Bye Bye, Hair!

My hair had been very long lately. It hadn't been that long for more than a decade. I liked it, maybe for the reason that it always brought me compliments. Since I learned about having to have chemotherapy, and because of the high probability that I would lose my hair, I decided to cut it very short before the treatment. I did cut it on Tuesday, November 11, and donated it to Locks of Love.

Tala insisted that she have her hair cut the same day with me. Sweet supportive Tala! We picked the same hair cut. Tala told the hairdresser, "Mom and I are going to be twins with this haircut."

I was scheduled to start chemotherapy today, but because there are many tests involved to be done before and Thanksgiving coming up, it was postponed till December 1. I was kind of disappointed. I wanted to start and be done with it, reveal the unknown of how I will react. But maybe it's for the best--to allow me more time to get over Jana and Anas leaving and build more strength.

The surgical oncologist is confident that he got all the tumor out with the stomach. But the treatment is needed to increase chances of survival and kill any cancer cells that might have been left behind or have traveled in my body. The doctors say that some people fly through therapy as if it's nothing and some would have a horrendous time. I'm hoping to be somewhere in the middle.

The schedule for the therapy would be as follows:

1. One week of chemo and three weeks rest (1 dose every day for the first week, or 24 hours dispensing from a pump if I'm in the experimental arm of the clinical trial)
2. Five weeks of radiation with chemo pump followed by four or five weeks rest
3. One week of chemo and three weeks rest (1 dose every day for the first week, or 24 hours dispensing from a pump if I'm in the experimental arm of the clinical trial)
4. One week of chemo and three weeks rest (1 dose every day for the first week, or 24 hours dispensing from a pump if I'm in the experimental arm of the clinical trial)

Moody and Tala can't comprehend why I have to take medicine that would make me weak. They keep asking why would the doctor do that to me. We told them what to expect in the coming months and still need to do more talking to help them cope and adjust.

!