(The above video has nothing to do with this post, other than the part about the IV pole dancing... but I saw it several weeks ago and really loved it. I've watched it 4 or 5 times... The song is perfect for a cancer patient... getting stronger is what it's all about, right?)
Friday was my first "solo" Herceptin treatment. Being the information junkie that I am, I scanned the internet all of last week trying to find out what I could expect from my solo infusion. Would you believe I came up with nada? Zilch? No info? I wanted to know what I was going to feel like during and after, and I couldn't really find any good information. So, I am taking it upon myself to share some valuable information for all of my fellow HER2+ warriors out there.
After my treatment on Friday, I have 10 stand-alone Herceptin treatments left. And frankly, with all of the swelling that I was experiencing last week, I wasn't sure that I was even going to get the infusion on Friday. But, I'm on a schedule, and if all goes according to plan, I will get my last infusion on December 26, 2014, and I prefer not to mess with my schedule. Besides, it's already marked on the calender, and it's in ink; it can't be changed. (My next treatment is scheduled 3 days after my surgery, and if it kills me, I will drag myself there!) So, I plopped myself down in a chair and said "Hit me up!".
So, this infusion definitely did not make me feel like chemo did. Of course, I wasn't loaded up with steroids prior to arriving at the hospital. And they didn't pre-load me with Bendryl and more steroids, so that was a definite plus. I did get a nice big bag of Lasix, and incidentally spent the next hour running back and forth between one of my chemo buddies, and the restroom with my dancing partner (the IV pole). I'm not sure if it was the Lasix, of the aerobic jaunts to the bathroom, but 2 hours later, I was down 4 pounds.
Friday, I felt perfectly fine- NORMAL, even. (For now, in an effort to maintain my positive outlook, and charge forward with my life, I have changed my definition of normal. I cannot expect to feel exactly like I did prior to 18 weeks of chemo therapy and cancer, so I have a new normal.) My new normal is being defined as:
1. I have some amount of energy, and feel even somewhat "Spunky".
2. I do not require a middle of the day nap to make it through the day.
3. I might be inclined to be awake after 10 PM.
4. I can accomplish more than 1 or 2 big things in a day without feeling tired.
Saturday morning, I had a date with one of my favorite people, best friend, and one of my greatest cheerleaders (I am pretty sure that she and I were sisters separated at birth). I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my clean PET scan than brunch with my girlfriend at a fundraiser for Florida Boxer Rescue! And... spend the morning in the company of some of my favorite fellow volunteers, and more boxers than I've ever seen in one place! (I was in a lot of trouble when I got home! My boxer kids were not happy that I returned home smelling like another dog... or several other dogs.)
I'm not sure if it was the heat, or just the excitement of it all, but by the time I got in the car to come home, I felt pretty drained. And I remained very tired the rest of the day. I did kinda feel like I had the flu a little bit, although my stomach felt just fine. I couldn't shake a strong desire to curl up with the boxer kids and sleep at 7 P.M. (I fought it off, and did laundry and went for a walk instead, but I was curled up with said boxers by 9!) I had minor aches, nothing like I'm used to, though! I definitely think these 10 treatments are gonna be easy to handle. I can handle a little bit of sleepiness and some teeny, tiny aches and pains. (As long as I get to say "Screw you HER2 cells" at the end of this... because I'm sassy that way....)
Today, Sunday, 2 days later, I would say I feel "NORMAL" (the new normal, anyway). I definitely feel rather spunky, and have a bit of a spring in my step... I've got a lot I want to do today. I must go to the grocery store because I am starting my Beach Body 21 day Challenge tomorrow, and I definitely do not have the appropriate food in the house.
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