5th Chemo down...

I now have 5 chemo treatments down...and 3 more to go....followed by some intense radiation therapy :( I am trying my best to stay positive and look to the finish line, but the chemo seems to just be getting harder on me. I had more of a delayed response with this last treatment. The gnarly side effects normally hit me the hardest on the Saturday after each chemo, this time it hit me bad on Sunday night and are still going. I absolutely HATE chemo! It is horrible and makes me feel so awful! I feel bad saying that in a way, because without it, my prognosis would not be good. But the thing about chemo that people looking from the outside don't realize is just how harsh it is on the body, and just how bad it makes a person feel. The most frustrating part is trying to communicate that to somebody else. There truly are no words to fully describe the extremity and complete disgustingness that chemo makes me feel. 

I seem to still be battling the same cold as last week, it seems better than it was, but I noticed last night that my sore throat and congestion are coming back again. I am REALLY hoping that my cold is not coming back...that was awful and it imposed on my "good week" that the chemo usually wears off and I would have gotten to do some "normal" things. 


All of this cancer stuff can really be mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting on a person. Sometimes it seems like it is just too much to fully comprehend...or maybe that's just my "chemo brain?" I have been going through all of the motions to get better without really stopping and thinking about it too much...until recently, and to be honest, even though Hodgkin's is deemed the "good cancer," if there really is such a thing...it SCARES me to death. Mostly just the anxiety of future scans and other adverse reactions from the chemo and radiation. I am trying my best to just take it one day at a time and not over analyze everything like I tend to do so often...but that can be tough. 


For my friends and family who do not have facebook, here is a pic from the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" walk that I did end up participating in, sick & all! Probably why I am still sick!! But it was worth it! Such a great cause and a fun event to be a part of. 

I will definitely be participating in many upcoming Lymphoma walks and races! I am already starting a page "Team Stephy" for the "Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk" in October! I would love for all of my friends and family to participate with me! :)