And It Begins…

Author: Shannon Miller

I just arrived home from day 4 of chemotherapy. Rough evening yesterday. Piece of advice; don’t wait until you feel sick to take your nausea medication. Ugh!  However, I did arrive home to the most wonderful thing ever…homemade chicken soup by our wonderful and loving friend, Trisha.

Today is the first day that I realize I’m not having TO DO chemo but I am actually IN chemo. Denial is tougher when you don’t feel well.

But today is my birthday and I don’t plan to feel bad on my birthday so I’m going to enjoy my chicken soup maybe a candlelit dinner with my husband, of saltines and diet soda. Maybe not the most nutritious choice but if it settles my stomach for a bit, I’m going with it!

In the mean time, I am beginning to think about the whole hair issue. I go back and forth between needing some time to wrap my mind around this or just diving in. After hearing many women talk about the emotional toll it takes to watch your hair fall out day after day, most advice has pointed toward taking proactive measures to relieve any pain, avoid the mess and empower yourself  by putting control in your hands.

Sometimes I’m ready to take it on and other times I think about dipping my toe in the water by chopping it a little shorter than it is now. Either way, I’ve got about a week, so I’d better get my head on straight soon.

As always, if you have advice or thoughts, let me know. Sharing is the best thing we can do to help each other through these tough times.

We will also be interviewing physicians, nurses and therapists in the upcoming weeks so if you have questions you would like answered please write them in the comment box below or email to [email protected].

Stay strong!