Skip to main content

Learning as I go!

Hi there, we're almost at the halfway mark... 3 of 8 treatments officially under my belt, and 75% done with AC treatment! I arrived at MSKCC on Atlantic Ave on Monday with Greg and my parents, and my brother Jeremy arrived at the center directly from the red eye from LA and surprised me with his new solidarity chop:


What good brothers I have*! A third nurse, Rashida, administered my treatment. She was a Speedy Gonzalez, so we didn't even have time to have a round of Sushi Go! After treatment, we made our way back home, and I ate my post-chemo bagel upstairs at my parents.

Keeping my fingers crossed this week, but this was the least annoying treatment so far. Because I get anti-nausea meds via IV during chemo, I didn't think I could take my on-demand anti-nausea meds on the same day of treatment. But my oncologist cleared that up for me, and I took my meds right around when I usually start to feel sick to my stomach, which made Monday much more tolerable.

When I got back to my apartment, I was so shocked to find a second post-chemo surprise from my girlfriends: the most lovely assortment of summer gear, with apparently a few more items on the way! There is a beautifully curated set of vintage and new items, all of which fits under the umbrella of what Katie has coined as "shielded chic":


In no particular order- Sami, Anna Laura, Bekah, Marina, Elizabeth, Allix, Martina, Emily, Brigid, Nic G., Marilu, Nicole B., Katie, Lauren and Elana- THANK YOU. You all have made me feel so damn special throughout this process. I am so lucky to have such a fierce and supportive network of ladies in my life- your love means the world to me, and you really made me feel like my true self in these kaftans: 


The other kaftan is also amazing, though I do have some competition from my husband in terms of who wears it best: 

I may have the Sephardic genes, but Greg has truly embraced this look. 

And another thank you to Mrs. Grant, who is not only constantly complimenting me on this blog, but she also sent me an arsenal of coconut and Fiji water so I can stay hydrated post-treatment. I love you, Grant fam! And a forever thank you to my mom, who has made sure that my laundry is done and that I eat balanced and deliciously post-treatment. 

As for yesterday and today, despite the usual tiredness, I've been feeling pretty okay! I am also super happy to go into a long weekend of hanging with friends and fam, including my brother, dad, and my friend Louisa, who will be visiting from Delhi via DC, where she's moving next month! It'll be great to have her here and even better to have her closer in the coming months. 

For now, wishing you all a happy Fourth of July weekend! I hope it's filled with plenty of hot dogs and happiness. 

*Apparently Jon said he can't buzz his hair because "it's his bread and butter." He's still a good brother anyways. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

This is cancer!

Cancer is...  Waking up to find hundreds of hairs on your pillow and being scared of the shower because the hair just won't stop falling out.  Drinking water and electrolytes nonstop and still feeling dehydrated all. the. damn. time.  Reading the same paragraph over and over and over and not absorbing any of it.  Thinking your brain will never be clear enough to finish your dissertation.  Wondering about what you would be doing in that moment if you didn't have cancer.  Saying to yourself, "I have cancer." and it still being weird.  Wanting to call your Mami but not wanting to have to answer the question about why you're not having babies yet.  Sore throats and stuffy noses on the first day of summer.  Feeling an added responsibility to imbue meaning into things because the precariousness of life has been revealed to you.  Going from never napping a day in your life to not being able to keep your eyes open by 3 pm. Being ...

Big day for little bear!

To compliment a vom-filled day, I am starting this blog post with a vom-worthy title. When we got up yesterday, Greg said to me, "It's a big day for little bear!" That is one of his many names for me, and sometimes he gets the title of big bear, because, yes we are occasionally gross 🐻s. And what a big day it was! We got to the MSKCC Infusion Center in BK by 8 am. A wonderful nurse named Asha administered my IVs. My parents ran some errands at the Target and Marshalls at Atlantic (Tata M- elle a finalement trouver son propre cady zizette!) Meanwhile, Jeremy, Greg and I hung out and had time for one round of Sushi Go Party (which I won, btw): And then, voila, we were done! I felt absolutely fine leaving the clinic, so we decided to swing by Milk and Honey for brunch. Friends, I hesitate to even post this picture, because the reminder of yesterday still rings hard in my esophagus. But for the sake of the blog, here goes: Let's just say I was a little overzealou...

Well, fuck this shit!

Hello! Lately, I haven't really felt like posting a blog, in part because I haven't really felt like having cancer. When I reached the halfway point last week, instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, I actually felt really frustrated that I have to repeat the same amount of chemo sessions I already have under my belt.* And then I got to thinking about how I'm only halfway through the first step of my treatment. And how even when I am done with the next intensive steps– surgery, then radiation, and likely, more surgery– I will be taking medicine every day for the next 5-10 years that will basically put me into early menopause. And I will be monitored for the next several decades to make sure this piece of shit cancer doesn't recur somewhere else in my body. Greg initially described this whole cancer thing as a detour. But it actually feels like my car has been hijacked. And when the hijacker finally abandons it, it's keeping a few parts. There's just so...