Self Attraction

You become a different person when going through treatment. Your looks change and you start to question the attraction between you and your spouse. Cancer has create a special bond that only we understand. He has seen me at my worse and still finds me attractive even when I do not at times. Treatment takes you through a rollercoaster with gaining weight, hormonal changes and dealing with insecurities you never knew you had. It's crazy that we as women focus so much on the negative things about ourselves and our spouses still manage to find the beauty in us. If only I could mirror what he sees in me. The things I do to feel secure:

Date yourself in public. I know this sounds crazy but it helps. Leave the wigs at home and just go.

• Go out shopping
• Pamper yourself. Go get a mani and pedi but make sure you are cleared by your doctor.
• Go out with your girlfriends.
• Go for walks
• Play in your makeup. Find what works for you. Your skin tends to change while on chemo so shopping for new makeup is always a plus. Also, look into LOOK GOOD FEEL BETTER program. Getting made up and also free makeup was awesome. It's free to sign up.
• Bubble baths are heaven sent . It relaxes me and makes me feel like I am taking care of myself. Set the mood if you have to. Light a candle, dim the lights and play your favorite music.

All these things play a big a roll for me in feeling attractive not only to myself, but to my husband.

Port Placement

Port Placement was a pain. Now don't get me wrong in the beginning it was okay. For the procedure I was not put under, but very ALERT. I did not like it all. They gave me medicine to relax me and it worked for a little while. They rolled me to back in a surgery room. There were two people and it felt like a horror movie.
However, there was a blanket in front of me so I could not see anything. You will feel pressure from them cutting. In the beginning there was a little pain and I asked for more medicine so don't be afraid to ask. The next day and the whole week it hurt like HELLLLLL but after I was fine. The port is still sensitive at times because of the needle going in and out from the Chemo. Your oncologist will give you numbing cream (Lidocaine) to apply on the port before treatment. It worked for me in the beginning, but I did develop an allergy and it makes me itch which sucks. Now I use ice to numb it but it does not give the same effect as the cream. See instructions below on how to apply cream:





Apply cream 30 minutes before treatment with tub not hands. Make sure it's about a quarter size. Do not touch with hands.



Lay Cling Wrap on top of cream. It will stay there.



Once you get in the back, the nurse will wipe the cream off , attach the tub into your port and apply tape to hold in place.



Sit back and relax.

 

Mocktails

It's nothing wrong with having a drink every once in a while but if you want to enjoy a nice drink without feeling left out, try a Mocktail a nonalcoholic drink consisting of a mixture of fruit juices or other soft drinks. I love alcoholic beverages but being that I am on Chemotherapy, I decided to lay off. My oncologist told me it was okay to have a drink hear and there but I decided to stop while on treatment. Remember when you are out with friends and family order you a mocktail. You can't go wrong with that!

xoxo Superbritt

Taxol Round 3

Dear Cancer....

Today was easy breezy. I was told that treatment gets harder but in my case, its the opposite and I am thankful that I can relax during treatment. The after effects are not bad but I cannot say that for everyone. This was my 3rd round and I am jumping for joy. Only 9 to go.....WOOHOOO!!

My happy pill! It is called Lorazepam. It relaxes your body before treatment. It's consider a pre-med.

Husband working on his laptop. As you can see he made his own desk! LOL!

I am always snuggled up. My feet propped up, heating blanket and my Gel Gloves and Slippers. I have the link below for the heating blanket. It's the best invention ever. It has helped me with joint pain and keeping me warm....I hope you enjoy as well.
 

Therapedic® Reversible Silky Plush Heated Throw in Garnet

Treatment

Taxol Round 2

I had my second round of Taxol. Had to take a restroom break but this time I had an accessory to take with me. Finally, I'm getting comfortable with the new medication. First round the nurses monitor me to make sure I did not have a bad reaction. This process took an hour and forty five minutes. The second round only an hour. You will need ice water to soak your nails but my nurse gave me Elasto-Gel gloves and slippers that a patient donated. These are use to prevent changes to your nail bed because taxol can cause the nails to fall off or become very fragile. They are a bit pricey but well worth it. It is so much better than the bowls but it all works the same. Bring a heating blanket because it may be cold in the area you are in. Pretty much I try to make it feel like home because it is my second home. Most facilities provide little snacks, drinks but you are welcome to bring your own. Its not so bad. Trust me, everyone becomes your family!

My experience while taking Taxol.

Elasto-gel Hypothermia Mitts for nail loss onycholysis Elasto gel Hypothermia slippers for nail loss onycholysis

Weight Gain

No Treatment

Dear Cancer....

No treatment today. I was schedule to do the first round of Taxol which is a chemotherapy drug used for the treatment of  breast cancer and other cancers. My white blood cell counts were too low from the previous treatment. I was a little disappointed but relieved only because it comes with a long list of side effects. Now, that does not mean it will happen to you but it's a 50/50 chance. I am usually the person that gets all the side effects. Lucky me! My counts were at a 600 which is pretty low for treatment. They usually treat at a 1200 count so now I have to wait another week for my white blood cell counts to recover. WBC fluctuates a lot during chemotherapy. It's considered normal in the chemo world. My oncologist told me that I need to get plenty of rest and to drink vitamin C all week to help with my immune system. Also, I purchased a liquid multi-vitamin to help boost my immune system as well. Hopefully this helps. I still have 12 rounds of Taxol to complete.

Side effects 

• Low blood counts. This can put you at increased risk for infection, anemia and or bleeding. It will come back up in a couple of days. 
• Hair loss       
• Pain in the joints and muscles. Only last 2 to 3 days.
• Numbness and tingling of the hands and feet
• Vomiting and nausea
• Diarrhea   

Punta Cana

 

Dear Cancer....

I did not know you then or that you even exist. This was a fun and happy time in my life. Finally celebrating my overdue Honeymoon in Dominican Punta Cana. I wish I could go back and forget you are here, but now you are apart of me and that is okay. I am assuming you were apart of me then and we just did not meet yet. 1/11/2016 was the day I discovered a country of beauty and 2/11/2016 is when I discovered you. How odd is that? Exactly one month apart. Its amazing how things happen but I managed to find the beauty in you. This is another journey in my life that I involuntary took but who's counting.







Support

Dear Cancer...

you are forming relationships for me. Connecting to people that are linked to you in so many ways. Should I be thankful? Having a network of people or should I say a support group is a great thing to be apart of. Having someone to talk to with similar experiences are just sharing your knowledge of what you went through feels like a gift that's unwrap. Support will get you through even if its from your family are a complete stranger that it 10,000 miles away. I've struggled with receiving support as I find myself comforting others through my disease. Know that this normal and sometimes you have to be strong for others in your time of need. This may sound a little crazy but its the truth. Finding comfort in others makes you a stronger person. Don't get me wrong, you will have your moments but it's okay because you are human and this can be lot. Social media is your bestfriend at times only because the people around you cannot relate . Don't be afraid to reach out to others in person or on social media. Know that this is a big world and that there are plenty people out there like you in it.

• Revive & Thrive: African Americans Living With Cancer (20's, 30's & 40's) on Facebook
• American cancer society(www.cancer.org)
• Pretty Girls with Cancer(www.prettygirlswithcancer.com)

Co-workers support