Consolidation

I am in my new apartment! We have furniture, beds, dining table...we pretty much got everything done except for some little things. We luckily got all that shopping done (spent 4 hours in target...) before I started my chemotherapy on Monday evening. I think the beet thing about this weekend was a house warming gift from two, new, but amazing friends that have been nothing but helpful since they first met us 12 days ago. I am so appreciative of these two women (you know who you are!!) and I hope to pay it forward to someone else one day who needs my help. I don't know what we would have done without them! They have taken care of us in every way and I hope we can do the same for them when they need it :)

Monday afternoon around 1:30 pm my mother and I showed up at MD Anderson so that I could get my long line catheter put into my arm again so that I can get hooked up to chemotherapy later. I go feeling light hearted and easy; when they did this in the hospital it didn't hurt at all and I loved having it because I didn't have to get poked anymore. But this was an entirely different experience. Maybe my veins were too small that day but it hurt; sickening pressure that made me wish I had taken the Versed that was offered to me to help me relax. Every time I have a procedure it makes me remember that I'm sick, that I have to start chemotherapy again, always make me frustrated and upset...so I definitely started to freak out a little bit when she was putting the PICC line in. It was more sore afterwards too; it took until today that it doesn't hurt so much when I move my arm. I got done with that procedure at 5 pm and so we waited downstairs for my first chemotherapy appointment at 6. We haven't eaten since the morning and I didn't get done with chemo until 9:30pm. I was very worn out and all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Cassidy made sure I ate some food before bed :).

Yesterday was tough; only one day on chemotherapy and I already felt like I did in the hospital back on Oahu. I was nauseous all day and didn't want to do anything but lay down. The anti-nausea medicine I have doesn't work for me so I'm stuck laying down and waiting for the day to be over. I hope today, with nana coming in the afternoon, is a better day for me and I don't feel so sick. I'm trying to eat and be healthy so that I don't lose the 6 pounds I gained back.

I am excited to see my nana and have her finally meet Cassidy...maybe if I'm feeling up to it we will surprise him at work. Terry is planning on coming this Saturday if I am feeling up to it and then my dad and friend Lilja come next Tuesday for the rest of the week :) I am excited to see all those I haven't seen in what feels like years...this whole experience feels like it's been going on for years. It feels good to be settling into our new apartment; I feel really comfortable here and I am ready to be here for a year to figure mine and Cassidy's life out after all the treatments are over.

Ok..time to lay down. Miss you all and love you.

-sav