Well, it's 2:00 in the morning and I've been awake since midnight.  I crashed about 10:00 ( maybe some of that fatigue they warned about?) but was woken up with a bright light shining in my face two hours later...thanks Steve!  Glad your kindle is working for you.  Now I'm nauseous, awake, and trolling Facebook in the living room.

I had to go for part two of my chemo yesterday (today)? which was a shot called Neulastat (sp?). It's purpose is to help rebuild my white cell count that the chemo from the day before attacked...they don't want you to have a totally depleted immune system, so this is the reason for the shot.  Pain level?.. About a 4... Nothing compared to the cortisone injections in my foot...but still...potential to feel flu- like, and achy the next few days.  I've taken 3 nausea pills in the last two days, and they do help... And I noticed I was all flushed in my chest and face yesterday...Tracy my nurse told me that's the decadron (steroids) that I'm on for the next 3 days.  Her patients all come back for their shot with rosy cheeks and a red chest.  Well...it's kind of like I was in he sun :). But really.... Thank God for the pharmaceutical companies...I can't believe how many prescriptions and drugs one person can be on.  It's a little confusing...I even wrote in marker on each pill bottle words like "nausea" and "after chemo" just to keep them all straight.  My son Drake has shown serious interest in being a pharmacist or bio-chemical or bio-medical engineer...I could so see him, creating these life-saving drugs in a lab, alleviating someone's side effects... Helping cure cancer... it's unbelievable what science has done for us.

There are three stories that have resonated pretty heartily with me from the Chix Soup book that my friend Karen gave me... One is about a first grade teacher who had a special little boy in her class who wouldn't get his hair cut.  His mom was embarrassed, and at parent teacher conferences confided she didn't have the heart to cut it because her son said that he "wouldn't be Daniel without his long hair."  A few years later, the teacher got cancer, and had to take a leave off...I'm guessing they didn't have that shot back then to rebuild her immune system...anyway...several years later, Daniel came to visit her.  He was leaving the elementary school for high school, and she noticed his short hair.  They didn't talk about it, but the teacher ran into Daniel's mom a few days later...long story short, it was his first hair cut, and he donated it to locks of love for children with cancer... And it was his first grade teacher's cancer battle that inspired him to do it.  Will I inspire any of my students to do something kind, selfless, even years later?  It's awesome to think about...

The second story was a woman whose sister got cancer, and to show her love, she cooked for her, researching the best cancer fighting foods, phytochemicals, like sweet potatoes, fruit, cruciferous veggies, tomatoes, etc, that can all help build a strong immune system ..she invented what she called "chemo Popsicles."  Lots of frozen berries, fresh fruit juices, and...get this...tofu...blended in a blender, and frozen in Popsicle tubes.  I've asked my mom to make me some.... Actually she got the ingredients yesterday...can't wait to try one and see how they are.  According to the author of that story, they soothed her sister's mouth sores and tummy.... She cooked for her sister, stocked her freezer with little microwaveable meals, then flew home.  My mother in law told me she was bringing us dinner today, my mom bringing chemo Popsicles later...the love is coming in edible packages, that's for sure.

The most important line, so far, from this book, has been from a woman who when she told her friend she had cancer, her friend replied..."you'll never feel so loved."  The woman with cancer was dumbfounded by that response....she said...until the phone calls, cards, packages, visits, and prayers and support started rolling in.  That is how I feel...  Cared about.  Whether it's a card in the mail (I'm keeping every single one), or a personal message on Facebook ( can't believe how many people checked in on me after my first treatment of chemo), or a phone call, or roses (thank you Barbara!), or even just being asked how I'm doing in person, I appreciate it all.  Thank you, everyone, for making us feel loved...not just me, but my husband and son.  I know people have reached out to Steve and Drake, and they need love and support right now, too.  I've said all along since this diagnosis... I'll do anything the doctors ask me to do... And I'll take all the help and support I can get.  Thank you.