De Plane, de plane

From "Fantasy Island," yes?  That is reaching way back into my childhood!

So, de plane as I know it today...

In the next 7 days, I will work 3 of them, get a port and a pet scan, rest a day (probably only if I am tied down!), get an echo to check my baseline heart function, and start chemo.  2-3 weeks later, I lose my hair.  8 cycles of chemo for a total of 16 weeks.  Then it's slice & dice, and 4 weeks of serious downtime.  Then it's 6 weeks of radiation.  Then it's 3 months of cooling-off for my skin.  Then it's reconstruction, with another 4 weeks of serious downtime.  That is my life, Folks, for about the next year.

I will work as I am able during chemo - probably just my weekends and nothing more.  Maybe I can ditch the weekends and work some m-f during radiation.  I am not sure I can stomach 12 out of 14 days in a row at the hospital, but I should be functional to work - just a matter of timing and making sure I have downtime and rest.  That, though, is 6 months away.

My day started out rough - worried & anxious about the afternoon.  Dealt with fmla folks - that is not fun.  There is no category for "it's cancer, I'm doing the best I can, you figure out the dang paperwork!"  I can't have an intermittent and a continuous leave open at the same time.  Last week was filled out as continuous.  Well, now it's intermittent.  But I could turn it into continuous if they would like.  That was followed with repetitive health history info that I don't think the onc doc even looked at.  Most of it, they already had.  Then don't waste my time and brain cells, Doc!  BUT, then it was mani-pedi time.  Some local ladies pooled together & paid for it, which just shocked me.  More tears, but at least they were good tears.  The toes are purple (my high school colors have always stuck with me!) and my fingers are pink, with glitter & a pink heart on the ring fingers.  Valentine's, breast cancer, whatever you want the pink to stand for.  Several hours with the doc, and dinner with the in-laws rounded out my day.

Here is to bedtime and a good weekend at work!

And Shaunery?  You made me cry, here.