chemical grrrl

Some folks puke and
some folks squeal but
I think I'm ok...

Cause its the doc with the best prescriptions
makes my chemo day

Some folks chill and
some folks ill but
I'll do what I may

If I suffer
I can pop a
pill and it goes way

cause we are living in a carcinogen world
and I am chemotherapy grrl
you know that we are living in a carcinogen world
and i am chemotherapy grrl*

OK perhaps a bit premature. Although I thought I would start chemo today, my panic-fevered brain must have misjudged. Today I had the follow up onc appointment to ok me to start chemo. I start on thurs.

The Fantabulous news is that all my scans etc came back normal, or, in radiologist-speak "unremarkable", as in "liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, (etc) unremarkable. Well this is one time I am glad to be unremarkable.

(And what's more, this will prove to those who doubt it that I actually AM NOT an alien).

so, Chemo starts on thurs. And I get a day to detox from this:

This being the summer of love, plus 40,000 pounds, 50,000 wrinkles, millions of dollars and roughly 800 SUVs. Clearwater festival** = folky festival for hippies and activists who can afford the hefty $45 cover fee not to mention buy ears of roast corn for 4 bucks apiece. THIS took place this past weekend up here in da hudson river valley.

Now believe me, chemical grrl would not normally find herself anywhere near such an event, as she tends to avoid folk music and excessive crowds of humanity. However, the BF had a booth there (he has a non profit org) and it wasn't only hippies and folk music fanatics. There were also a small quotient of science-nerd type conservationists, people like me who are fascinated with sonar pix of the hudson river bottom. (In fact, I will have you know that I worked on bringing the first hudson benthic (sonar) pix to the web. See some of them here).

so I spent the weekend there, moving stuff around, getting sunburned, hearing way too many stories, and eating really bad food. It was a good way to keep my mind off my problems, and on other peoples' problems (especially sartorial), squarely where it belongs.


OK anyway. back to reality. The chemo stats are:
I'm doing dose dense chemo
4 sessions of AC - 2 wks apart
4 sessions of taxol - 2 wks apart
Herceptin for a year - in hits 3 weeks apart

I also get neulasta for white blood cell count
and emend for nausea. Plus some other drugs to do various things to my physiognamy, all of which are for my own damned good, I am quite sure.

I told my oncologist that I had an "irrational fear of constipation" (which is actually true), and he recomended senekot or milk of magnesia. So, I guess I'll be purchasing some of that too, b/c the anti-nausea meds give you that annoying packed effect...

But, i have til thursday. Bit of a reprieve...
Also, today I ran! The first time since surgery. It felt f**king awesome.

*heartfelt apologies to Madonna...
** don't mean to dis the clearwater festival. It's a good thing, really. I just could have used a lot less of it!