Cycle 2 has been largely uneventful. Yeah! I had the usual bone and joint pain from the Fulphilla injection but I was able to manage it better with Benadryl and Tylenol. I had the expected nausea but I made full and proactive use of the arsenal of anti-nausea medications they gave me and it was easier than last cycle. The fatigue is fatigue but my body is doing a lot of work so just resting and allowing it to do its thing is still good. While I rest I imagine the chemo drugs coursing through my body, searching out those cancer cells and I hear “pew, pew, pew” as the drugs take aim and kill those cancer cells.
Since this cycle has been quiet, I thought I would talk about my cancer bag(s). What is it and what is in it?
When I go for the chemotherapy infusions I carry a bag of things I need and/or want and a small cooler.
The bag itself is one from my first time with chemotherapy. It was part of a gift bag from my parents and sisters from https://www.justdontsendflowers.com.
I received many gift bags from friends and family and coworkers as I battled cancer the first time.
I was working for Ultimate Software, a truly amazing company. They had a special group to support anyone who was currently, had in the past, or cared for someone battling cancer. It was called UltiHope. I can’t imagine a more perfect name.
When I was diagnosed, I was given a mentor. Someone who had survived a cancer similar to mine to guide me and support me through the journey. My mentor brought me a survival bag that included a blanket, a beanie, hand sanitizer, hard candies, puzzle books, a stress ball, and more.
I carry the blanket that was part of the survival kit from my UltiHope mentor.
My MS has moved me to be sugar free so I carry a package of sugar free lemon hard candies and sugar free ginger hard candies. The chemo gives me a really bad taste in. my mouth and sucking on hard candies helps.
I also carry a bottle of Mio Sport (now called Hydrate). It has electrolytes and is an effective treatment for leg spasms and cramps. The spasms and cramps are a gift from MS. Sitting still for long periods of times exacerbates them.
I don’t carry a purse but I do carry my wallet, keys, lip balm, hand sanitizer, a cloth face mask, a fog free glasses wipe, a clean hankie, my asthma rescue inhaler, and sunglasses. The small things are kept in a case given to me by dear friends when I completed treatment last time. It is really a pencil case but it is the perfect size. It also says “fuck cancer”.
I carry a pair of sock and a pair of gloves that I wear while wearing the cryo gloves and booties. These help protect my skin from frostbite because the cry gloves and booties are very, very cold. They have been very effective at preventing any peripheral neuropathy.
The cryo gloves and booties stay in the soft sided cooler. The cooler keeps them frozen while I travel. As soon as I arrive the care team takes them and puts them in their freezer until they are ready to start the infusion.
I have my iPad, Apple Pencil, and Air Pods as well as the charger for my iPad. This is for entertainment. Everything is set up so I can watch movies. I haven’t yet but I can.
I carry my favorite childhood book – Under the Saskatoon Tree. It is a lovely story about a group of animals grumbling because there is nothing to do in the fog. As the fog gathers on the leaves and slide down, plop, onto the animals they begin laughing and chasing the drops. They realize that it is all a matter of perspective and the the fog was really laughing weather. It is a good reminder that sometimes we just need to adjust our perspective.
So my bag(s) is full. Somethings are purely utilitarian. Somethings are meant for comforting. And somethings serve both purposes. So much of what I carry reminds me that while I have to endure the treatments, I am not alone.
Cycle 3 is next week. Here’s hoping for more uneventful days spent resting and healing.
