Side Effect Central

I'm feeling great these days.  And as I'm told often, apparently I'm looking great these days as well!  Haha, I'm pretty sure I'm told that  because people are expecting me to look sick, not healthy :).  But I don't mind the compliments!  So I might be feeling fine, but now that I'm halfway through the second round of treatment, the side effects are starting to catch up!  Thank goodness I'm not in pain or any crazy suffering, these side effects are just plain annoying! 

1. I came home last night from an evening date with my bestie Sarah only to find my bathroom a mess... a sink full of hair.  Now if you have ever lived with my sister, finding hair EVERYWHERE is the norm.  I have no idea how that girl isn't bald with the amount of hair sheds daily.  And have you seen how long her hair is?!  I have been very fortunate not to fall down the same genetic path of constantly shedding hair... until now.  It almost took my breath away when I returned home last night.  I was blind to it when I was getting ready in the evening.  I've noticed it when I'm soaping up with shampoo lately.  It's not expected to fall out, but thinning is a possibility.  It's not falling out like a normal chemo patient (THANK GOODNESS) but is for sure thinning.  Uuuuuuuugg!  Going to seek out my favorite stylist, Dawn, this week at Lather to beef up my hair with some volume.
2. Chemo eyes.  Signs of a chemo patient: dark skin (chemo is great for tanning the body), rail thin (unless you're me and gain weight), baldness (Iwillnotlosemyhair, Iwillnotlosemyhair, Iwillnotlosemyhair), and dark circles around the eyes.  Luckily I've avoided these major side effects!  But over the past week, I have found myself using concealer to cover up the new dark circles under my eyes.  Where did they come from?!?!  I kind of want to just blame it on getting older, but then again, when I'm finally said and done with chemo the circles will go away!
3. Chemo patients are also blessed with alligator skin.  Dry, flaky, almost painful, skin.  Chemo dries the skin of any and all nutrients.  My cuticles are still trying to recover from treatment 6 years ago!  My skin is not as horrific as it was years ago, but I've found myself basically bathing in lotion after every shower.  Now this I'm going to try to blame on the single digit wind chills from last week, because winter will be over before I'm all said and done with this battle!
4. Neuropathy.  This side effect is very common with the chemo I'm on.  It's known to be found in patients' feet and hands.  I first experienced it weeks ago in my foot.  I was walking barefoot around the condo when I felt something fall on my foot - light like it was fuzz or something.  I bent down, still focused on something else, brushed off whatever it was tickling the top of my foot only to feel nothing there.  I looked down and saw a bare foot - but with the feeling of something on it.  STRANGE.  It didn't last long and it wasn't painful one bit; just STRANGE!  Since then I have become more adapted to the feeling.  I often wake up in the morning to one of my hands numb from falling asleep.  The other day I was sitting on the ground (where I am usually found at school with the kiddos) and when I stood, both of my feet were asleep.  It was bad enough that when I stood I fell right back down into the chair next to me.  It wasn't painful, but insanely uncomfortable.  The really annoying part was I couldn't sit for the next half an hour - every time I did the tingling got worse.  Now everyone has had their hands or feet fall asleep so you know what I'm talking about.  It's just flat. out. annoying. 
5. Chemo brain.  I stumble over my words.  I can't remember easy names or places.  I write words backwards.  I can't think of the simplest of words in conversation.  Yes this happens to everyone now and then.  But it happens to me in just about every convo.  Not many notice, but it's starting to drive me nuts!!  Thank goodness my kiddos are too young to notice that I have recently started calling them all the wrong names!

I think those are enough side effects for now.  Yes, the laundry list grows, but I'm so lucky that none of them are that bad or cause major pain.  For the most part they are all surface side effects I will learn to live with.   I spend more on one bottle of lotion than one should, but I'd rather look down at my arm and be happy rather than reminded I'm on chemo.  The chemo brain reminds me of that often enough, so why not look good while sounding dumb?!  Haha!