Round 3

Wow.  Just as I got used to exhausted, exhausting, exhaustion, tired, and fatigue followed by more exhausted, the chemo knocked me on my butt.  Yippee, heartburn and insomnia.  Not a great combo.
My energy level has not been good but the heartburn all day long was much worse than just being stuck on the couch.  And insomnia and I are just are not a good match.  At the best of times I need my sleep, but during chemo......come on, it's only fair that I can still sleep to pass the time.

The consolation was that at least I was still able to eat.  In fact, pretty much the only time I was not suffering from heart burn was when I was eating.  Hmm, that seems healthy!
Fortunately the heartburn seemed to start settling down on Friday evening.

Then 9 pm Friday night rolled around and bam the bone pain in my jaw.  Seriously, I don't need an alarm clock any more.
This time it moved into my teeth, that was odd.  It felt like my teeth might fall out...fortunately it hasn't happened yet:)
When I went to bed my neck hurt so even the pillow was uncomfortable.  Throughout the night the pain slowly worked its way down to hips, and knees, and shins.  Now that it is Saturday afternoon there is just some residual pain in my jaw and that is it.  Thank goodness the pain has decreased each time.

For Saturday morning breakfast I ventured out into the world of bacon and egg sandwiches.....Mom and Dad were visiting this week so more fresh buns!!  I know, no pancakes, but some times you just have to live dangerously.

On the pancake theme, I had mentioned previously that we should have a brunch after the Run for the Cure.  There is a new IHOP located on Broadway near Oak that might be a good location.  I know, it is no Medina Cafe, but it does match my pancake theme nicely.  The restaurant should be large so it should be able to hold lots of people and it is kid friendly.
I have had some positive responses about this idea from a few people already.  If I can get a general idea of the number of people that would be interested I can contact the restaurant to see if it would be feasible.

Oh, and to answer Angela's question about cancelling chemo, yes, it is done.  If a patient's neutrophil count is too low it happens.  I don't know the exact reason, but I suspect the reason is because an increasing neut count indicates that the bone marrow is starting to recover from the chemo shock.  If chemo is given again before the marrow starts to recover there may be a longer delay the next time before the marrow begins to respond which means an extended period with no neutrophils.  And no neutrophils is bad.

So, the worst part of round 3 is over now.  There is one more round of my current treatment to go before the drugs are switched up.  Then it is 4 rounds of the new drugs.  In a way it is hard to believe I have been living the life of a chemo patient for a month and a half already, at the same time it feels like it may never end.  But, it will eventually end, in about another 17 weeks.