Chemo 2.3: A Magical Wand and Combat Boots

Wow, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted. The good news is those two weeks were filled with all things good. Once I got through rough chemo week and a fun Thanksgiving, I had a renewed sense of energy. Since I had some time off from work, I wanted to make the best of it and really start working out. I need to be careful of super high cardio due to the cardio-toxic potential of the Adriamyacin. But long walks and visits to the gym were just what I needed to bounce back. As I walked to the gym, I would catch up with all of the phone calls I missed the week before. Some mornings, before I knew it, I'd have been walking for over an hour before I got to my gym that was just minutes away. Talking with my friends while getting some exercise was the best way to release the toxins from my body. The people at the gym have been great. Nobody really notices I'm bald under my pink and black camo scarf. And if they do, they don't care. This chemo makes me feel toxic, so any way to sweat it out is good. Plus, a week of rest and carb loading can not be good for the scale, and the exercise and healthy eating the other 2 weeks has helped me keep it even on the scale. So far, so good. I continue to go to acupuncture, and my little wizzard continues to do amazing work with her amazing listening, needles, music and touch. If you have never done acupuncture, I definitely recommend it. I love it! And, it really works.

Last week I worked a bit, and it felt good to get back in to the corporate groove. I made the debut appearance in to the office with my wig, and everyone was so glad to see me. It's pretty busy, and it felt good to be productive. However, I am glad I'm off for the next five weeks so I can focus on my health and not get sucked in to the stressful undertoe that corporate life so often has. It was hard to make the decision to take time off, but after a good week of working, I'm at peace with putting my health and family first.

We have been busy getting ready for the holidays, and it's been so much fun. Everything from decorating the house, trimming the tree, fun and festive ladies nights and cookie parties for the kids have all been great ways to think about all things good and few things "C." We have been talking to our children a lot about Christmas traditions. We have shared with them our favorite traditions from when we were children, and ones we have started since they were born. It is neat to see them embrace and get excited about family traditions. When my husband and I were younger, we would go downtown to Old Ebbit Grill with friends for dinner, and then visit the National Tree outside the White House. We thought that would make a fun family date night so we bundled up on a chilly Friday evening and headed in to the city. Washington DC is such an amazing city, and it's just miles from our house, so we try to take the kids in to the city as often as we can. I treated myself to a kier royale and as a family we raised our glasses for a toast of good cheer. It was so fun to watch them run around the Ellipse. Cookie was fascinated with the singers who were beautifully belting out Christmas Carols. Then, we visited Santa's Workshop there, and there was a long list of names that had checks for naughty and nice. Cookie was a little frightened when she saw that her name had a check on the naughty list. It's really come in handy around the house lately. :-) Long story long, it was fun to create a new tradition with the kids. Hopefully some day they will sit around a beautiful tree with a sparkle in their eye and say to their kids, "When we were little, Nana, Pop Pop used to..." I know how grateful we are for our family traditions.

Another tradition is my husband's cookie bake-a-thon. He is a talent in the kitchen, and he spent all weekend baking cookies. The good old favorites are better than ever, and the new recipes are now new favorites. How lucky am I to have a husband who loves to bake? Now, he just has to give them away or hide them downstairs so I don't scarf. They are delicious and addicting. Thanks, sweetie! :-)

I'm getting used to the wigs again. I have four that I trade off -- and they are all totally different styles. My husband and friends always giggle when they first see me, because they don't know who they will get. Will I be Brittney, with long, curly hair? Or will it be Jolie, the chic stacked bob. Perhaps Victoria, the layered look. Or Samantha, the shoulder length bob. Either way, I'm embracing it and grateful for it. Having hair on gives me a sense of self. I wanted a pony tail so badly the other day, so I made one with the longer wig. It felt so fun! You have to realize after a lifetime of very long hair, I have missed my hair every day for the last 17 months. I like my scarves, too, for home and the gym. Last year I was bald a lot, and now I'm only bald in the shower. I am not the hugest fan of myself bald, so why not style it up with good earrings, lipstick, and head coverings?

Oh wow, this is getting long...I should really blog more often!

Yesterday, my husband and I ventured to CW for chemo #3. I was a little concerned at first that my counts were too low, but turned out they were fine and we were able to have a date with the red devil. Normally, Satchel and I are in the big infusion room making some kind of a ruckus. But yesterday, for the first time, I had a private room. It was quite nice to have some private space and a TV. Satchel did a shuffle-tap-step at home, and my husband shuffled a little for good karma. Thank you all for the emails, text messages and phone calls. The nurse was commenting on how many pretty sounds were coming from my iPhone! They meant the world to me, so thank you. And thanks for the playdates, meals and acts of service and overall kindness. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such giving, loving people. Overall, chemo was pretty uneventful, thank God. Three down, one to go!

Now, I'm in bed feeling very nauseated and will spend the day in bed resting. I have to go wake up my kids and get them off to school! We have a lot of fun parties, festivities, and CHRISTMAS coming up the next two weeks, so I want to stay healthy and enjoy. My body has done so well, and that is a precious gift. You all are precious gifts.

My dear friend always sends me cards on chemo day -- hasn't missed one in 9 chemos. The card for yesterday is one of my favorites, so I'll close with this...

"If I could, I'd find a Fairy Godmother with a magical wand and combat boots so that she could grant your wishes and kick the crap out of anything that tried to get in the way of your happiness."