Well I am handling the 2nd cycle much better than the first. I don't come home on Thursday afternoon and pass out until Monday morning anymore. I'm still not very active, but at least I'm awake!!
I am a little bummed out this week. For starters, before diagnosis I get stuck with the most annoying symptom, extreme all over body itching instead of the most common, dramatic 20-30 pound weight loss (which would have been nice). Luckily I'm not itching anymore and all of the scratches have healed without any scarring. Then when I was diagnosed, I tried to think of the positive, CHEMO DIET!! Finally, I would be able to shed these last pesky 15 pounds that have hung on for dear life since I worked so hard to loose 50 last year. Unfortunately, the steroids that I have to take to combat nausea and keep my immune system up have the opposite effect. I'm up 10 pounds! Geesh, can't catch a break. I thought I would at least have a chance to evict my 'monthly visitor' permanently, but since the treatment is no longer MOPP, but ABVD the chances of that are less than 10%. The old treatment guaranteed sterililty in men and gave women a 50% chance at early menopause. I suppose that's a good thing overall for the masses, but I would appreciate having one side effect or symptom that can be a positive instead of annoying. Oh well, at least I don't have the nausea and vomiting. I just have to deal with jaw pain, headaches and insomnia.
