25% Done With Chemo

4 treatments down, 12 to go ... I am officially 25% done with chemo as of today!

It's actually a bigger milestone than that with the first four treatments, which are now 100% finished, being the tougher and more intense medications. Next week is a recovery week, and then I'll begin the next phase of treatment in two weeks with 12 weekly chemo treatments. Supposedly the drug used for those is tolerated "better" by most people. Since I've done well on the more intense meds, I'm hopeful that the next 12 treatments will go as well. Overall, I've had very little nausea and mostly just feel tired ... and I battle the occasional "blue" day where I can't decide if I'm mad or sad or what ... but those days are definitely mixed in with the good and part of the package that comes with overwhelming your body with these powerful medications.

Through these first 7 weeks, my blood counts have all remained in a normal range ... which has helped me feel better as well. I've seen the disappointment of people who show up for chemo only to be told their white blood count is too low, and they can't take the treatment that day. One woman talked of being turned away 3 consecutive weeks, and how she should be finished by now but can't get the last treatments in. I'm hoping to continue to see my body tolerate the treatments well and finish up at the end of August as planned.