(KW) August 21, 2023 - Leading up to my third chemo session, I received results back from some lab work. Chemo definitely kills all types of cells - good and bad - which is why chemo patients normally have next-to-nil immunity levels. It also wrecks nail beds and hair follicles. So, yes, I'm bummed that my hair has definitely been thinning, but from what I've heard (from both my oncologist and my Facebook support group) I probably won't lose it all due to my specific chemo cocktail.
But there was one result from my lab work that actually did put me in a good mood. And that was my CEA level. I won't attempt to explain what it is, but it's basically a cancer marker. It was the first thing my primary doctor ordered that led to all the scans. And it was astronomically high at the time of my diagnosis. Therefore, I was delighted to see that after two chemo sessions, it had already gone down by 50% (54.9% to be exact).
The oncologist and my medical team smiled and congratulated me on my reduced numbers as I walked in for session #3.
As you have probably noticed, I haven't been able to really smile for any of these pictures - and I mean, it IS chemo so why would I, right? But with this session, I got a little bit closer. I decided to wear a jumpsuit I purchased for a resort vacation (that I didn’t get to go on due to being diagnosed with cancer that very week 👎🏼). Strapless jumpsuits...they're not just for vacays…they're also ideal for ports! I used extra product in my hair this morning (to combat the thinning that is currently happening 👎🏼👎🏼) and in honor of Wonder Woman, I wore my bullet-repelling, cuff bracelet, because it never hurts to bring in the super heroes 😘.
I felt good heading into this session. And I felt good the week prior. I think the Lexapro (anti-depressant) is finally in my system and the reduced CEA levels definitely did the trick. I am mentally willing the cancer tumors to shrink and my hope is that when I go to Memorial Sloan Kettering in mid-Sept for my scans, they will say “You’ve had an exceptional response to your first round of chemo, and they’ve shrunk enough to make you a surgical candidate…let’s put a date on the calendar, shall we?”
That might be overly optimistic, but that’s the scenario I’m trying to breathe into existence.
Wonder Woman powers - please activate!
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