Chemo Cycle 2 - Summary

It took me longer to recover from this cycle than the first. It felt a little worse as well. But that's expected since chemo stays in my body for a long time so now I've got 2 doses in me.

Wednesday and Thursday were the worst days. The worst of it being fatigue. This time the nausea was there. I was not retching but my tummy felt like it was upside down. Eating was more difficult this time. I was just not interested in food.

Friday, I was more comfortable on my feet. My head felt like it was screwed on properly but it still felt foreign. I really needed a bath this day. So I decided to buzz my hair. Kel was nice enough to do it for me. Burke was there watching (I didn't want to shock her so I wanted her there while it was being done). I didn't want to look in the mirror after. But I couldn't avoid it since we have a big mirror in the bathroom. It looks better than I expected. I look like an asian monk. Burke was laughing her head off - "Mom, you look like Dad. Can I call you Dad?".

By the end of the day, I was used to the buzz cut. I loved walking right after the bath. I could feel the wind in my scalp.

Saturday, I was still woozy. Maybe it's coz I sat on the couch all day. It sort of drains your strength and will to get up and do anything.

Sunday, I was still woozy. But this time, I had resolved to feel better. So we went to church at noon and we had lunch out. We never found a good Vietnamese place around where I lived so we drove about half an hour to one of our old favorite places - Pho Cyclo. Not only do they serve pho and those yummy summer rolls, they also have vermicelli toppings with barbecued meat piled high on it. Needless to say, we had a feast.

Then we went to a park near the house. That was the best part. We walked by the lake and browsed the shops. Then the wind started to blow and the sun hid behind the clouds so it got too chilly. We ducked into a latino market to get some coconut juice. At the counter, the lady was peeling unripe mango (for her and her friends to eat). I have not seen unripe mango eaten here in this country and you would not believe how my mouth watered at the site of the sour mango and the thought of dipping it in bagoong (shrimp paste - it's a pinoy thing). So, I bought the greenest magoes I found in the back. Unfortunately, they were too ripe already to be sour. Oh, well, at least I was feeling much better.