Treatment # 5 and fairy lights

Dear sisters,

With treatment # 5, I have started a different kind of chemical: Taxol. Everyone at the hospital has hopefully exclaimed that this chemical, for most people, is easier to handle than the "AC" I have been given for the last four sessions. Less nausea, rather bone pain and numbness of feet and hands. I cannot say yet. I am still affected by the steroids they gave me along with the Taxol. They warned me I will crash on day 3 and 4. This morning I still felt like reorganizing the living room and the kids room, just for starters, but after a little sit down, I decided against it.

There were a few minutes of excitement during the treatment. About 5% of people have a strong allergic reaction to the stuff within the first few minutes of administration, resulting in a bright red face and tightness of the chest. Luckily I didn't. I did fall asleep as a result of the Benadryl they gave me first and again with the Taxol. The infusion takes three hours. Isabelle sat next to me while I slept and snored (but not too much she assured me).



Somewhere in between all this we managed to get our Christmas tree up. So no, that is not a dead body on top of my car, but our very own fir, freshly cut, which now graces our window with no less than 800 fairy lights. Jip was in charge of the hanging of the balls. The tree may therefore not be completely balanced, but it does make me childishly happy.



Early you say for the tree? Well, here the pressure is on after Thanksgiving. They do like their Christmas lights in America. There are various houses in the neighborhood that are already flashing from roof to bottom. Which is okay by me, as I have a weakness for Christmas lights. Draping 800 lights in a single tree is the least I could do.

What about you? Getting into the holiday spirit, sisters?


Love S1