day 1 after 3rd chemo

Had a good few days since my last post - on Mon I had lunch with Viv at Savta - same place I went last Fri with Anne & Shirley - had the same thing to eat too - a shakshuka - poached eggs mixed with tomato, onion & red capsicum (pepper) quite spicy & yummy - had it for the 1st time in Jerusalem when I went in 2006 for my brother Michael's wedding to Nechama.

A while back all my keys fell out my bag & were found by someone who rang the nbr on my car mechanic's tag & left a msg to say they had them & would put them in the letter box. So far they have never turned up!! I did have a spare key but no remotes, thats another story & not worth writing, however I decided I should have a spare key so I rang the Honda place to see what the process was - it was going to cost $182.60 & they would need the car for 2 hrs to reprogram both keys!! I then rang Gil, my mechanic, who I didn't think did this himself but there was a place he uses not all that far in Alexandria - so I called them & it was going to be $105 & would take 10 mins to clone the key!! I then rang locksmiths in my local area to see what the story was - one place said they could cut the key & but it would still need to go to someone else to program it!! forget that, another place said they could do it but it would be $130. After lunch with Viv I went to the place in Alexandria & yep it took 10 mins, as my car was parked there, we checked that the new key worked & yep all good!!! so now I have a spare key!!

Tues I had a quiet day but went with Helen R to Isabellas in Randwick, Italian meal - if your order is placed before 7pm during the week, all pastas are $8!! & other mains are $12, yummy, cheap & very cheerful. Went back to her place to watch the Golden Globes & Ricky Gervais's particularly unPC comments on everything from Aston Kuchar being Bruce Willis son (he is Bruce's ex Demi Moore's new husband!!!!) to helping the ceo put his false teeth in!! not too well received either...

Wed I met Naomi G for lunch in Chatswood, finally!! we have been trying for weeks to meet & it happened!! lovely to catch up NG. As it was the day before chemo I went to the hospital to have a blood test to ensure that my white blood cells are doing the right thing by regrouping so that the chemo could happen. In the evening Lynda B & I were deciding what to do, & in the end the decision was made to go to her place & have a pot luck meal!! I took a salad (which we didn't use!) & she ordered in pizza from a very good pizza place. We watched some tv & I went home not too late. I did reveal to her that I was not looking forward to the next day...

Thurs I got up fairly early & got to the hospital with wig in place! at 945. By the time I was set up it was 1145 - the nurse I was assigned this time was not the same lovely one I had both times before (she was on holiday) & this one had trouble with everything - she couldn't get the needle into the port & she tried twice - called another nurse over who did it straight away!!! I wasn't confident in the other one, anyway u get the one you're given. I did tell the front desk people after that I didn't want her again... Finally I got out of there at 315. From there I had an appt with my psychologist & felt ok to go, I left the car in the car park, & because I have a particular card, I only had to pay 1 hr parking for nearly the whole day!!

In the meantime at chemo, I was sitting next to a girl who had been having chemo for something quite different, & she came in very confident with NO HAIR, totally shaved head, no scarf, wig, hat - nothing on her head!! It looked good!! much better than my bits of fluff. What this girl was having chemo for is very interesting, she had become pregnant but the egg had no chromosomes & the sperm had 46!! however the placenta was good & putting out all the right hormones etc, so she seemed pregnant!! this is called a molar pregnancy, it occurs in 1 in 150,000 pregnancies - very rare. She had a d&c & all was removed. Her chance of this happening again went to 1  in 100 & yep for the poor girl it happened again, but this time the d&c didn't remove everything as the placenta had embedded itself too firmly in the uterus wall, she was having terrible morning sickness & all the symptoms of being pregnant but wasn't. The only thing to do in this case of molar pregnancy is chemo - she said her mother was more upset about all this than her - now she will have to have IVF. shes 29. I Google'd it when I got home!!

