Two Radiation Treatments Left

It's Sunday and raining after snowing all night, generally a good day to stay at home.  I've had a few very good days this past week, feeling "normal", going to radiation, lotioning like a maniac.  I had dinner with a friend and lunches out.  Worked out all week.  Had lupper (too late for lunch, too early for supper) yesterday with my husband.  We spent most of today plotting our next trip - in 3 weeks, we leave for Portugal and the Azores, conveniently between HP infusions and 2 1/2 weeks out from the last radiation treatment.  I wanted to give my skin some time to recover and see what really happens after it's over.  My radiation oncologist told me my skin would be at its worst when we leave; she's not a bundle of encouragement.  Has too much time in the basement jaded her?  Maybe.  

But it wouldn't be cancer treatment if there wasn't a blip in the middle.  I had my infusion of HP on Wednesday and one of the side effects of the "P" (Perjeta) is diarrhea.  70% of people have that.  I had not.  I was so smug and proud.  Intestines of steel.  

On my way to lunch with a friend on Friday, I had to turn around, cancel and be home.  Wow.  Many messages back and forth with my team.  They told me to take Imodium after each episode.  Up to 8. EIGHT tablets.  I told them the package says to take a max of 4 in 24 hours.  They laughed.  3 did the trick for me and now I have other problems.

Just when I thought I was getting to the end of treatments and side effects.  Turns out Perjeta is, you guessed it, 'cumulative'.  Awesome.  Good times.  No more being smug.  I laid in bed Friday afternoon in a mood.  

But I felt better in the evening and got back on the saddle of life and rode on.  It's only taken me 5+ months, but I'm getting to the point where I'm trying not to let setbacks derail me for too long.  As I laid in bed on Friday, I did panic about all the travel I have coming up.  This new side effect isn't conducive to being out and about.  But I know what works, I now know how to manage it, and if I miss one or 2 cathedrals along the way, so be it.  Onward and upward.

Tomorrow is a holiday so my last radiation treatments are on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I also have a meeting with my radiation oncologist on Wednesday to see what's next - I assume there will be some followup appointments and I really want to have a skin check before I head off to Europe.  I'll be very happy to see the basement in my rearview mirror.  If you see someone two-wheeling it out of NWH's parking lot on Wednesday, that's me. xo J 

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