The vacation reveal

I have had a really good week this week.  The lack of carboplatin has not made a difference in my energy level or cognitive functioning (that is, I am still suffering bone-crushing fatigue and chemo brain), but it has made a difference on my nausea.  I am significantly less nauseous without having received carboplatin.  This has made a huge difference in my morale this week.  Recovering is so much more pleasant without nausea gnawing at your navel.

My reaction to carboplatin continued throughout the weekend, but not in an acute way.  Whenever I felt the reaction emerge, I popped another benadryl and conked out.  By Sunday I did not feel any further carboplatin reactions.  In related news, I recently complained to my dad that I wished there was a drug they would give you so that you could sleep through the whole chemotherapy ordeal.  They administer so many bonus drugs to relieve the side effects of the side effects; why not add a sleeping pill and just skip all of it?  He knowingly said that as nice as that would be, a person has to be awake to perform normal bodily functions.  This weekend taught me that benadryl provides the best of both worlds--a person is sufficiently awake between doses to manage the body, but when the benadryl works its magic the person can sail through several days of chemotherapy recovery.  I, for example, have no memory of Saturday, and Sunday is a blur.  Thanks, benadryl!

I spoke with Dr. Oncologist today, and she has not yet decided if we are going to replace the carboplatin or do without it.  After speaking with some of the nurses, I am starting to get my hopes up that we can fight this cancer without carboplatin or its supposed replacement.  Please please please.  We shall see.

On Wednesday we decided to tell the kids about our upcoming vacation.  Three amazing people are sending my family on a trip, and we leave next Friday.  I am getting so, so very excited, especially now that I am emerging from chemo round 3 (round 3?  Whaaaat?  Already?  I'm halfway done!!!!!!!!).  Here's the movie of us telling the kids about the trip.  (FYI the destination is revealed in the first 10 seconds, and the rest of the movie is our conversation about all of the amazing things we are going to see and do on our trip.)

This was my first time with iMovie, so please pardon the poor editing and sound quality.  Hopefully you can hear the important parts.

Have a beautiful weekend!