Anyway seeing her confidence in her no hair look gave me something to think about!! Today Fri I had a job interview in Chatswood with an ophthalmic surgeon, I got there a wee bit late, cos i thought I'd shave my own head today!! not very successfully... but the interview went for 1 1/2 hrs!!! very good sign & I told them my whole story, including all the dates I have for next chemo, drs appts, everything incl all the probs with day 4 & 5 that have been the case so far & they want me to start training with them on Tues if I can or Thurs if not!! I won't know how I'm going to feel on Tues till Tues comes!!! they understand that - if training is successful (no reason not to be) then I will go on probation then permanent after 3 months- so fingers tightly crossed, cos it's what I'd like to do & it's a 15 min walk from home!! & its in the middle of the shopping centre close to me, all lovely & the pay will be good too!!!!

From there I decided to go have my head fully shaved at a place called Just Cuts, I didn't need to go to my hairdresser for this!! & cos I only had a wee bit of hair to shave they charged me half as much as usual!! I don't mind this at all - I much prefer it to the fluff that was left & while it's not a look I would take to work, I think I could cope with a few good friends quietly!! However my head is soooooo sweaty, I couldn't believe the sweat pouring down my face by the time I got home after doing some grocery shopping.

I was supposed to have an interview with a dentist in the city later in the afternoon, but I was too exhausted to go! I rang to say I had just accepted a position elsewhere, not a total untruth. I had promised if I could that I would collect Fran from where she was working at 5 & the traffic was shocking I rang her at 5 to say I'd be there in 10 mins, it took 25. Picked Rachel up from Bondi Junction & took them home to change, we got to shul at 630, starting time - had memorial (yartzeit) for my mother-in-law who died 14 years ago & Anne S, my sister-in-law, & my ex-husband Michael also came to shul tonight for this. Fran & Peter were planning to go to Parramatta Park, 1 hr drive to see the Sydney Chamber Orchestra & the Sydney Dance Company perform a free concert for the Sydney Festival, but it started at 7 & they would really have had to leave before 6 to get there, so the decision was made to go to Camelot in Marrickville to see 2 bands, starting at 9pm. We stayed at shul for the pot luck dinner, even though we had nothing to contribute, didn't matter there is always plenty & I talked Deborah B into coming along with us!! Bill & Sue also went to Camelot & enjoyed it all too.

Cope St Parade were fantastic - 3 guitars, tuba, sax with vocals, jazzy, lovely, after them was Daniel Weltlinger on violin, a double base, drummer & guitarist, a female vocalist joined them for some of the set & it was just wonderful, loved both sets!! Got home after 1215. Im glad I didn't schelp into the city for that interview this afternoon, I'd never have made it through the night & still be here at 2am writing this blog!!!

What I want to say about this 3rd lot of chemo is that I just don't feel as well as I have after the other 2, bit more yucky, very thirsty, dry eyes. not nauseous which is good, but just not quite right. I spoke to one girl after shul tonight, who I hadn't met before though I know her husband!! He went to school with my ex, long story!!! who went through this last year - her hair is just growing back now & she said that each bout of chemo knocks a bit more good stuff out so it's no wonder I'm feeling not so good now!! I really hope it doesn't affect my ability to work, cos I know that my brain is in a bit of a fog & I can't quite get out the words I want to say (not here) but when talking, here the words just pour out my fingers onto the page with no brain power involved!!! As soon as I think, I lose the flow.

However I've got Jacqui home tonight as we had a prospective tenant coming to look on Sat at 2 & we need to clean, vacuum, tidy the unit before anyone comes to visit!! Unfortunately she cancelled on us, but we still have to do house work & while I know I could normally do it all myself, I don't think I'm capable this time & she's living here, she can do her bit.

Going to the Sydney Festival free Sydney Symphony Concert in the Domain on Sat night. Fran, Peter, Rachel & I are selling torches from 4-6 then we get to sit in a special VIP volunteers area, fantastic!!! The concert is Shakespeare, Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo & Juliet with action from local professional actors. The symphony always ends with Tchaikovskys 1812 - I think I've said this before, sorry, see my brain isn't working!! Anyway I love it!!

Enough for now, goodnight all
Cheers Debbie xx