Just an Update

Thanks so much to those of you who have generously donated to the Susan G. Komen Walk that I will be participating in on Sunday, Sept. 25th. My team's goal of $1,000. has been met, but my personal goal of $500. still has $130. to go. If you are interested in donating, go to the link in my last blog to do so.

Overall, I have been feeling well. I had my most recent chemo this past Thursday, with a Neulasta shot on Friday. Today is Saturday and, as usual, I woke up a little achy and took some Tylenol. Seems to be the same scenario each time. I have lesson plans and things ready at school just in case I have to take off Monday and Tuesday for flu-like symptoms that seem to arrive on days 4 and 5. Luckily, this weekend I don't have a lot of grading to do, so relaxing on my couch, watching Love and Other Drugs (which has been sitting next to the t.v. for over a month now) and Limitless, reading more of Catching Fire and Hanging with Lab Coats seems to be the order of the weekend.

Last Monday, I attended "Look Good . . . Feel Better" a class sponsored by the American Cancer Society that teaches women going through cancer how to best apply make-up while going through treatments, how to draw on eyebrows when they fall out, etc. It was fun and I got a bunch of free make-up from companies like Mary Kay, Avon, Neutragena, MAC and even Chanel! Very cool! In just talking with the other women who attended, almost all of whom were older than me, I learned that so far, my chemo symptoms have not been too bad at all. One woman wondered how I could even work through my treatments. I guess, by comparison, I have had it relatively easy.

I have one more round of my A and C chemo on Sept. 29th and then I begin weekly rounds of Taxol and Herceptin. The Herceptin is side-effect-free. Yay! The Taxol, from what the nurses have told me, shouldn't be too bad either. We'll just have to take it one day at a time and see how things go.

Not a whole lot to report, but just wanted all of my followers to know that just because you may not hear from me as often as before, it doesn't mean anything is wrong. Now that I'm in full swing at work and the boys are back in school and Beni is busy with work and football, life in the Manzella house is hectic. We are all doing well. Like my mom always says, "No news is good news."