Chemo 6 Recap and Chemo 7 Postponed

This is my after Chemo 6 recap, two days later than my usual recaps, sorry about that! So it has been two weeks yesterday from my Chemo #6. Whoohoo! I have survived half of my chemo treatments, now only 6 to go. It feels sooooo good to say that!

Chemo 6 went pretty well. My counts were pretty low but we decided to go ahead and go through with the treatment. I did get my own treatment room because my counts were so low though, that was pretty exciting!

In the comfort of my very own treatment room.

As far as chemo effects I really have not felt too bad after this chemo. I did have a cold that lasted 2 weeks and that made me feel like misery but once that went away I have felt pretty good. My counts have remained low so I can not do a lot of things I would like to but its not too bad. I will go out to eat occasionally but make sure to sit in a booth and not in crowded places. I also try to avoid stores and grocery shopping as much as I can but when I need to go I make sure to wash my hands before and after and make my hand sanitizer my best friend. Other than that I stay at home or work. Its great that it is so nice outside these days though because I can spend a lot of time on the deck or walking around the neighborhood when I am feeling too housebound.

I am definitely getting more chemobrain, I can not remember things like I used to and I mix up words. Like yesterday I wanted to say rubber band but what came out was band aid haha... things like that. I also have started getting little bumps mainly on my fingers that are pretty itchy at times. Apparently it is an allergic reaction to one of the drugs and from my googling I have found its not that uncommon. It should go away soon after I finish chemo. I do not know if it is connected to it but my skin is also much more sensitive. Turning keys, trying to open bottles, holding straps in yoga, things like these are all pretty painful for my hands. BUT in the grand scheme of things dealing with this is not that big of a deal. Especially since I have been feeling pretty good otherwise.  The only other random chemo thing are night sweats. Night sweats are also a symptom of Hodgkins. I have never really had them before, I get hot easily, but not waking up burning up and clammy. The doctor said its another reaction to the chemo drugs since the Hodgkins is basically gone. So those are my random chemo ailments for now.

In exciting news my hair has started to grow again! BUT it is also still falling out haha so I am keeping it buzzed otherwise I start to look like a crackhead. I am very excited to see how fast it grows though. I had it trimmed two weeks ago and I had to go back yesterday to get it trimmed again. I hope this means when all of this is done it will grow back oober fast but it is also showing that I will have some preeetttyy awkward hair phases haha.

Yesterday I was supposed to have Chemo #7 but my counts were the lowest theyve been with my white blood count at 1 and my neutrophils at .1 so Dr. Wiedl decided to postpone it. I understand why but I am still bummed. It will throw off my schedule and make me take off more work days than I had intended. So now we are waiting for my body to recover its cells on its own. We are hoping to have Chemo 7 on Tuesday. This whole process definitely teaches you patience and to value all of the work your body is doing to keep you alive.

Last weekend was the Monument 10k here in Richmond. As part of the 10k the Massey Cancer Center (where I go) sets up a challenge for people to create teams and raise money for the center. Last year my parents and I had a team for one of my parent's best friends, Mike Amos, who passed away almost two years ago to Cancer. This year my best friend, Carrie, and my parents decided start a team in my honor, we named it Amber's Lymphomies. It was a little weird at first to go from running the race multiple years in memory/honor of others and then for this year having others walk in honor of me. However it was an experience I will never forget. Their efforts, along with the efforts of others who joined the team, raised more than $4,000 for Massey! We stayed as one of the top 10 teams for the majority of the campaign. I am so grateful to all who gave, everyone on the team, and to my parents and Carrie for all they did. Its a great thing and will help many people in their fight against Cancer.

Last Year's 10k with my parents, running in memory of Mike. 

This year's 10k, Amber's Lymphomies! 

Thank you to everyone for your continued support!! Half way there, now fingers crossed we can get the second half started sometime soon. I will try and report back next week hopefully after Chemo 7. For now I am enjoying a weekend not feeling exhausted!