Monday, October 26, 2009

avoid tanning beds

i went to chemo class today. i was disappointed--i thought it would be an actual class. but no, it was me, Chad, and the very nice nurse practitioner.

she did give me a textbook, though: "Chemotherapy and You." it has a handy little section called "Side Effects At-A-Glance." in addition to the common side effects, "fatigue, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood cell counts, hair loss, mouth sores, and pain," there are the less common ones such as "bleeding" and "memory loss." they also offer this helpful tip about hair loss: "Protect your scalp when you are outside, and avoid tanning beds." well, there goes my plan.

2 comments:

  1. Well, I finally got my act together and got the address of your blog from Anne, so here I am. As I read from the beginning to the end, I am reminded over and over about what a gifted woman you are, funny and irreverent. Those enormous talents, as well as the tremendous love of your family and friends, will support you through this crappy experience. And by the way, I really think you should whine more!

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  2. I had visualized the Chemo Class as sort of a mid-life Lamaze experience. Women who are actually going to be enduring all this hard, messy, awful stuff (glowing, perhaps from radiation treatments), accompanied by their caring yet clueless life partners who look like they've been hit by a bomb. And at the end of the long, dark road ahead? A life. But this time it's yours.

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