Mel's Redefined Life

Kellie made a roast for Sunday dinner today and it was delicious! Pot roast with homemade macaroni and cheese and Lia beans and rolls... I'm in fat belly hog heaven!! The steroids make me want to eat a lot and they are meant to make sure I don't lose any weight... even when I want to! The awesome home cooking helps with making sure I eat a lot!

I still feel really weak today. My heart rate is elevated, even when sitting still and resting. The bone pain from the neulasta is difficult to deal with too. Claritin is used to combat the bone pain in an off label type of application, but I ran out. I bought a new box and can't find it for the life of me. I'm still fighting AFLAC on hospital claims. My LTD is approved though (different company). AFLAC, however, is a thorn in my side and I will never recommend them to anyone. I feel so weak and tired. My head is all patchy now, about 50/50 bald vs. Hair! I found someone to do a henna crown for Me! I'm stoked! Instead of wigs and hats and scarves, I'm going to own the bald love. ❤ Wooden Lotus Henna based in Vine Grove, Christina is going to decorate my crown. Yay!

I'm still feeling pretty sick this time. My body trembles from head to toe. No energy whatsoever. It's a struggle just to walk from the bedroom to the living room. I'm trying to drink as many fluids as possible and I'm eating. I stayed in bed from Thursday evening to this morning (Saturday) so I did not eat yesterday. My head has more bald than hair now. The bright side? My armpits have stopped growing hair. Yay for no more armpit shaving! There has to be a silver lining somewhere, right?

I had chemo #3 today. My awesome friend Christy was with me, of course. She brings the sunshine!! :D I felt great this morning! My bloodwork is decent. One of the things that could indicate irregular heart rhythms was a bit low, and I have to eat more baked potatoes and sweet potatoes to bring another thing up, but my white blood cells are in the normal range still. That's GREAT! That's the immune system working it's magic. I'm 75% through the first round of chemo, 4 cycles of A/C. Then the next round starts. I'm heading to bed now, feeling weak and queasy.

I had a rough day today. I had something happen today that felt like a bad joke. Maybe that's why I'm so tired... it threw me for an emotional loop. I received a payment in the mail for short term disability... except I didn't think I had short term disability. When I saw the check, I thought I was wrong and I DID have short term disability and I received a payment! I was overjoyed! The stress of the late payments on everything and the hospital bills mounting and the phone ringing nonstop with bill collectors... it's so difficult. That one check would get all the payments caught up! Then, the phone rang. It was the insurance company. The sweet claims adjuster said the short term disability check was issued by mistake due to an error in the contract number associated. She told me to void the check. I almost started crying. Then another bill collector called. It was a rough day. - 4/17/17

4/15/2017 Chemotherapy Cycle 2, Day 4 Today my hair started to fall out. It was frizzed up all over the place and I ran my hands through it. It fell out in handfuls. Since my diagnosis, my hair has gone from long, black hair, to short black, then pink, then purple. Purple was the end-game.   My scalp started burning 6 days ago. The feeling of hair follicles dying feels like sunburn on my scalp. I ordered a bunch of fun, cheap wigs. If I can't have real hair, why not have fun with the fake hair?   As of 4/21, the bald spots began. No matter how mentally prepared and positive I've tried to be, I still cried. The feeling of the hair falling out is very itchy and irritating. The sight of real bald spots all over my noggin is traumatic.