constipation following treatment, I am to tell her straight away because I cant afford to lose anymore weight. So I will continue to eat exactly what I want :)

Bald. No I am not Bald. But my hair loss has been topic of conversation over the last couple of days as I try to convince people that the amount that I am losing is not normal. My hair has always fallen out. Always. But its not normal for the bathroom floor to be covered in hair and when I shower, I run my fingers through my hair and my hand is covered in hair. I do think that my hair is thinning and if it continues to do so, I am going to have to do something about it. For now, I am going to wait and just see what happens. I did think for a while that its all in my head but I am not convinced.....It doesn't worry me if it is happening. Its just an annoying in-between as I hover waiting to see if its going to continue or not. I have also noticed my skin is really dry - especially my hands and nails. My nails are chipping and peeling so I am keeping them painted :)

Dentures. It was the closest thing to teeth that I could find haha. This block sort of ties in with the Ice cube tray block and the mouth discomfort. I now own a soft bristle tooth brush and I am having to brush my teeth after almost every meal to help with the chemical taste. It is slowly fading but I am such a dental hygiene freak and I cant stand that thought of having bad breath because of the chemical taste. I have to brush my teeth very carefully and slowly because my gums hurt. I am also thinking that I might hunt down a more natural tooth paste because the one we use now burns a little when I use it.

Sounds like I have spent the entire blog complaining about everything. But really its reality and what I have had to deal with. I havent been much fun to be around lately and I cant wait to treat Cam to a holiday away once this is all over. We have really enjoyed talking about where we would like to go once its all over. I cant wait. People have mentioned that I should open up an account for people to donate to that could go towards our holiday. I am not sure how I feel about it just yet.....but I will let you know what happens with that. While I would obviously be truly grateful, I just dont know how I would feel taking other peoples money..... We will see.....

After a CRAZY month (January,) I have been taking the first week of February easy and I have to say its exactly what I needed. I have also made some decisions with work as well. I will only be doing Photo shoots on the weeks that I dont have chemo, leaving the week of Chemo for me to do editing etc. So two weeks a month where I will actually be available to work. I definitely think its for the best and is a manageable goal for me with how the treatments have been going!

On Thursday I had my Mum and my brother with me. Mum stayed to hold my hand for the needle part, for which my beautiful Brother disappeared for haha. He hates needles and hospitals for that matter so him being there was just so awesome. We talked about all sorts and even considered writing a rap about Chemo.......Not much else to do.....! I had a good seat this time and was one of the first people there. I sat right at the back of the room so I could see everyone....Its the little things that make a chemo treatment ok to deal with haha Next week is the look good feel good workshop and I cant wait to blog about that. Its going to be awesome.

I know a lot of people read this that I might not know very well or at all, so I want to tak the time to Thank you for your support. With each treatment my Mum is simply overwhelmed by the messages she receives from people. Its important that those close to me continue to get such messages. That goes for both my family and Cam's Family, who Cam and I live with. Theres only so many times I can thank them for what they do, so to have people like yourselves reminding them each day that they aren't alone through this is something that they and something that I will never forget.  So to the Friends, the family and the strangers, I send all the love and thanks from the bottom of my heart. You are wonderful people.


With a constant supply of straws, juices, kiwi crush and kitten cuddles, I draw this blog post to a close. Thank you for taking the time to read my rants. You want honesty - You get honesty haha. The next one will be all about how great I feel after the workshop. Something to look forward too :)
Its a good day to have a good day!
A.x