Hello everyone, I think is time for an well overdue update :)
Tomorrow is my 5th treatment, so I passed the 1/3 mark taking in consideration that the full regimen consists of 12 treatments, 6 months total. We first thought there are only 8 treatments, but now we know that after the 8 treatments there are other 4 more treatments to complete it.
Overall, I am felling well, and have started to crave foods that I did not want to eat in the past 4 months. Thinks like coffee, eggs, sushi. Still get lack of energy here and there, but not too bad.
After the 3rd treatment, I felt the worst than the previous treatments and I believe is because right before that treatment I found out about a dear friend of ours Ioana Elise Hocioata, who lost her life in a tragic freak accident while hiking in the Grand Canyon. I was emotionally affected and drained by the circumstances along with my husband being away from home on a business trip.
I now truly understand how the psychological well being is important for your overall health of your body, as the Latin proverb goes "Mens sana in corpore sano"( A healthy mind in a healthy body)
I want to honestly tell everyone that even though what I'm going through is hard to imagine from the other side of my viewpoint, it is manageable and no one should feel awkward talking about me, asking about me, directly or indirectly. What I am going through is a real, and not a secret and I am open to answer any questions anyone has. Talking about it makes me feel better too and makes me feel in charge of the situation.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the fund raiser at our local church, St. John the Baptist. We have been blessed and overwhelmed with the support we received, emotional and financial. We have no words to describe what we feel about this gesture. I was able to paid off last years biopsies and scans which were covered only partially due to the yearly deductible not being met.
After my 4th treatment, I am much better. I have been going weekly to massage therapy and reflexology part of the treatment plan at CTCA. Even though this is not covered by our insurance, CTCA is offering this as a complementary service and I am extremely thankful for it.
I want to thank my sister in law Tina and my cousin Raluca for spending their days off, sitting at CTCA with me for 5 hours during the infusion sessions....my husband doesn't need any thanks...he says it's part of his marriage contract..the fine print:)
I will post pictures later on this week or maybe next week, as I may have to buzz my hair, as it has been stopping to grow and falling profusely. This is something normal, my body is just shutting down cell production of fast growing cells, to focus on more important functions in the body. The hair and nails are fast growing cells that the body recognizes as non-threatening to shut down production. This is the hardest part for me, as I do not want to look like an alien. (no offense to bald people out there). However, I do understand and know why it is happening and that it will grow back after I stop the treatment.
Tomorrow...5th treatment...BRING IT !
Mihaela
