Treatment 5 realties

It's one week post-treatment which means today I went in for a CBC blood profile. I figured they'd tell me my "white blood counts are in toilet, but that's where we like to see them," and that my platelets are low, but I was wrong! Apparently these drugs do not effect the blood as dramatically. But I did have a whole bunch of questions about the side-effects I'm having:

• For about 36+ hrs. my tongue and throat felt about 2 sizes too big. Now it feels like I burned my whole mouth and it's ready to peel or something. Consequently everything tastes like wax. Nurse Wendy prescribed a Nystatin oral rinse - so it's been thrush I've been bothered with.
  
• My eyes have been quite dry, which I'm told is because they want to tear, but can't. This makes me rub them a bit which is causing eyelashes to come off.
• General muscle weakness/aches. It hit about 11 pm on Friday night. I realized I better get to bed or I'd never get there at all. That went away some time Sunday.
  
• And then there's my hands. Monday what looks like a burn showed up between my ring and pinky finger, and my nail beds were generally sensitive. Tuesday-Wednesday the sensitivity has increased to the whole hand and there's several spots that have that 'burned' look to them. It's a bit like having been out in the freezing weather without gloves and then coming in to stick them under hot water. Ouch! Even getting on my socks this morning was a chore. Washing in hot water is a definite 'out.' Even Nurse Wendy looked at my hands and said, "Ouch" which helped me feel that I wasn't crazy. She prescribed "a drug for that!" that will help with the next round. She did say not to be surprised if my hands started to peel as that was the next step. Eeeuuu!
  
• And the bowel issues are not cleared up.

Other than all that, I'm feeling functional on a limited basis - and it sounds worse than it is. Naps are still frequent, though I'm not falling asleep in the middle of life as I was earlier in the week. My mom was commenting that all these symptoms are looked at as 'normal' when there's really nothing 'normal' about them at all. But, ya know, if you have cancer, this IS normal - this is my new normal. Everyone has their burdens to bear, my just happens to include hurting hands and no hair. About the hands part, I realize now, and wish I had been more understanding when my Grandpa mentioned that his hands hurt from his neuropathy. I would nod and give a sympathetic response and help out if I could, but now I know that he had every right not only to mention it, but to downright complain if he wanted to. God is teaching me empathy.

Speaking of God: He sold our house! I had listed the house back in August when we thought we'd be moving to Canada on a few free listing sites and most had expired by now. Zillow has kept our posting and some buyers found it, asked to go through, came through again, and now Josh is at the agent's office talking about their offer! We had figured it 'off the market' and quit trying to find a buyer... in God's timing - in His unpredictability - he brought a buyer and sold the house for us. The big question is "Now what?" But what we've learned in this is that it is not our job to orchestrate God's will. When we step out, God will step in. It is our job to make ourselves available to his calling. I have no idea what that looks like, but I'm certainly renewed in my enthusiasm for what God wants to do through our family after this whole thing!

Hmmm... Josh calling with offer details. More later!