My fuzzy skunk head and the case of the missing nose hair

I have had 4 chemo treatments of the taxol and so far everything is going pretty well.  There are days that I feel almost like my old self.  When it stops raining, I plan on going out and walking again and riding my bike too.  So far (knock on wood) I haven't missed any work with the new taxol treatments.  I have my treatments at 2 p.m. on Thursdays, and I'm back to work the next day.  Since I am missing my top band every Thursday, I am having early rehearsals with them every Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. to make sure that I see them at least once that day.  Since UIL band contest is coming up, I need to make sure that I get as much time with my students as possible.

There are a couple of annoying side-effects with this new treatment.  One, is the steroids that I take intravenously to prevent nausea and other complications.  They make me hyper-active and pretty aggressive.  The day immediately following chemo, I feel like I don't have much of a social filter. I am a little fearful that if a student or a parent annoys me too much, that I'll go off with a bout of Tourette's....that would not be good.  I also have trouble sleeping after the treatment, so I'm having to take a .25 of xanax every night.  The nurse calls it "mother's little helper."  I am definitely a mother that needs a little help! Another side effect of this chemo and the steroids is the consistent weight gain.  I really need to go back on weight watchers, but the plan has changed and I don't feel as though I understand it very well.  (Lame excuse, I know..) The last side effect is heart palpitations.  When I get them, I take xanax, and that seems to help.  I tend to get them in the middle of the night after treatment and I think it's related to the hyperactivity from the steroids.

I started a new progesterone supplement to try and thin out the lining of my uterus.  It is possible that the lining will thin enough that I won't need an ablation after chemo and that the polyp will disappear.  (It's not likely, but there is a chance.)  The bleeding finally did stop with the aid of this medication.  Luckily, the cancer I have is only estrogen positive and not progesterone positive.  So, the cancer will not grow with the progesterone supplement.

There are days that I feel really good and I am grateful.  At the same time, I keep wondering when things will go wrong.  In some ways, I feel just as good or better than I did before my surgery.  My state of mind is overall very positive and I am not very fatigued during the day.  At night, I collapse and fall asleep, but that's not a bad thing right?

I have started to grow fuzz all over my head.  The majority of it is white with some black mixed in.  Most of the black is located in a stripe down the middle of my head.  I sort of look like a reverse skunk and it's very odd looking.  Even so, I am proud of my fuzzy hair!! I have begun shaving my legs a couple of times a week and my eyebrows still haven't completely fallen out.  When I use a little bit of eyebrow pencil, the brows actually look normal.  I really miss my nosehair..I never had much of it, but I am learning how important it is.  My nose no longer has a dust filter and I find that every little thing makes me sneeze.  Don't ever take your nosehair for granted!!!!

Since I have this renewed energy, I have begun cleaning up my house a little bit and doing some cooking.  I have been making salads and other healthy dishes for myself and my family.  I made a really delicious caprese salad that my brother taught me how to make.  I think I ended up eating two whole tomatoes by myself!! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their new year.  Good health and happiness to you all!

Chemosabe