Bank Holiday

It's the Bank Holiday weekend, and true to form it has just started to rain. I'm off to a barbeque later as well... Great.

I'm still feeling pretty good, and life is busy. I've had a new hairdo (I LOVE getting my hair done now), I would never have had my hair cut short before but since I've been bald any hair seems long!

I don't like to give cancer much headspace at the moment. Then, now and again I worry that I am getting complacent and have a little panic that I am going to jinx myself by trying to lead a normal life. It's like I am having to dare myself to live. But hey, what is life without risks?

Just as I am stepping away from cancer land, I have an appointment at the hospital this week as part of the trial I am taking part in. So, here's hoping my veins want to play along this time cos playing hunt the vein isn't much fun these days :(

Is it that time already?

I was back up at the hospital today.

Onc had a good old prod and poke around my neck, shoulders, mastectomy scar, ribs etc. She even looked in my mouth cos there can be probs in there with the drug I'm having. All this within an hour of my actual appointment time - so far so good!

She seemed pleased with my progress and said I was doing just fine (needed to hear that today, been feeling a bit down in the bc department).

Then I trotted off to the chemo suite, and only had about an hours wait there before I got my treatment. New nurse, who I have never seen before had a go at my veins and managed to give me a bruise on the knuckle of my little finger. She seemed surprised when I said OUCH!! She gave up then, and asked one of the others to have a go. She managed to get it in a vein on the knuckle of my thumb, which also hurt like hell but at least it worked. Another bruise forming there though.

Was all done by lunchtime so went to work. Typical, now I'm at work I get sorted out super fast!

One lovely thing today, there were 2 girls in having chemo and we got chatting. They were really pleased to talk to someone who was at the "other side" of chemo, and were really giddy about my hair. It felt good to think I made them smile, even if only for a while.

New hair

It felt sooooo good having my hair done again. I've already booked myself an appointment for 11 December so I can have it coloured for Christmas (my works do is on the 15th)!! I'm really looking forward to that, I'll feel more like my old self when I have a bit of colour in it.

This might sound daft, but I really felt like I'd achieved something yesterday when I had my hair done. Like I had ticked another thing off a list or something.

Hair cut!

Tomorrow I'm having my first post chemo haircut!! I'm quite excited:)

Getting Forgetful...

Not as easy to recall dates now... Chemo brain had well and truly taken over by now.

However, I do know that the last session of chemo was on Feb 3rd 2006. I can't tell you how good it feels when that last cannula is taken out of your hand!!

A whole week "off" then I had 3 weeks of radiotherapy. A bit like groundhog day, doing the same journey at the same time every day, seeing the same people...

Surprisingly, my skin held up quite well and didn't really show signs of burning until the last few days. I finished on 3rd March.

So, that's the poisoning and nuking done. Just 5 years of tablets and a drug trial to do now...

Oh, and my hair is regrowing :)

Edit I discovered an old diary after I typed this, so have updated my blog with all the ramblings from there. So this might now seem a bit out of order...

The morning after..

I'm still on a high from last night...it was so good to go out.

The best thing was I went out with nothing on my head, and although a few people did do double takes when they looked at me I didn't feel too self conscious. I quite like having short hair, but could do with just a bit more before I'm happy with it....