Chemo outfit #2 – Llama “i hate sweaters” t-shirt, “no prob-llama” llama socks, Wonder Woman infinity scarf, sparkle “Michael Jackson” gloves, bunny sleeping mask, many healing stones and a squishy stress ice cream cone toy. It was a good day but I did miss my llama blanket. Noted for next time.

Day one of infusion #2 went well! Super yay! I started to feel a reaction 2-3 minutes before it finished. Ten percent reduction in Oxaliplatin did the trick and a different anti nausea medication. Great call Dr. Winegarden. I appreciate you and what you do.

I still had side effects and they were more intense but that was not a surprise. One immediate reaction was the muscle twitching as weirdness that caused Jenn and I to laugh really hard in the infusion clinic. They must have thought we were crazy. It was mostly in my hands and feet/lower legs but occasionally my throat has seized up when I want to swallow. My throat just won’t do it. Just for a hot second but enough to take notice.

After sitting in the recliner all day (although it was a legs up only, no back recline kind is recliner. Kind of disappointing 😉) I wanted to get up for the bathroom for the last time before we left. Every other time I had stood up during the infusion I was fine but this time when I stood up my legs had a mind of their own. I could stand but not well and walking was a whole separate beast. One foot went sideways, the other leg wobbled, I tried to communicate to my legs what I wanted them to do and they were like “Uh, no. I feel like doing this and the other one feels like doing that” This is all said in my head with the tone of a shitty teenage girl who then makes that teeth sucking sound after. You know what I am talking about, right? Anyway it was very surprising and immediately funny to me. I did think “I wonder how long this will last?” I imagined it was similar to someone having palsy. Jenn joined me in my giggling and said “it looks like you have palsy!” Thank goodness we have similar senses of humor even if those around us don’t. She proceeded to help me to the bathroom and come in with me. We continued to laugh and crack jokes in the bathroom. Laughing a little louder than before because we had the illusion of privacy in the bathroom that is located smack dab in the middle of the infusion clinic, right next to the nurses desk. I don’t know if they know what to do with us sometimes. The pronounced walking episode mostly had passed but I seem to still have weird random cramping of my hands. I can sometimes make it happen by using my hands in a straining way, for example – massaging, gripping hard, etc. It is very fascinating to me.

Other side effects are the neuropathy, some discoloring of my face (we agreed that it has a yellow hue, last time it was red), and heaviness. The neuropathy has progressed. My hands are randomly tingly sometimes without touching anything – not too bad though 🙂. The most interesting is the neuropathy at the back of my throat which seems to he stimulated not only by drinking cool/cold fluids this time but nose breathing cooler air. It feels like a sore throat that doesn’t hurt. It just feels weird. Drinking warm/hot things staves it off. I know these will diminish over the next couple of week. It is a temporary awareness of my body’s relationship with these pharmaceuticals.

We were able to run some errands today and are in bed by 8pm listening to the Neil deGrasse Tyson interview on The Joe Regan Experience podcast specifically recommended to us by my son after he shared a fact about Christopher Columbus and the blood moon that he learned from this interview. It’s three hours long but very good. It is 9:30pm and Jenn is sleep breathing next to me. There was a lot of adulting today. But all is well in the universe.

Side note: if you microwave grapes for about twenty seconds they are very yummy. Too cold for me otherwise. I don’t drink wine anymore but it reminded me of that distant culinary cousin.

Random idea: I wonder if they would be yummy sprinkled with cinnamon? I am having alternative desert thoughts because we drove past Dairy Queen today on our way home after our long day. No ice cream for me thats crazy town in my mouth with the neuropathy. I longingly said “…DQ…” as we drove past and Jenn in a soft somber tone replied “next year”. Sigh, the special flavor grasshopper pie blizzard was so good. Good bye my sweet treat, I hope you come back around soon. ❤️