The Not Hungry Games

I made it through my first week of this new chemo regiment.   It's nothing like the chemo I had last year.   Sometimes I even forget I'm on chemo.   I do have mouth sores and I've been getting nose bleeds and cripling migraines.  Come to think of it, I do know I'm on chemo.   Well, at least I'm not very nauseas.   Chemo changes your taste and smell.   For instance, last year I used to walk through the laundry room and small the detergent and think it smelled like strawberry pop-tarts.   I haven't had much of an appetite lately and have been forcing myself to graze during the day so I don't lose too much weight.   

I'm not neutropenic like I was on last years chemotherapy.   My blood counts are still good and my immune system is not supressed.  This is an out-patient chemotherapy so I am home and can go out with my friends.  Also, my mitotane levels have increased.   This is a chemotherapy pill I take daily.   The level is tested every few weeks and had been a little lower than we wanted to I increased the dose and am now, again, at therapeutic levels.  

I had voice lessons this Saturday and my teacher gave me a new song to work on.   It's "When She Loved Me" and challeges my range, but what I'm most worried about the song is breathing between lines.   Anyway, it's a very pretty song and should be fun to work on.

My Jimmy Fund trip to RedSox Spring Training in Florida was alot of fun.    Many of my friends from the clinic went, including one girl in particular that I saw the very first day I met my team of doctors.   She was there every day I was, in the beginning of my treatment, but that dwindled off and she is better now.   It was nice to see her again.   Meeting the players isn't what I look forward to, but I don't want to be surrounded by illness either.   And I guess that's good, because everyone else seems to feel the same way.   We all jump in the pool, shoot water guns, go down slides and eat like there's no tomorrow.     For the most part I think its nice for everyone to be out of their hospital rooms and homes and meet other teenagers who aren't asking questions. 

My favorite sister Rachel is back from Dubai and came home for a surprise visit this weekend!   We went with Nick deep into the forbidden forest where he was building a ladder to climb a tree.  I watched Rachel fish for weeds and found a snake.   Nick caught a bass and then we came home and watched Pretty Little Liars.   It was a grand old time.  

Here We Go Again

I used to laugh when my old friend from the clinic, Bob, told me that some kids come into Dana Farber already naseaus, anticipating chemo, but this morning I wasn’t laughing. It didn't exactly help that I'd only slept a few hours and been woken up promptly at 5:30 (Thank you Happy!) Of course some ativan and marinol pills did the trick. Ativan is a muscle relaxant and, in short, caused me to sleep through the majority of Session 2 Round 1 Day 1 of chemotherapy treatment.

One hour of hydration, Two hours of streptozocin, another hour of hydration and finally two more hours of Leucovorin.  A cassette pump of 5FU was around my neck when I woke up, to be given over 48 hours. That pump looks like a mix between a shoulder purse and a graphing calculator. I'm starting a new trend, this thing is super fashionable.

Mom, daddy and I left the hospy around 4:00 and arrived back at home around 5:30. By then I was pretty awake, but didn't want to bother Alex or Nicholas, so naturally I obnoxiously texted some friends telling them I wanted Java Chip ice cream STAT. I have great friends.

The chemotherapy hasn't kicked in just yet which is a good sign! I'm keeping my fingers crossed :) I was going to say I'm going to bed but I am having a huge Funyons craving right now... well there's always breakfast! Goodnight :)