Feeling Better (not awesome, but better)

Hello everyone! I am feeling better today I so wanted to pass along the good news! I am glad that the past few days are behind me- I really felt like a giant hunk of junk. Today I am still quite sore and super wiped out but not barfy and completely out of it. Some would argue that I am out of it most of the time, but I REALLY hate that feeling- yuck!! Good thing my sweet family loves me and is so good to me- they could seriously take advantage of me- yikes!!  It seems that my medication reaction just intensified the usual side effects that I get from each chemo treatment. I threw everyone for a loop because seriously - who has a reaction like that to Benadryl? The whole reason they give me such a high dose of Iv Benadryl is to prevent an allergic reaction to the taxol. Apparently I'm just an overachiever and my body reacts early!! Anyway it was kind of a spooky thing to have happen. All is well now- the only not so great thing is that my left arm is very sore and my hand is a bit swollen from the BP cuff. Hopefully that is all there is to it! Tyler already thanked all the people that helped but he was awesome too. He stayed very calm in a stressful situation- kudos to him. He has done a great job taking care of me and I so appreciate it! Alexa has also been fantastic at jumping in and helping. She is great at recognizing when I need help or something needs done and just doing it. She doesn't need to be asked, she simply does. She has had to help with weird and embarrassing things like helping me get dressed or helping me out of the tub a few times and I can't thank her enough. She will be 16 on Thursday and is wise and mature and compassionate far beyond those 16 years. Plus she has helped me put my underwear on, so she deserves extra credit for that!! Eli ran a 5k Saturday as a fundraiser for relay for life. He ran a fantastic race and finished in 3rd place overall(2 adults had faster times). Not bad for an 11 yr old!! He was excited to run "for you mom" and has been very interested in helping with fundraisers and cancer awareness. He and Tyler are both letting their hair grow a bit as I now have a TON of fuzz! I keep trying to get a picture but it doesn't show up because it is so light- I'm afraid it's old lady white but Alexa calls it platinum blonde. (Knew I loved that girl!!). I also must mention my Jonah here. He prefers to stay in the background and hates having his picture taken so he can be easily overlooked. He also tells people "I don't know" when they ask how his mom is. He has been a marvelous helper and a hilarious and entertaining friend through all this. He doesn't want people to know what a tender heart he has, but sorry Jonah boy- the secret is out! He helps me go on my walks and doesn't complain that he has aged 40 yrs in the time it takes me to get down the driveway(that's MY complaint!) My tall and handsome 14 yr old helps me walk outside IN PUBLIC and holds my hand or my arm to support me. Do y'all realize what a big deal that is to walk in the cemetery where people can see you holding your mom's hand? I also might add that the mom is probably in her jammies with a dorky hat or bandanna on her head and is also probably wearing a mask- and slippers!! I can't imagine a more true act of love!! Oh and just to clarify, for those of you who don't know, I live next to a cemetery and it's the perfect place to walk. I didn't want anyone to think I had developed some morbid fascination with cemeteries since starting chemo - that's just weird! Anyway the plan for this week is to feel better!! I'm off to a good start! I meet with the dr on the 12th and will have labs checked at that time. I'm guessing the game plan for my FINAL round of chemo will not include Benadryl! Right now that treatment is scheduled on the 17th. As always that will depend on my blood counts, liver enzymes, and dr approval. I am SO excited to have 1 round left- woohoo!!!! I'm not sure when I will be able to return to work full time, church every Sunday, and that kind of "normal life" stuff.  I will discuss that with the dr at my appointment. I love being to attend a portion of church every few weeks. I miss the spiritual and social perks a ton when I can't attend. This is a pic of me in my new Mother's Day outfit - I couldn't go on that day but a week later worked too! Gramita and Alexa did a great job making me look (and feel) like an actual girl! Thank you to everyone for your never failing support and love. I love you for running this marathon with us- a sprint would have been easier - but the support has never wavered. There are truly no words to express how deeply I have been touched but please know how thankful we all are. We are inspired to love others more because of the love we have been shown. Thank you x infinity!