Back to the Slave and Grind
We headed to New Orleans for a much needed vacation last Saturday. We stayed in a beautiful house built in 1851 and decorated exactly as you would expect for the area. The Spanish style colors and architecture inside and the outdoor area were amazing. We cooked out, had a fondue party one night, and ate all the local fare including gator bites, frog legs, gumbo, jambalaya, and Étouffée. I love the Étouffée and found out there's a place in Indy with a Creole chef that makes it so we'll be hunting that down soon. We went on a bus tour of cemeteries and stopped for beignets, which someone mispronounced to me and I, in turn, said it wrong for two days before learning the right way to say it. 🤷 They are absolutely fantastic in case you haven't had them and are wondering. Totally worth the hype. We rode an airboat through the swamps and found that alligators love marshmallows (who would have known?). Christian made it to the WWII museum with Mom and Mike and then I went with them for a riverboat tour to the site of The Battle of New Orleans. We walked downtown and tried several local spots, shopped, and got massages. At night, we hung at the house and played games and got in the hot tub since the pool was too cold. I even got to bed at the tender hour of 8pm or 9pm every night. What fun I am! :-) Seriously though, I stayed up until 10:30pm the last night!
All of this is to say that I am so grateful that this trip happened to fall between my treatments and we were able to go. I really needed to get away from work and do some fun things without thinking about cancer for a few. I wasn't always able to keep up with everyone, but I had so much fun hanging out and feeling more normal for awhile. We got back on Saturday night and some friends brought us lunch and great conversation Sunday which was a great end to our time off. Rhys even mostly unplugged from work.
Monday and today were busy trying to get caught up and I'm getting mentally prepared for weekly treatments that start on Friday. I'll be getting a different chemo cocktail for these next 12 rounds. My oncologist told me at my last appointment that I had done "remarkably well" with the first cocktail and managing the side effects, but that this new cocktail comes with a different set. I'm already taking Claritin for the bone pain, they called in a prescription to take the night before to prevent an allergic reaction, and I ordered cold therapy gloves and socks to prevent neuropathy that comes with this. He also mentioned extreme fatigue and that worries me a little since I'm trying to work until this summer when I schedule surgery. I'm tired now, but have been going back to work on Tuesday after my Friday treatment. Fingers crossed that I can get back at least on Tuesday since that would give me three days each week. I really don't want to sit at home and become the sick cancer girl. I'd rather go to work and give the guys shit for creating more work for me, which they inevitably do, but I love them anyway. 😁
TODAY'S SILVER LINING: I learned how to play Skip-Bo again on vacation so I'll be playing my way through the next treatment.