Twerking Through Cancer

Hello Everyone,
We’re a week into the New Year and if I haven’t told you already, then Happy New Year! 2020 will be awesome!!!

Now that we have that formality out of the way, what did you do for New Year’s? I spent New Year’s eve at church because I really wanted to start my new year on the right foot. lol. No pun intended. So I went for mass and I prayed for healing, happiness, and hope. The three h’s as I like to call them. (Ok, who am I kidding, I slept in on New Year’s eve). New Year’s day, however, was ok. I did go for mass in the morning, and we went out for dinner at night and somehow, nausea didn’t allow me to keep any food down. Why hello there, Zofran! Into my mouth, you go! (Zofran by the way, is a drug that helps prevent nausea and vomiting. It’s also known as Ondansetron.) That night, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t have chemo the next day, but I did have a doctor’s appointment with my oncologist two days later. And this one was important too for three reasons:
1.) I had chemo the week before and this was a follow-up appointment to check on my labs and side-effects.
2.) I was going to know how my body was reacting to the new chemo drug I had just started, Taxol.
3.) This appointment would determine if my chemo was progressing in the right direction once my breast exam was performed.

A lot of pressure there, but I’ve got it!

Anyway, the next day, I go in and I discuss some of the side effects I experienced from the chemo of the previous week. Here are a few memories of that day at the Treatment Center, with my cousin Christian.

After the Herceptin and all the anti-emetic drugs, it was time to start infusing the Taxol into my system…

That day, I brought my puzzle book to take my mind off things. I also had my pink blanket and sweater because sometimes, the treatment room is really cold. It is so important to be as comfortable as possible because the infusions tend to be long so it’s important to relax. Bringing a snack along also helps in case you get hungry.

So that was my first treatment with Taxol the week before.

So two days after New Year’s, I met with the doctor. Progress reports are in.

Now let’s go through the list.
1.) My labs came back ok. I had some arthritis from starting the Taxol, but if not, it wasn’t too bad. The vomiting from the drugs is expected to stop after this, and honestly, with more tolerance, my doctor says I might not even experience any more bone pain. First checkmark.

2.) My body is handling Taxol pretty well. I mean as well as can be compared to everything it had already been through with Adria. Adria felt like an ex-boyfriend that broke my heart and while Taxol was not well off either, it was a better replacement (if you know what I mean.) Lol. I had nausea but it wasn’t too bad and I have a little more energy than before. Before, I was just soooo drained (thank you for the domestic violence, Adria!) But on Taxol, my body is adjusting better. Second checkmark.

3.) My chemo is progressing in the right direction! The doctor did a breast exam and some of the tumors are shrinking. And I still have twelve more infusions to go through. Imagine that! But don’t take my word for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m feeling kind of awesome now if I do say so myself! (Tap on the back, tap on the back and clap your hands!
I didn’t expect less though. After all, I am a Baforchu warrior lol! (Baforchu by the way, is an indigenous tribe in Cameroon, West Africa where my dad is from, and where ultimately I hail from, just in case you are wondering what is that?)

 

 

By the way, did you know? This is just an aside but Blair Underwood, the American Actor shows his roots come from Cameroon. He actually even went there to visit. It’s so amazing the great minds that have come from that country. (I digress again!) I just really wanted his picture on my post!

 

 

On a serious note, I don’t know if we express this statement correctly. People often say they are battling tumors. But the thing is, the tumor was there and you still felt fine. In reality, I think it is Chemo that we are battling. Just brutal! But lifechanging all the same. When my oncologist said those things, Katy Perry immediately came to mind. I know everyone loves Beyonce and all (and honestly, I love her too!) and I know people would think I am supposed to insert the “I’m a survivor” video plugin here but no, I won’t. And that’s because I’m not a survivor. At least not yet. I’m not out of the woods yet. But at least now, with several treatments still left ahead of me, and my treatment progressing as planned, I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Anyway, Katy Perry came to mind because of the words in her song:

“I’ve got the eye of the Tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire,’cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roarrrrr, louder, louder than a lion, cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roarrrrr!”

Fighter indeed! I’m Staying Alive! (Remember the Bee Gees?)

After my appointment was over that day, I was in such a good mood! I walked out of the hospital feeling myself.

So back to my story… I’ve done great so far. I even head home and celebrate with a hearty meal, because honestly, “I can’t kill myself” (This is just an African slang whose meaning can be interpreted as “I’m gonna take things easy” or “I’m not going to trip.” So I sit down and start to celebrate! With some food, that is. It’s the start of the year, after all, and I’m off to a great start!

And since I am in a really good mood about my chemo and treatment progress, I am going to share a video by the stand-up comedian Karen Mills. This lady literally twerked her way through cancer. I mean is she awesome or what? I thought I was handling this ordeal pretty well so far (with a few speed bumps in between), but she’s handled this thing like a boss! See her video below if you think you could use a laugh and subscribe to her channel on YouTube here because “she’s hella funny”.

To see the extended version via Ted X Talks Chattanooga known as “Cancer is a Laughing Matter” click below. Enjoy!

Thank you Karen Mills, for making us laugh through something that would otherwise have been a very difficult ordeal.

And that’s my progress report for now! I’m feeling pretty darn good. I got an ‘A’, for Awesome!

I have chemo tomorrow! It’s a Taxol Infusion. Will keep you updated as treatment progresses. Wish me luck!
Love and Light and Keeping up the Fight,
Mabih

Not sure where you are on my breast cancer journey? Be sure to visit The Contents Page.
See you at my next post where I tell you how the majority of this journey is about your state of mind.