i was thinking ( sometimes a dangerous thing) the other day, that thanks to chemotherapy i could now paint my fingernails and have them look better than if a five year old had painted them. well, i know there are some talented five year old finger nail painters out there, but you get the idea. i also decided that thanks to chemo, i learned to apply my make up a lot better. this i realized whenever i was deathly pale, yet applied my make up and was told " i looked so good." i know, if you are like me, you have read many " what i learned from this ,that, or the other" lists. i am not sure if someone has done one about chemotherapy, but here goes.
1. never, ever complain about " bad hair days". i mean, a bad hair day beats a no hair day, any day.
2. a stash of barf bags is a precious thing. i had several- they slept beside my bed, and accompanied me on road trips. i named them all " barney."
3. enjoy your food. revel in the taste, texture, and temperature. never take eating for granted.
4. learn to paint your nails. the type of chemotherapy that i was on turned all of my nails brown- yuck. and they all split and splintered off. a nicely applied nail polish not only looks good, but it improves your spirits. not to mention it does not scream " nail fungus" to others.
5. make up is a wonderful thing. i could be sick as a dog, but when i put some nicely placed make up on my face, i tricked others ( as well as myself) into believing that i was feeling fine.
6. you actually do lose a whole lot of body heat through your head! mom was right. wear a nice warm hat.
7. drinking lots of water keeps you healthy. water in, bad old chemotherapy out- well, some of it, at least. also, your kidneys will thank you.
8. learn to let others help you. i am still working on this one. i think that i have to do everything myself, but when you are having chemotherapy, you have to depend on others to help you with certain things. and it has been my experience that people really do like to lend a hand to those of us who are dealing with cancer.
9. be grateful for the small stuff. a cold, wet washcloth, a nice hot blanket, something cool to drink,etc. these things are priceless.
10. i forgot number ten! lol. actually using the " chemo brain is real card" has come in pretty handy at times.
so that is my list. i am sure that i will think of others when i am trying to go to sleep tonight. oh, be thankful for a good night's sleep. you will never sleep as well as you do when you get to that last chemotherapy treatment.
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