Counting My Blessings

The Lord has brought me through another week. I'm looking forward to going to church in the morning.

This past Monday was rough. It was my first Monday at radiation after a weekend off. It was challenging. I had to put my "Just Do It" attitude on and get it over with. Every Thursday, I begin to get used to the masks and can tolerate the radiation treatment a little better. This time, I was excited to see a Wednesday. I'm learning every week day is a stepping stone to a little break. One of my side effects that I've had for a little while has become stronger. My throat has been dry, but now I have pain in my ears when I swallow and yawn. Especially when I yawn. I've tried different things to try to cut my yawns short, if that makes sense. Chewing come seems to help, and holding my nose and then blowing out. The pain doesn't last as long.

My nausea is still present. I've been taking zofran a lot. I had a dream my doctor limited me. So glad it was a dream. It helps a little bit. The nausea has really messed with my appetite. I rarely feel like eating at all. Mom is really good at gently reminding me I HAVE to eat. I just try to remind myself of a feeding tube and how much I don't want that.

A new side effect that came last night was hair loss. I was taking my shower and washing my hair and noticed my hand was pretty full of hair that had come out. I'm so glad my hair is short. I would have freak out if I saw long strands coming out. Thank you Andrew for letting me buzz it. Now I'm not going to say it wasn't hard to see my hair fall out, because it was. I cried a little bit. Mom helped me come out a lot after I was done drying off. Once again, she was my rock to lean on. So right now, I look a little patchy, with less hair on the sides. I'm a little nervous about going to church tomorrow without a hat. My head is sort of sore, so I'm not wanting to wear a wig yet. There is a wig store in town that we're going to go by during the week to look at head scarfs. A head scarf should be much more gentle for now.

So that's my update for side effects. I titled this entry counting my blessings. Even though I'm feeling rough most of the time and I really do feel like I'm taking it minute by minute instead of day by day, I know the Great Physician is watching over me, I have great at-home nurses, and I'm blessed to finally have the stability of being in the apartment and unpacking to make it our home. God is good!