Rough Patch

Hello,

So, we sadly misunderstood that this series of chemo was going to be less abrasive than the first. While it has not caused nausea like the first, it has caused severe joint pain. Apparently the Neulesta shot (to boost my mom's white blood cells) and the new chemo in combination are causing double the joint pain. My mom was in so much pain today she had to leave work mid-day. If you know anything about my mom you know that her threshold for pain is really high so, for her to say she is in pain it must be severe.

In addition to the joint pain she is also experiencing pain at the bottom of her feet. She said it feels like the bottoms of her feet are on fire. Her hands and the tips of her fingers are very dry. Apparently the chemo has seeped through some of her blood vessels causing her skin to burn at the tips of her fingers. This too is very painful.

To top things off my dad is suffering from an upper respiratory infection and my mom is susceptible to infections.

As you can imagine the situation feels hopeless and my mom has hit a bit of a low spot. Its awful that you already feel terrible about having cancer and then the chemo makes you feel worse. It is very difficult to see you loved one go through this and you try desperately hard to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's ironic that the only "cure" we've managed to come up with for cancer is chemo. Chemo basically cannot distinguish the good or the bad in your body. So, it just destroys everything it can find in your body to make you better. One thing chemo cannot destroy is my mom's spirit. She may be feeling down right now but I know she will pick herself up. She comes from a long line of fighters.

I write this not to gain sympathy, so many out there have it so much worse then we do. I only write this to continue to share my mom's journey. We knew from the beginning this was not going to be easy and my mom was going to face some rough spots. I told her just today that its OK to be sad and cry but its not OK to stay that way. I told her she should try screaming as an alternative, it can be very therapeutic.

Keep the good vibes coming.

Chryssa