First day of chemo

I had the first day of chemo today, and I am on the ABVD regimen, as expected. Each of the four medications has a different set of side effects associated with it, but basically the "A" is the big hair loss one, so the hair-loss is a go. Apparently it can take anywhere from a few days to a few months for it to come out, but average is about two weeks after the first treatment. The plan right now: Dye it sometime next week (Thursday evening, Kim Dave and Erin?) and chop it off next weekend, in a series of progressively more and more interesting haircuts. If I can get the insurance company to pay for it, the wig is a go, but I expect many days I'll be too lazy to use it. Besides, head scarves come in lots of interesting colors, and I have made a promise to Greg that I'll buy a neon green one.

Right now, I am basically feeling just kind of generally punky. I've definitely felt better in my life, but I've also felt much worse, so I guess it's not too bad! I am quite dizzy and light headed, and I don't think I could even begin to focus on homework right now. I am queasy and the thought of food is really really really unappealing, but I think I could keep food down, if I absolutely had to. So, I guess that's good. I also am really tired but also jittery. I experienced this weird feeling of vertigo earlier, where when my eyes were closed and I was on my back in bed, I felt like I was kind of bobbing up and down in place, and my arms and legs and head were not connected to anything, and that my arms and legs were shrinking and my head was expanding. Weirdest feeling in the world! Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, in terms of nausea and whatnot, so I have a bunch of meds on hand, if I need them.

Also, a note for my friends who I will be seeing regularly: I am supposed to encourage each of you to WASH YOUR HANDS all the time, and use anti-bacterial hand sanitizer if I'm going to hang around you, because after treatment (especially 6-8 days after) I will be super, super, super vulnerable to sicknesses and I'd really rather not be hospitalized for something stupid like a cold. So, if I nag you to wash your hands, don't take it personally!

In other news, they haven't yet staged it, but they are almost 100% certain it isn't Stage III or IV, which means I will almost certainly not have to do radiation therapy, hurrah!

I also wanted to say thanks for all of the notes, cards, emails, etc that I've gotten from you all. I've started a collection, and it cheers me up every day. A particularly enthusiastic "thank you" goes out to ALISON, who I am assuming was the one responsible for the card from the WU EPSc department, and ANNE, who gave me something diverting and not too cerebral to read. I liked the long paragraph from Jill and the single line from Ray on the EPSc card... so typical, it made me smile. Aww, I miss the EPSc department. Thanks, guys!

Hope you are all well... to my non-Boise friends, what have you all been up to? Haven't talked to some of you in awhile.