I have always been a busy person, I am one of those people that just cannot sit still. This is something where Bar and I are very different. When we have days off together his idea of relaxation is vegging out on the couch and watching movies all day. My idea of relaxation is watching one movie and then getting up and either organizing our clothes closets, our kitchen cabinets or completing re-arranging our fridge. I have this urge to at least do one thing productive on a day off otherwise I feel like I wasted it. With this diagnosis I am slowly adapting to Bar’s lifestyle and realizing relaxation is very important to recovery. With that being said I can’t completely let go off my old ways 😉 after all I am a creature of habit. The day before my second Chemo session I know I should have been relaxing but I wanted to cook dinner and try out a new recipe and pose a distraction for myself as to not think about the day ahead. Since going Paleo I have been experimenting with different ways to get healthy food in my diet. If anyone knows me they know that my biggest vice is cheese when it comes to unhealthy eating. So to replace cheese and carbs I found a cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out.

http://fakeginger.com/loaded-cauliflower-mac-cheese/#_a5y_p=5637902

It was so easy to make and the nutritional yeast really helped and made it taste like real Mac and cheese, I highly recommend this recipe if you are looking for a gluten free, dairy free way to enjoy America’s comfort food, even my meat loving husband loved it! 😉

On Friday October 7th I had my second chemo session.  Since our parents take turns coming up to watch Kiaan, Bar’s sweet parents drove up at 5am to dodge traffic an brought us breakfast as well.  Family is the most important to rely on right now, they are the only ones who unconditionally love you even if you are in a bad mood, just are having an emotional day or need some space.  As I was taking a shower that morning I ran my hands through my hair and a bunch of strands just came out.  All the doctors and nurses prepared me for this day, they said as soon as day 14 hits your hair will start to fall out.  No matter how much you prepare yourself the emotions of this change are overpowering.  Even as I type this my eyes have started to well up again just like they did in the shower.  A part of me had that little glimmer of hope that I would be the one patient this would not happen too, even right now I have this feeling that my hair will only thin out and never completely fall out, only time will tell.

This day of chemo was a little different than our first, instead of being in a private room to ourselves we were in a POD with other patients.  It felt a little uncomfortable at first but the nurses were just as attentive and we still had a great view of the lake so it wasn’t so bad.  My oncologist joined us during my infusion to ask about my first experience with Chemo an to go over some details for future visits. She also informed us that my tumor had shrunk from 4.6cm to 3cm, this was great news considering I only had 1 session.  She did let us know that this is a normal response and it will only continue to shrink.

This was also my first session where two of our friends decided to join us!  Again what better way to pass the time and create a distraction than to catch up with friends and not think about the drugs and the reason we are here.  Meera came by from Wisconsin and has been such a huge help during this process.  She is a pediatrician and her knowledge when it comes to any questions about Kiaan has reduced our stress 10-fold.  Her husband Arun has been a really good friend of ours since college and is currently doing his fellowship in Oncology- what a power couple for us to have as such close friends.  We are blessed in so many ways.  Throughout this diagnosis we have been asking Arun questions to make sure we are on the right track and making the correct decisions and he has been nothing but helpful.  We also had our friend Priya visit us during her lunch break who is a GI nurse in the building next to us.  It was so nice to see her bubbly personality during this time- she is always so happy I love it!

After Chemo we went home and Meera accompanied us so she could meet Kiaan, it was a nice distraction for her to come with us so I could not think of the symptoms my body would experience in a couple of hours.  After she left I took a nap because the sense of exhaustion just took over, I also preemptively took my anti-nausea meds so I wouldn’t have the same experience as last time.  I slept a lot, woke up to eat something and then slept again.  But just like last session I awoke Saturday morning feeling completely normal.  I want for a walk with Harrison and Kiaan and was even able to squeeze in a work-out with a side of Friends while Kiaan napped.  Another great distraction has been receiving all the sweet messages from everyone and even getting deliveries in the mail.

I forgot to mention at my last Chemo session, prior to leaving in order to boost my white blood cell count I need to have a drug called Neulasta injected in me exactly 24 hours after chemo.  Northwestern is at the cutting edge of medicine because they have a device that they stick on me and it automatically injects the drug after 24 hours and I don’t have to make a special trip back to the hospital for it!  Another great distraction was the day after chemo my parents and Gargi, Shivam and Ariaan came over for lunch which really helped me feel normal again.  It was the first time both babies were awake so it was so exciting and adorable to see them interact,  I LOVE that our sons are so close in age because they are going to grow up more like brothers than cousins and that makes my heart so full.

On Tuesday October 11th is our other dog son’s 8th Birthday so we decided to celebrate a little early on Sunday.  We invited his dog friend Hades and his parents of course our good friends Rich and Pamela to a boat cruise and some navy pier fun along with our other friends Aalap and Pooja.  Harrison has never been to Navy pier or on the Chicago Ferry so we thought might as well treat him to what Chicago has to offer.  This was such a fun day and a great distraction to the other things that are going on in our life right now.  It was also a great reminder that no matter what obstacles life throws at you, you still have to go on with the normalcy it offers and celebrate milestones as they come without any regrets.