I was at the grocery store
I like your headscarf she said
I said it was because of my chemo treatment
Breast cancer, she asked?
Yes, I said
I’ve had breast cancer too, she said
Only surgery and radiation though
The mastectomy was very uncomfortable
Pain, and the dreadful surgical drain
That drains the excess fluid from your body after surgery
But they did a great job with the reconstruction
These are the things we talked about
Because I asked her where the tofu was
January 12, 2023
Chemo holidays are great
What might those be, you say?
It’s week two and three in a three week cycle of chemo
The first week after getting your IV drip of chemo drugs is a right off
Fatigue, nausea, sleepless nights
Food not tasting good, swallowing being hard
Everything out of whack basically
Brain fog
But luckily, there are weeks two and three
And I call those chemo holiday weeks
A semblance of normal returns
You feel like yourself again
You’re not in constant discomfort
Basically, life is good
Thank God for chemo holidays
When your body can take a break
From the onslaught of the meds
That help you and hurt you at the same time
When your mind can relax
And realize that normal does return
October 29th, 2022
lida's musings 