Chemo No.3

30th September 2022.

Celia Blakey Unit, William Harvey Hospital.

Chemo Number 3, DONE ✅👊🏻

What. A. Fortnight. 😵‍💫

Back in that blue chair, pumped full of steroids & trying out a new anti-sickness. C’MON🤞🙏🏻

They finally removed my picc line, I hated it from day one. Repeatedly catching it & making it bleed, wearing a massive arm band to shower & having to get it flushed once a week, meaning yet another trip to the hospital. Because I can’t get enough of that place. Hanging out of my arm as a constant reminder. 👋🏻

Then came my new port. Not realising how sore & invasive this procedure would be, a small cut to my neck & just above my collar bone to insert it. While thankfully you are sedated, you are awake and as the surgeon said to me the risks of ‘bleeding, infection, oh and a slight chance of puncturing your lung’ please sign here I almost backed out.

Added to the mix my 2nd Zoladex injection. A huge bloody painful needle straight into my stomach. Doing it’s job of putting me into an early menopause as the hot flushes are in full swing. 🥵

No more cold cap. Sadly it didn’t work. After the awful sickness and nausea passed, my hair started to fall out. And it didn’t stop. Cancer is the gift that keeps on giving.

Clinging on to hope or in complete denial that it would survive the devil, I wasn’t mentally prepared for this part. After 5 tough days of losing almost all of my hair, & a million tears I had no other choice but to take back control and let Rob shave my head.

But while sat in the ward today, chatting with my fav chemo nurse he made me see things in a different light. He said something that really hit home, ‘’the best things come from the things that are the hardest’’. So I’m taking a deep breath and I’m going to embrace the change. Excepting this is going to be the new ‘me’ for a while.

While I begin to grow my new wig collection, I’m also braving getting this bald head out in public. (With a beanie because it’s bloody freezing!)

Feeling so incredibly grateful for all the amazingly supportive people getting me through this, the love & kindness has been overwhelming. 🖤