Second Round

I remember living in Brazil the first time and thinking how scary it was to live with violence a step away, the murderous traffic and scorpions in the woodpile. Then the tornado in Xenia, Ohio, happened and my maids were horrified at how quickly a small town was practically wiped out.

“How can you bear to live in such a place?” they asked. “Why you could get killed any minute!”

This, just after the kids and I had passed a dead body on the street coming home from church, not a block away.

It is easier to deal with the fears we know. And so it is with chemo. Knowing what to expect and dealing with that is easier even as it gets a little harder. As Tess said, I’ll just plan to have the flu over the weekend! And that being decided, that is exactly where she is........having the flu. No drama, no fuss. That’s not to say that Jamie, Gavin and I weren’t totally flying straight when she got home. Jamie was cleaning cars down to the undercoat, Gavin was throwing fits, and I did have one quick burst of tears over nothing, but all that quickly passed and we were a functioning family by nightfall.

Only two more to go!!!

Details: Blood counts low, and some other numbers both high and low. Counteractions by the oncologist, good nutrition and good old steroids handling it all as expected. Hair still looks good but it is coming out slowly but surely. Jamie cut it to ear length and then Alison layered it. Looks cute.