Strange Side Effects...

I have read several lists of side effects from chemotherapy and medications. All the side effects are scary and have a negative impact on one's life. However, I am experiencing some positive side effects of chemo and its corresponding meds.

My fingernails are growing like crazy! In the past week, my fingernails must have grown half an inch. This could be a side effect of the chemo or the Neulasta, the bone marrow generating shot. I didn't read anything about crazy nails in all the literature given to me by Laverne and Shirley, the clinical trial nurses. My pedicure, an uncommon treat, looks tired after just two weeks because my toenails are growing so fast. If messing up a pedicure is one of the worst things that happens in these two weeks between treatments, then I am a very lucky person.

The second strange side effect is the increase in my niceness. Yep, niceness. Some rare people are just genuinely nice, and as most of you know, I don't fall into that category. (That's okay if you agree with me. We all know I'm right on this one...I have texture!) But, since chemotherapy, I feel like Polyanna, happy and nice. What??? I know...this is very bizarre. My mom and my sister have noticed, and so has Chubba and the girls. Maybe the chemo killed some of my "bitchy" cells that sometimes mask the "nice" cells in my body. Whatever the cause, my family likes it, and so do I.

Exhaustion is the only "normal" side effect that I am beginning to feel. Today I hit the corner. (Hitting the corner is similar to hitting the wall, except that you have two walls for support, preventing a very hard crash.) Today at around 3pm, I had to take a nap right away. It was a funny feeling, similar to having to go to the bathroom right away, except I had to sleep immediately. I passed out for almost two hours. I think that I actually fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. When I awoke, I felt great. All so strange...

I can't believe that my body is still recovering from the surgery. I can feel the nerve endings, muscles and other internal stuff beginning to work or reattach inside my stomach. The tightness and stretching are a bit uncomfortable, especially when I need to bend over to pick up something. The reconstructive left breast is still healing too. So far, I can say that the surgery, or surgeries -depending if you count a mastectomy by one surgeon and a tram flap reconstruction by another surgeon as multiple surgeries, have been much tougher to deal with than chemotherapy. Let's hope it stays that way.

Whacky thought for the day...
Why does your sweat have a different odor after surgery? Anesthesia? It returns to normal after about a month. Gross.