Some of you have been asking how I’m doing after my first 2 chemo treatments. So I’m putting out this note a little earlier than I had planned.

I am feeling surprisingly well. I have not had nausea or other gastric issues. Just fatigue that comes and goes. Last Friday, I was especially wiped out. Just couldn’t stay up on my feet for very long. But by Saturday morning it was fading away. Each day I think I’m just fine and then I realize that I want a nap or at least need to lay down and read. My bedtime is earlier in the evening now.

I had the Erbitux chemo yesterday afternoon. Erbitux doesn’t cause nausea (yay) but it can cause the acne-like rash (yuck) which didn’t show up this past week. I might get the “Erbitux eyelashes” which are super-thick and long. I guess that’s a plus.

Today, I feel good. I know I’ll probably tire out as the day goes on or maybe tomorrow. I just don’t know how the Erbitux by itself makes me feel yet. My skin and eyes are definitely drier.  My tongue feels rougher. All in all, no big deal.

My white blood cell counts are good thanks to the shot of Neulasta I had last week which puts my bone marrow into over-drive producing WBC. It caused some bone pain for a day but was manageable with Tylenol. I can be out-and-about as long as my WBC counts stay high and I feel up to it. However, I do avoid large crowds in confined spaces and anyone who is ill, has been recently ill, or has kids who fit that description.

Cancer is funny. It forces you to be grateful for every little thing. I sat near a woman yesterday who was also having her second round of chemo. Except she has breast cancer. She asked me how I had been feeling and I told her I’d been feeling OK for the most part. She, on the other hand, had spent the first three days of last week sick in the bathroom. I left thinking how grateful I was NOT to have breast cancer. It could always be worse.