The One in Which I Start to Feel of the Effects of all this Treatment...

I had an idea for a blog post when I woke up early this morning, but now I've forgotten it....

Shit.

Oh, yea. The effects of radiation and chemotherapy. (hint: one of them is memory)

I remember (that's a plus, right?) on our first visit to the Radiologist, this sweet nurse gave us this packet of information about what to expect from the treatment and support systems for cancer patients, and...and......but in my mind, I think I was still saying, "Holy shit! I have brain cancer!" over and over again, so I didn't quite catch what she was really saying.

Imagine a Charlie Brown movie and what we hear every time the teacher speaks. 

It was definitely like that:

I'm pretty sure that Steven was as shell-shocked as I was, so...
NO! We weren't "getting any of this".

I dimly remember her saying, repeatedly, that the symptoms I was going to experience wouldn't start until about halfway through my treatment cycle - 3 weeks into it. Well, slap me silly, and call me darlin'! Guess what? It's been three weeks, and right on cue:

1) My hair is falling out. I think I gathered enough hair yesterday to knit a dog sweater. I don't want to exaggerate, so it would have to be a very small dog - like a yorkie or chihuahua... (Okay, I googled "knitting with hair" and let's just say...I don't recommend it. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

2) My memory is suffering from.... what is it called? Shit, I forget....
Oh, yea! There is an actual term for it: "Chemo Brain". Funny. They didn't mention anything about "chemo brain" in "chemo class"...

Of course, it's complicated and it's not obvious what is causing  my memory problems - if it's the chemo and/or the radiation...and in my case, it very well may be related to the Bastard Thugs (cancer cells) themselves that have taken up (temporary) residence in my brain. Not to mention the cocktail of three medications that I am taking to prevent seizures. 

Let's take a moment to imagine how brilliant my blog would be if I weren't taking the medications, radiation, chemo, and had brain cancer? 
<pause> I'll wait....
So, excuuuuuusee me if I miss a few words now and then or put things in the wrong tense. #freepass!!!!

It's like I used to say to my mother when she'd say, "See! We all smoked and drank when we were pregnant with you guys, and you turned out just fine." To which I always replied: "But who knows how much BETTER I would have been if you hadn't smoke and drank?"

Love you, Mom! She's the one that taught me that you never let the truth get in the way of a good joke.
(But it's mostly true.)

3) Fatigue. What. the. actual. Fuck??? 
Steven and I have been taking daily 3 mile walks up and around Communications Hill. And I was feeling pretty studly. Not that we were breaking any land speed records, but Woot! Look at me, with brain cancer, exercising...and sometimes passing people! Confession: I always whisper in Steven's ear, "Should we tell them that I have brain cancer?" To our credit, I never do. I just think it. Which isn't bad, right?

On Tuesday, I got back from our walk and ended up napping for about 3 hours. I felt like I had been run over by  a truck.

Question: When does a nap become just sleeping?

Well, I googled that shit, and I have some news for some of you <cough> JILL <cough>...
The Mayo Clinic says, "Aim to nap for only 10 to 30 minutes." (full article here)
Even cancer.gov says that if you are receiving radiation treatment, you should aim for no more than an hour.

What?! But I love me some nappy time!!!

Gratuitous picture of napping puppies -
It was so hard to choose because there are so many pix of cute napping animals on google images!

Yesterday afternoon, Steven suggested a walk. I rolled over in bed and slept some more. And it was warmderful! <--- not a brain related typo. This my new word which I expect to see in the Oxford Dictionary next year. I'm kind of afraid that it might be more like "fetch" and never catch on, though.

So, I will take a (shorter) nap today, and we will walk - even it's raining. Because I'm stubborn like that. That's what ninjas do! And if regular exercise is going to increase my chances of a quicker recovery from this treatment, I'm going to do it - come hell or high water!

Besides, did I tell you that Steven and I registered for a half-marathon in March? (This was wayyyyy before the shit hit the fan.) And we're still planning on doing it. Walking, not running. But this MFBCFNW is planning to train for and walking 13.1 miles four months from now. Join us! March 28. 2015 - Livermore Half Marathon!

Gotta keep the eye on the prize, people.

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