Sunday

Today was the first Sunday that was surprisingly almost normal. Granted, I had to take a few naps here and there, but who doesn't, right? By noon, I was up and ready to conquer the world.

First, a friend of mine came over to visit from afar and we walked around the neighborhood for almost an hour and a half (the weather this February is very mild). For me it was basically like a Boston Marathon.

Secondly, to top it all off, I went to a friend's birthday party at a restaurant. Talk about living life on the edge!

Dress up time --- it was a risk, wearing a turban out in public for the first time -- but you know what they say, "go big or go home."  After tying the "formal" (as I have three, each has a designation) turban with George's expert help, we drove to a restaurant. The turban outing was a success, if I do say so myself!

Lessons learned, watch for the low car ceiling --- unexpectedly, need to account for additional height :).

Chemo follow-up

I am thinking that now I should consolidate my after chemo side-effects follow up post, as it no longer looks like that most of the side effects kick in on the 4th day for me. 

Right now it appears that chemo 8! was the turning/breaking point when the cumulative effect finally kicked in and threw a wrench into my orderly life... After all, until this Thursday my side effects from chemotherapy would pretty consistently fully arrive on the fourth day, and I even started to plan around these days. However, after the 8th chemo I dragged myself home, crawled into bed, and pretty much stayed there for the next three days until Saturday evening. 

Despite my best efforts to shake off the fatigue and get some much-needed rest, it seemed like no amount of sleep was enough. I felt like I was dragging myself through molasses, unable to shake the ever-present feeling of exhaustion that had taken hold of me. And then, to add insult to injury, I lost my appetite on Friday – the first time after chemo that I had actually lost my desire to eat. Sure, I was grateful that I wasn't experiencing any nausea, but losing my appetite was a new and not-so-pleasant sensation.  

But, friends to the rescue -- on Saturday evening a friend of mine came over to make poppy seed cakes and pancakes for my son. And despite the fact that I could barely move, I found the energy to crawl out of bed and join in on the fun. It was a welcome distraction from my current state, and before I knew it, we were trying to learn how to make successful turbans. 

As we laughed and tried different options, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the moment of joy and distraction. Despite the physical challenges, moments like these remind me to embrace the lighter side of life.

After watching countless YouTube videos, we came to the realization that most of them were probably deep fakes and that the only way to actually get a turban to stay on my head was through a coordinated effort between two people. My husband tied one end while I held the other, and with a little teamwork, we finally achieved turban success.

And who would have thought that I would be learning the art of turban tying? Life is full of surprises, and I never know what's going to happen next. Who knows, maybe I'll become a turban expert by the end of it all.