Chemo #4

So turns out the numbering I used is a bit different from the hospital. I’ve had 3 chemo’s, spread out over 9 weeks, which they number 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c and 3a, 3b, 3c.

So yesterday I had number 4, all at once. The Adriamycine (Doxorubicine) which I first got in packets of 20 ml was now increased to 94 ml. Which funnily enough took the same time, about 15 minutes. I felt a slight tingling in my nose and watery eyes but otherwise I felt fine. The Cyclofosfamide (Endoxan) was the same as before so hadn’t changed. This saves me from having to get my veins pierced every week, which makes them harder for the nurses to put the IV in and to take blood. I don’t have to get my blood checked until october 8th, so that’s a relief and a big time saver!

So far so good. My mom and Nancy had taken me to the hospital yesterday, and despite being the last one to get the IV, I was the first to leave. This time, I had only male companions, one of them I saw three weeks earlier with his wife, who is very kind. No one wanted to sit on the bed, so I volunteered. It doesn’t matter much to me, I get to take my boots off and you can move the back up so it’s quite comfortable. I have a feeling the reason men don’t like the bed is because they’re afraid to take their shoes off (although you’re allowed to keep them on). My mom bought me Marion Zimmer Bradley‘s novel The Mists of Avalon, which I read more than 20 years ago. And although I’ve watched the movie many times, it is still a delight to read.

Although they serve lunch, I had brought my own sandwiches with vegetarian filet americain (yes its good, and contains lots of protein) and a banana. Still, afterwards we ate lunch and shared a big mozzarella sandwich and I finished a large smoothie. All in all I’m doing my best to keep eating healthy and calorie-rich.

I’ve decided to start creating clay scultpures again. Apart from this past year,  I had been attending sculpture classes in Laren (next town, 3 km from our house). They were fun to attend, but the time was rather late: from 7.30 to 11 pm every wednesday. I asked my teacher if I could bring the sculptures in to get them fired and that was no problem. So my mom and Nancy drove me to the store (de Hazelaar in Soest) and I selected a 10 kg block of clay (grove chamotte) and some tools. So hopefully I’ll find the inspiration to make something beautiful!

Nancy likes this group of elephants I made two years ago, its fired in clay but we’re considering making a mall and having it cast in bronze :

So although I feel okay today, I expect that I’ll feel worse tomorrow and Saturday but we’ll have to wait and see! Thanks again for all your thoughts and best wishes. Take care!