Chemo Went Well Yesterday

We did our weekly trip to Grand Junction yesterday. My liver enzymes were a bit out of whack but only the tiniest bit. My hemoglobin was back down to 11.9, so I got a shot of Aranesp. I have to call tomorrow and get the results of my tumor marker.

I also attended the "Look Good, Feel Better" seminar sponsored by the American Cancer Society. If this is offered at your oncology center, I recommend that you take it. We did make-up and got a free bag of cosmetics donated by various companies including Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Avon, etc. I was told that one of the Chanel lipsticks I got was worth $50. We also tried on hats and wigs. Most of the women in the group were bald. My hair keeps thinning, and I don't know if it will eventually all come out or not. It is actually quite curly in the back. I did take a wig that a beautician styled on me. It's short and blond and curly, but Robert said it looked gray out in the sunlight and he didn't like it. So I'll probably return it. In the make-up session, they talked about how you have to be careful not to get bacteria in your make-up or facial products since we're more susceptible to infection while on chemo. I hadn't thought about that.

Driving home from Grand Junction yesterday afternoon, I had fallen asleep and Robert woke me up as we were driving into Montrose. He said, "Caroline, you have to see this." The wind was blowing like crazy and there were tumbleweeds all over the road and some of them were huge. I took a couple pictures - don't know if they'll turn out. It was surreal. Then we went to the grocery store, and when we came out, it was a blizzard. So we drove home in blowing snow. It snowed most of today, but it's supposed to be warm this weekend. Yea!

I bowled Tuesday night - 97, 81, and 101. We won all three games and the overall score. We are 7 wins, 5 losses after three rounds. There's hope for us! My hip hurt and I'm having to adapt to standing up straight and hurling the ball. But I got better at it by the third game.

I'll have my CT and bone scans next week. I hope to God they don't find cancer in my bone, but the pain isn't going away and isn't responding to Ibuprofen or Tylenol like it before. It could be the Aranesp causing bone pain and bursitis. Anyway, it'll be good to find out. I worry that all the tumors in my liver will have grown together, and they'll tell me I have a "football" in there. But with the blood work being improved and the tumor marker trending down, we're hoping that won't be the case.

Just up here in Colorado hoping the snow melts this weekend.

Sincerely, Caroline