Tara's Blog - IPT 2 Underway

So, this week I started my second round of IPT. I had such great results with this treatment since I last had it a couple of weeks ago (the tumor shrunk, my bloodwork came out closer to normal, etc), so I'm excited to keep going with this treatment. It's funny though... As my body works on getting all of the chemo drugs out, I tend to feel sort of crappy. VERY very few people know what I am going through and it gets hard for me to express it to others, but physically, these are just a few of the things that I am going through or did go through last treatment. Ps this is specific to how I feel during IPT treatments (they wear me out the most), but some of these do carry on even when I'm not in the middle of IPT.

• I lose a little bit of my appetite. Which stinks because I'm trying not to lose anymore weight!
• The tumor itself feels irritated; the area becomes more sensitive to touch and movement. The color of my skin changes a little bit too, to a more red tint. This will happen for just a few days after the first couple of treatments, then BAM the tumor will start to "normalize" again, or basically get a little bit smaller every single day, while the skin in that area will also return to a normal color. It'll also be easier and easier for me to move the skin around the tumor because it'll eventually get looser. Yay!
• Fevers, my favorite (kind of)! This isn't too common for me, but it's not uncommon either. Plus, Dr. Majors LOVES when I get a fever, because that means my body is trying to get rid of those toxins. I only had one fever last treatment, and I had one last night as well. They tend to happen after the first week of treatment, and usually occur overnight. By morning, I'm feeling better again, just a little out of it/tired.
• The lymph near my armpit will swell. This hurts a little bit, especially when I'm trying to move the lymph around to help it flush out the toxins. But I get lymphatic massages every week, so thankfully, the lymph will not stay swollen.
• Moody, irritable, and annoyed with everything... My bad :)
• My energy levels will differ. Some days I'm full of energy and do everything I planned to do in my day: go to the gym, study, do a little homework, take my dog for a walk, etc. But some days I'll just feel groggy, tired, and go to bed way earlier than I expected. On days like this, I really love taking the Epsom Salt Baths because as soon as I get out, I'm ready for bed. They're extremely relaxing.

I don't want this post to be too long, so I'll stop it there for now. But, I hope you get the gist. I think it's kind of cool that everyday, I recognize something different that I'm feeling.. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. I never know what to expect, but I do know that everything that happens is good. My body is getting rid of infection and becoming healthier every single day.

So, let's see what tomorrow brings shall we? (All good things of course.)