Chemo was Tuesday afternoon after a quick visit with my oncologist.  He is impressed that my white and red blood cell counts are holding up so well.  But did not inquire as to why.  I don’t really know why, but maybe…bone broth with astragalus? Kombucha? The mushroom capsules I took for the month before chemo started?

So far I have been getting chemo via an IV in my wrist that the nurse places every time, but I guess at some point I will have to give in and get a port implanted, like last time (below the collarbone).  My arm veins will not last forever if they have to have powerful drugs go through them twice every three weeks.  (Veins get scarred by some chemo drugs and then it is hard to get a needle into them.  It took over 10 years for my left-arm veins to mostly-recover from the Adriamycin I used in 1995.)  In 2006 I got a port.  I hated how it stuck out and irritated my skin and rubbed on the seat belt in the car.  So I’m trying to put it off this time…thinking I might switch to oral medication before my veins complain and not need a port yet.  However, I noticed the other day that the veins in my left arm are more visible than they were before…kind of outlined like an anatomical drawing.  I showed this to my oncologist and he said, “Yup, the eribulin makes your veins sclerotic. Just let me know when you want a port!”

Easy for HIM to say.

Maybe I can get them to give me a pediatric-sized port this time.  It was really annoying.

In other news, here is another fun-with-headwear photo:

In the early 1990s, I had a beloved long drop-waisted paisley dress from The Limited in nice smooth heavy cotton.  The top of that dress has now been liberated from the bottom and is a blouse; the bottom is cut into a swath of fabric and is on my head above.  Yay for reuse!