Taking a Day Off From Cancer Treatment

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I can finally say that I actually enjoyed every last minute of today, as I felt like for the first time in a long time I had the “day off”. I was discharged last night at 6pm from Scottsdale Healthcare, which ended up being perfect timing since my next caregiver and dear friend Kiera was due to land in Phoenix at 7pm from Telluride. Perfect timing!

I was notified today that I will not be continuing radiation today and Monday-Wednesday of next week. Whew! I was really nervous about having radiation and chemo done so close together and worried about how the side effects would affect each other.

I was also told that the chemo would only be 3 1/2 to 4 hours this time…this is a big improvement on the 7 hours of chemo during the first round. I’m not exactly sure why this is so much shorter, and I’m wondering if the way that St. Joes administers chemo is slightly different. Either way, I am praying that my side effects are minimal. At least today, I was finally able to enjoy myself.

Kiera and I spent the day running errands, shopping, and even had the chance to take advantage of Arizona Spa Week and get a facial at the Firesky Resort. By the time we got home, it was 6:30pm and we rounded up Wes to head back out to dinner at one of my favorite places, Tarbells. It felt so good to finally feel somewhat normal again. I did have a couple of reminders today of the cancer that I am living with everyday: trying on sandals I was having a difficult time because my right foot was extremely swollen from the fluid retention from the blood clot, same idea with trying on sunglasses, although this time it was my face that was swollen from the steriods, wearing the annoying pink brace all day and taking it on and off each time I went to the restroom, and more!

Today I did have a new pain as well. The pain on my T8 vertebrae started acting up a little. For the past week or so I have only been feeling the stomach and surgery pain. I don’t think it’s a good sign that I am feeling pain again in my back. I am hoping that it’s temporary and will go away tomorrow.

www.themelissawaller.com

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.