Chemo Round 18: A Retrospective

I headed over to USC Norris Cancer Center on Monday morning for my bi-weekly ritual, which consists of the following:

1) Show up to Norris a little late.

2) Get multiple vials of blood drawn at blood draw (where else?).

3) Take a picture of myself to document this round of chemo.

4) Wait to be called in to the exam room.

5) Get weighed, have blood pressure taken, have temperature taken.

6) Hang out with Taline, Dr. Lenz's nurse practitioner. Get and give a hug.

7) Hang out with Dr. Lenz. Get and give a hug. Make Dr. Lenz laugh and/or scream with a story or joke.

8) Head over to the Meditation Room at Norris. Play on iPhone (yeah, I don't actually meditate in there. I should!). Wait for nurse to call my name.

9) Get my name called. Meet my nurse. Walk over to my bed (I roll VIP with a bed instead of a chair most of the time). Climb in.

10) Start the cancer-killing party.

Chemo Round 18 went pretty well this time around. Infusion day at Norris was a breeze, day 2 was fine, and day 3 -- as usual -- had me chilling in bed for most of the day. FOLFIRI has definitely brought the need for naptime on chemo week Wednesdays, but I embrace the extra rest. I'm generally taking great care of myself these days, but to be forced to do nothing but eat, nap, rest, watch TV, and breathe is something that only chemo could force me to do. My former self would've been driven crazy by the prospect, but the older (almost 30!) and wiser version of myself pretty much loves it. And I think my body is happy with it, too, since I usually bounce back quickly on Thursday and Friday.

This week was no different. I felt much better on Thursday, even managing to drop some sick beats at DJ Scratch Academy, my DJ school, in the evening. And today I'm back at the office, good as new. Actually, better than new. Stronger, tougher, and with less cancer in my body. 

As usual, off chemo weeks are off to the races for me. Last weekend, I was in Vegas, and tomorrow, I leave for Maui. Why Maui, you ask? Well, because my beloved Duke Blue Devils will be there for the Maui Invitational. And where Coach K and Duke basketball goes, WunderGlo follows.

Stay tuned for some rather big, exciting news on the Wundy health front. I won't spoil the surprise now, but I advise you all to get excited. Life is good for your resident cancer warrior.

Oh yeah, and I made my first video for The WunderGlo Foundation. It's an instructional video of sorts, called "The Chemo Experience: Accessing The Port." The main goal of this video and the subsequent videos that I'll be making is to make this whole treatment thing a lot less scary by showing people exactly what it entails. Check it out!