Round 3...Psyche!

Yesterday was supposed to be round 3 of chemotherapy but we ended up delaying it because I've come down with a nasty cold. It started to really manifest on Tuesday; I had a fever of 101 degrees on Tuesday night and felt better (at least non-feverish) Wednesday morning. I still went in for my doctor's appointment on Wednesday but upon discussion with the doctor (my heart rate was racing and I felt wiped out) we decided to delay the chemo appointment for one week.

Getting sick has made me realize I've been pushing myself too much. When I feel good I want to do the things I would normally, but I have to restrict myself more than normal. I'm much more susceptible to germs and have to play the part of caretaker for myself. It has also made me more aware of my doctor's request that I not be around crowds of people. That's been a hard one to follow, particularly as I feel good and there's been a plethora of summertime activities to tempt me (baby showers, wedding showers, festivals galore, etc.) But with this one sickness, I now know the importance of that advice and will try better at avoiding those things. I know, boring. That's me. :)

I am already starting to feel much better today, thankfully. Besides being sick, I have also recently noticed a new side-effect from the chemo - soreness. I thought that I had just done a little too much weed pulling one day, but I notice now that I constantly feel stiff. It feels just like muscle soreness or having sat in one position for too long, except that it also happens in strange places, like my feet. It's taken me a while to realize that it's not from over-doing one thing, but that I just constantly feel sore. It's especially noticeable after getting up in the morning or after having sat down for a little bit.

I have been to a new acupuncturist over the last few weeks and she has been great. I decided that I didn't like the other one I had been seeing, so sought out this new one. After just one appointment, I could feel the neuropathy (the numbness and tingling) in my feet lessen. It's still there, but much less so. I also feel very calm and relaxed after each appointment, so those two things make it well worth the time.

Due to my sickness, pushing out chemo, and my realization that I've been trying to push things too much and need to stay away from crowds and germs, the doctors and I decided to push out my work date even further. Apologies to my co-workers! We've decided to wait until October 1st to start back to work now. Hopefully that will get me past the worst of the side-effects.

I'll keep this one short and end here. Just wanted to update everyone on what was supposed to be my 3rd appointment. I'll update again after next week's round of chemo.