Day3: after 6th chemo
Day 3 after my 6th chemotherapy. I felt nauseous and needed to stay in bed. My son has been practicing for a middle school's musical, he participates as a member of chorus group. His three shows were on this weekend. He asked me to come because he really wanted me to see it (or him). I had to think about it. I was not sure how I would be. Finally, I decided to come to see it.
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Day6: After 5th Chemo
I had a lot of rest and it was a slow day today. My friend took my son out for a sleepover since last night and they had fun days until today. My son came back with full of stories to share and that made me so happy.
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Day5: After my 5th chemo
People who takes care of me very closely tells me that I am doing better for this cycle. I look better, talk clearer, eat better and am out of bed for longer hours than my previous cycles. That is right. But I still feel nauseous and sick that I really wish there were a day that I would feel great. I'd love to have a break, only a day would do me great.
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Day11：Soccer Mom!
It was a breezy cold day, but a perfect sunny day for soccer! Other than my teaching loads, it was my first time going out from home since my last chemotherapy. It has been 11 days since then. I put make-up, wig and a knit cap, and there I am a soccer mom.
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Children's Books of Breast Cancer Mom (Day17)
While I go through these series of treatments for extended period, family members are also adjusting to me. Books are great resources to introduce children what to expect to happen to their mother during the treatments. I have the above three books at home.
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Day14: Movie time with my son
I took my son to go out for a newly released movie, The Boxtrolls, in a theater today. I love somewhat nostalgic movements of stop-motion animations so much. This movie became my favorite movie. The boxtrolls are adorable. We were laughing in the theater, such a fun day for two of us! (image credit: the official website)
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Day 14: Resting Well
No plan! I just rest well for a day. I will have to prepare for the next three weeks amount of teaching before the next cycle comes up soon. Tomorrow!
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Day 11: A day gradually being active
No medication for the last two days. I feel constant nauseous but it has been a manageable level without medication. I don't like taking medications all the time.
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Heal in Sneakers
It was my last day of summer 2014 with my son. Technically, for my…
Read MoreBreast Cancer in Summer 2014 with a Kid
For the last 3 days, I was doing fine. Not great, but just fine. Nausea had it's peek on 2nd to5th days after the chemotherapy. Today, not much. Occasionally, there was some moments I was thinking, "oh, I can feel it." It is extremely mild today. Once as I feel recovered, almost!, from the last one, now I can see my next chemotherapy 2/6, second one out of 6, coming up on Wednesday, August 27. Now I know how I will respond to it, I started to prepare for it, mainly 2 things I have to do before next Wednesday. 1: prepare for my fall semester teaching material. 2: Give my son some summer treat. Being a breast cancer patient while kids are still young, it is difficult to find a good balance. Here I need to focus on me, while it is recommended to maintain a kid's life as "normal" as possible. How do I do that? 1. Keeping up with daily routine schedule for a kid (my son 8 years old) I could not do it alone! If you are the one who manage, kid's scheduling, it is a good time to give the schedule to husband/partner/sitter ahead of time. Assure him/her to trying to keep it up with the daily routine as scheduled. Well, I still do participate, because I care about it a lot. But there were times, when I devoted myself studying about my disease and treatments. I also had to look for professionals whom I can trust. I needed to discuss or just talk with my family and friends over coffee or the phone for hours (in total) to search for different opinions or just for comforting me. I need to rest and recover. It has been so helpful when friends take my son out for a play date. Meanwhile, I can focus on me, not being a mother. No worries about snack or screen time. Keeping up with daily routine schedule for a kid can provides him/her a good security feeling. His mother might be fighting with cancer, but his life does not change, the same as before. The same old time. Kids can be also scared when their mother face possibly deadly disease. Mother's appearance may change, not being able to move around, or hair loss. 2. Planning play dates with his friends It looks to me he enjoys a lot to be with friends. Seemingly worrisome issues are discussed over the phone with specialists, insurance companies, and friends at home, when he has somebody accompany with him, his focus is on the play date. I made a lot of play dates during this summer. I could not really go for swimming while my son loves swimming, some friends took him for a pool. Those play dates have been helpful. 3. Unfortunate summer 2014. Mini trips, instead, when I can. We were initially planning to visit his grand parents in Japan for 6 weeks. We had a plan to sending him to a Japanese public school for 3 weeks. Unfortunately, I needed to cancel the trip. Instead, I had to face the cancer. I know that it is purely a social pressure, but when I hear other families go for VACATION, I felt sorry for my son. All 9 weeks of summer break, we are in town, wait, almost. I had my left mastectomy 4 days before my son's summer started. We just had to stay around. I wanted to take him out for some trips. When I felt good, I tried to take him out for mini trips. Some highlights are: We visited our friend's home in beach, a day trip. We took him out for a theme park. I took him out yesterday for an off-broadway, "iLuminate Artist of Light". (So much fun, I really recommend it. Visually so appealing. http://iluminate.com/artist-of-light/ ) Maybe this weekend, we will take him out for a hiking (before my next chemo and it is our last summer weekend). We enjoyed a lot. I just really wanted to provide him some summertime feeling. At least, it had been so helpful that my parents from Japan were here to help us out for about 6 weeks. That was fun for my son. Thank you, my parents! [physically] For the last 3 days, nausea had been almost unnoticeable. It is there though. Well... once I thought my period was over, it has still going on, very very light. It has been over 2 weeks. Pimples are there on my face. I gained back weight as my appetite is back. My left underarm has been numb since the surgery and it bugs me. I keep touching there lightly, hoping my nerve to come back some sensation. [emotionally] Sort of steady... I now started to feel annoyed that my next chemotherapy is right around the corner... Next Wednesday. My teaching is coming up next Monday, I am getting ready for it!
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