What a busy week this has been! I'm really surprised how my body has been handling things this week. I would have never been able to do what I did this week on my fourth cycle, and I couldn't be more grateful. Well lets get this blog post rolling.
This week didn't start off the best for me. On Monday there were scheduling issues at the treatment center which delayed treatment significantly. I arrived for treatment at 9:15, and didn't begin until noon. This meant that I didn't get to leave until 4, and didn't get home until 6:30. It was a very long day. On the bright side, my white blood cell count skyrocketed from my last treatment. Remember last week when I had all of that pain from the neupogen shots? Well it was worth it because they did their job. My WBC was at 20! It was an all time low for me the last time I got treatment two weeks ago at just over 2. And now I'm at an all time high.
This improvement in my blood counts is what gave me the opportunity to get out this week. I was really afraid before of getting sick with my counts being so low. So what did I do this week other than receive chemo on Monday?
Tuesday was a rest day for me. I just slept, and relaxed all day. I tried to eat well, and get my body ready for Wednesday. Later in the day I put together my speech for the Coaches vs Cancer game which was on Wednesday. Going to this event was a last minute decision that I made on Monday. Two weeks ago the answer was no, but with how I felt going down to treatment on Monday I thought that I could maybe do this. My mom and I agreed that it would depend on my counts, and my oncologist of course. All was clear, and I let the coach know that I would be there. I left the speech part up in the air, but at the time I didn't plan on doing it. Just a pep talk for the team.
After much thinking on Monday, and Tuesday I finally decided to do the speech. It took me so long to make up my mind. A part of me was afraid of going up there. I mean if you know me even just a little bit, it's pretty easy to pick up on the fact that I'm not much of a talker. Public speaking is probably my weakest skill. The lack of preparation for the event, and the fact that I wasn't going to be feeling well wasn't helping either. I decided to try writing a speech, and if I didn't like it I wasn't presenting it. In less than 20 minutes I put together a speech that I really liked. It was so easy to write because I'm so passionate about what I planned on talking about. I was ready for this.
On Wednesday I felt better than Tuesday. Still pretty tired, but I was much more mentally ready to go. I rested for most of the day. I skipped on my PM steroid pills because sometimes they really mess me up. All I wanted was for the presentation to go well, and to not stumble over any words. And I delivered it exactly like I practiced. I actually wasn't that nervous when I spoke which was a first for me. Before I was called up I just thought of all of the other people battling cancer that I have met in my journey, and I knew that I couldn't let them down.
It was really an honor to be there, and I'm thankful for being given the opportunity to share my story.
Yesterday I was still going. I had an eye exam which was scheduled a while ago, and I had dinner at my Grandma's house after the exam. I'm getting my glasses next week. I'm pumped. My vision hasn't been the best over the past few years, but I haven't felt the need to get them checked on until recently. It was tough picking out frames because I'm going to look different once I get my hair back, but I think I picked a pair that'll look good.
Today has been my first good day of rest. I feel hot still though. I seem to get like this on the A cycle. My arms and legs almost look sunburnt. I'm getting some energy back, and I don't have mouthsores. Thank God with the mouthsores because I planned on eating whatever I wanted during Super Bowl whether my mouth felt good or not.
Shoutout to my friends Josh J, and Josh L for supporting me at the event.
This week didn't start off the best for me. On Monday there were scheduling issues at the treatment center which delayed treatment significantly. I arrived for treatment at 9:15, and didn't begin until noon. This meant that I didn't get to leave until 4, and didn't get home until 6:30. It was a very long day. On the bright side, my white blood cell count skyrocketed from my last treatment. Remember last week when I had all of that pain from the neupogen shots? Well it was worth it because they did their job. My WBC was at 20! It was an all time low for me the last time I got treatment two weeks ago at just over 2. And now I'm at an all time high.
This improvement in my blood counts is what gave me the opportunity to get out this week. I was really afraid before of getting sick with my counts being so low. So what did I do this week other than receive chemo on Monday?
Tuesday was a rest day for me. I just slept, and relaxed all day. I tried to eat well, and get my body ready for Wednesday. Later in the day I put together my speech for the Coaches vs Cancer game which was on Wednesday. Going to this event was a last minute decision that I made on Monday. Two weeks ago the answer was no, but with how I felt going down to treatment on Monday I thought that I could maybe do this. My mom and I agreed that it would depend on my counts, and my oncologist of course. All was clear, and I let the coach know that I would be there. I left the speech part up in the air, but at the time I didn't plan on doing it. Just a pep talk for the team.
After much thinking on Monday, and Tuesday I finally decided to do the speech. It took me so long to make up my mind. A part of me was afraid of going up there. I mean if you know me even just a little bit, it's pretty easy to pick up on the fact that I'm not much of a talker. Public speaking is probably my weakest skill. The lack of preparation for the event, and the fact that I wasn't going to be feeling well wasn't helping either. I decided to try writing a speech, and if I didn't like it I wasn't presenting it. In less than 20 minutes I put together a speech that I really liked. It was so easy to write because I'm so passionate about what I planned on talking about. I was ready for this.
On Wednesday I felt better than Tuesday. Still pretty tired, but I was much more mentally ready to go. I rested for most of the day. I skipped on my PM steroid pills because sometimes they really mess me up. All I wanted was for the presentation to go well, and to not stumble over any words. And I delivered it exactly like I practiced. I actually wasn't that nervous when I spoke which was a first for me. Before I was called up I just thought of all of the other people battling cancer that I have met in my journey, and I knew that I couldn't let them down.
Yesterday I was still going. I had an eye exam which was scheduled a while ago, and I had dinner at my Grandma's house after the exam. I'm getting my glasses next week. I'm pumped. My vision hasn't been the best over the past few years, but I haven't felt the need to get them checked on until recently. It was tough picking out frames because I'm going to look different once I get my hair back, but I think I picked a pair that'll look good.
Today has been my first good day of rest. I feel hot still though. I seem to get like this on the A cycle. My arms and legs almost look sunburnt. I'm getting some energy back, and I don't have mouthsores. Thank God with the mouthsores because I planned on eating whatever I wanted during Super Bowl whether my mouth felt good or not.
Shoutout to my friends Josh J, and Josh L for supporting me at the event.
Comments
Post a Comment