The Rebuild Period

The first six sessions of chemo are complete. I am now in a “rebuild” period. I start my next six sessions on June 16th. I anticipate this next chemo round will do most of the damage to the tumors and look for the markers to really drop by the time they are finished. Then, reevaluation — there may be a third set of six, depending. The only goal in this game is to get as many cancer cells dead and gone as possible, then go on hormones, or some combination of chemo and hormones to keep it that way. My goal is nothing less than “disease free”, although “cure” may not be in the AMA vocabulary for this condition, I can always hope for the best here.

During this rebuild period, my white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelet count, all of which took a beating during the six weeks of chemo, will have a chance to recover.

At this point, I’m pleased to say my appetite seems to be returning as well, and the taste sensations, although still “off” are more normal than during chemo. My energy levels are coming back, but I still have to watch it, because I have a tendency to overdo it — rest is still critical to this process.

One thing that I am keeping “off” is my hair. It of course fell out during chemo, but there is no point at the moment, with more chemo on the horizon, on letting it grow back in, so I have now got a great collection of scarves, bandanas, pirate earrings, and a couple new wigs on order (on sale, of course) to supplement my lone wig. Thanks to my sister-in-law for coming through with a care package and advice, and to my cousin for the beautiful scarves.

If you want to comment on any of these observations, you’re all welcome to join me on Facebook. Just look up Leane Roffey Line, and send a message with your friend request that you are following the cancer portion of the Fourth Wave. I access Facebook every other day or so, so if you have concerns or questions, that’s where you can get hold of me.