Chemo Schmemo

Round 4! --- 7 days

Day 1:

Day one went pretty well. I woke up at 5:20 and left the house at 6:00 with my dad to drive to L.A. I was exhausted, so I slept for two hours in the car. Chemo was like 6 hours long and I didn't feel icky which was great! (The first day is always easiest.) 

I also had radiation, which was a great change of scenery. I dragged Oliver all the way over there, had my 2 minutes of radiation, and then I was done. 

After chemo, we got Italian food!!! I ate spagetti and enjoyed every bite, since from then on I would eat canned chicken noodle soup for dinner every night. It was delicious and it was accompanied by a ton of pills. 

Also, I have Phillip the poison pump again! Boo... 

After eating, my dad and I went to the Venice Boardwalk and saw some crazy people and cute dogs. We saw some skateboarders, surfers, musicians, and a lot of people who were just nuts! There were so many cute dogs who were walking with people and chilling with their homeless owners, I wanted them all. They were precious. 

After the boardwalk, we drove back to the same house as last time during my last treatment! (Whoop whoop!) but, that's when the nausea hit me... it wasn't horrible, but it was there. 

Then I took some more pills (every 4 hours), and then relaxed. When I take pills they have to be with something other than water during chemo week. If I drink water during chemo week it tastes like you strained it through 50 napkins! GROSS!!!

Then I went to sleep! Aaaaaahhhhh sleep.....

Day 2:

I SLEPT SOOOO GOOD! Yay!!! Then I woke up and ate some frosted mini wheats and took some more pills. Then we went to the cancer center and I had an infusion. No nausea!!!!! Whooohoooo!!! After chemo we ate at a pasta place and it was super yummy! Then went home and I napped for a while. Then I ate some chicken noodle soup and talked to an elderly couple who is staying at the same house as us! They are so funny and the wife was so stubborn it was adorable! 

Then I took some more pills and then went to bed. Slept great again! Yay! 

Day 3:

Woke up and ate some more frosted mini wheats!!! They taste so good right now!! Feeling good and not complaining about it!! 

We drove to the cancer center and had another infusion. It went well! I peed a lot, which I'm used to by now. Lol! Once the infusion was done, we ate at a Mexican restaurant and it was sooooo yummy! So happy I can eat good food!

Then we came to the house and I took a nap! Whoop whoop!!! Then I relaxed and ate some more chicken noodle soup! (Creative I know!)

Then took some more pills and then went to sleep! 

Day 4:

I slept great again! Yay! Ate some cereal and then off to chemo. It went well and I had no nausea again! Also, only two more weeks of radiation! Whoohoo! 

Halfway done with the week of chemo! 

When chemo was done I took a four hour nap and then ate some soup! (Again.) then I had a little crying moment because I wanted to go home. But when that was done, I was good! Gotta get it out sometimes! 

Then I waited for my mom to get here. Her and my dad usually switch off halfway through the week! 

Not a very eventful day, but I'm not complaining!! 

Day 5:

 

Last day of chemo, then the next two are just hydration! ALSO MY MOM WAS THERE SO YAY! Only spent 4 hours in the infusion center today because we got started early because on the weekends there is NO ONE at Cedars. It's so empty...

After the four hours, I took a long nap and then ate at Panera Bread! Felt a little nauseous but luckily I had some nausea wristbands that pushed on the pressure points to relieve nausea, so that's awesome! Not much again, but who's complaining! 

Day 6:

Hydration and Mesna today! No chemo! Whoohoo!!

Felt pretty good, just sleepy. Ate at Marie Callendar's and then home for a nap. Then mom and dad switched off again and I ate some chicken noodle soup. (What's new though?) BUT THEN....

I threw it up through my nose. That was an experience that I didn't expect. It burns and everything smells bad. 

(Didn't want that visual? Oops! Too late!) it's all because of the huge pills I have to take. They get stuck sometimes and it doesn't end well. (Obviously)

Now off to bed and then my last day of hydration and I can get this huge needle out of my arm! 

Day 7:

Woke up feeling pretty good and happy that's it's my last day!!! The four hours of hydration went well and then I was free! We we ended up staying another night, too because I had radiation the next day and it was easier just to stay in LA. 

The green tongue is from jolly ranchers because the saline tastes bad...

So happy to be home with my puppy!!!!

Also, I ordered this giant bear off of Amazon for cheap! and I'm in love!!! It's bigger than me and perfect to cuddle with! 

Also, STORYTIME:

While we were staying at the house, there was this adorable elderly couple who stayed there too. The wife just had a liver transplant and they have to stay there for a month. So we said hi to them a few times and ate dinner at the same table and just had general conversations with them. They were so sweet and would always ask, "How are you doing, Pretty?" It was precious. So the husband was from the US and the wife was from South America and she came over to the US and learned English a while back. Anyways, so the last night we were staying with them, we were just eating dinner and somehow we started talking about her life before she came to the US and how she finally made it after so many hardships.

We talked to them for TWO HOURS that night!

They have been married for 43 years and are the cutest, happiest people ever and they LOVE God! They said probably 373837 times that if you put God first in everything, it all works out. Life works out. God has a way of making things work. 

These are some of my favorite quotes from my all-time favorite human: Al Fox Carraway. If you want, you can check out her blog here. 

Not only are these my favorite, they are TRUE! 

Your life will make 180° turns all the time. It's inevitable. That's life. --Trust me, I know by now ;)

You won't expect some things. You won't like some things. But we need those hard things in our lives to help us grow and to become closer to God. During those hard times, our Heavenly Father will always be there to answer our prayers. He will never leave us and He will always answer in one way or another. Not only Him, but Christ also. The solution is always Christ. It is. It's that simple. 

He suffered FOR US, so now when we struggle, we can turn TO HIM.

Because He knows. He wants us to come unto Him. He's already there, just waiting for us. 

We have to make the decision to come unto Him. 

We have to make the decision to love Him. 

And we have to make the decision to BE LIKE HIM. Every. Single. Day. 

Because if we don't, why are we here? That would be so selfish to not acknowledge that everything in this life comes from God. That ALL of our wrongs can be turned to rights through Christ. 

We are, because He is. 

I realized that I wouldn't have met that amazing couple if it weren't for cancer. I NEVER would have met them. But I did. And I learned. And I loved. 

Through Our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, we can have so many amazing experiences and blessings and joys in this life. Joy comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. TRUE EVERLASTING JOY. 

And that's my life. 

And I live it everyday.

And I love it.

And I am Strong, because He is stronger than anything I face. ANYTHING. 

And I am _________, because He is _________.

(Fill in the blank for yourself.)

Choose joy. 

Choose God. 

Choose Christ. 

You'll be happy you did!

Fight Faithfully - Taya