Chemo Vocab -- Plus Round 3

Nadir.

It's not exactly a word that I use in my every day vocabulary. I know what it means. It's defined as "the lowest point," usually in what a person or organization is feeling or experiencing.

Since starting chemo, I've become well acquainted with the word nadir. But it's not just mere acquaintance. I have felt the meaning of that word.

In chemo-speak, the nadir is when your blood cell count bottoms out -- white cells, red cells, platelets are really, really low. This happens because the chemo drugs don't just kill cancer cells...they kill healthy cells, too. Like blood cells. The nadir is also when someone receiving chemotherapy is most immunocompromised. With the chemo drugs I'm receiving the nadir comes between day 7-14 of the cycle (days 1-3 are when I receive the chemo infusions).

I'm learning that I hit the nadir hard right about day 10. Last cycle, I felt it creeping up on the afternoon of day 9. By that evening, I had a low grade fever and I was so tired that I went to bed an hour and a half earlier than usual. I had cold sweats that night (changed my t-shirt 2 times) and so didn't sleep well and woke up on Thursday with no energy, totally fatigued, and just walking up the stairs would leave me out of breath. It lasted all day and the next night.

Nadir. I know what it means, and I know how it feels.

Fortunately, it doesn't last long. By Friday evening, I was feeling better. But those 2 days or so are hard. And it's deceptive because I have 3 or so days of feeling OK after the chemo infusions before I hit the nadir. It's like the chemo drugs are saying, "See, it's all over now. You feel better, don't you?" And then...WHAM! Nadir.

I started round 3 of chemo this week. After this round, I'm halfway there. In my runner's frame of reference, once this round is done, I'm at mile 13.1 of a marathon. Halfway, but still with some tough running ahead.

As always, I'm grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and love people have shown me over the last couple of months. This is no fun, but it's infinitely better with caring people in your life. Thank you.

P.S. I still have eyebrows!!!