It still doesn't really seem real.

I have the port. I already had one treatment. I guess it just doesn't really seem to be REAL yet because thus far, all of the side-effects have been internal. I'm really getting more and more nervous about the whole 'losing my hair' aspect of this which will probably be starting within the next week or so. I think I'm also getting more and more anxious for this second treatment. I really hope that it won't be any worse than the first...in fact, I hope that it's better because I know more what to do now.

Today was a nice day...and I admit, I did partake in some retail therapy. I got some delicious cranberry orange bread and then went to a cupcake unveiling in Davis Square for a friend of mine who won a cupcake contest...they weren't too bad! I think I wanted more Nutella flavor in them though. In the shop where the unveiling was held, I actually found a stuffed aardvark toy so it HAD to come home with me!

(For those of you who do not know, I collect aardvarks. I have...4 stuffed aardvarks now, a few pieces of aardvark jewelry, but I'm always on the lookout for anything aardvark...that is not 'Arthur the Aardvark'.)

I then went to my voice lesson where I told the teacher what was going on. He said that he loved how I wasn't letting it get me down and that I sounded (vocally) fantastic. He gave me a really cool exercise which I will be implementing in my daily warmups -- it sort of seems to balance everything out, which is helpful. We sang through a little bit of Fiordiligi and then sang through 'Or sai chi l'onore' which I brought in to work on. It's still not quite right, but it was better this time. After that, I decided I wanted to go to the Mall -- the girl who was at the desk of the music center had on some great, cigarette-tight jeans and I asked where she got them and she told me 'H & M' so I decided I needed to find them and try them on.

Not only did I get the jeans, but I got a turtleneck (in a pretty, charcoal grey), a black sweater, a pair of black tweedy houndstooth pants, and a black fedora.

I finished the hat for Judy, started blocking one of the hat pieces for the next one for me...and started a test knit for Mary's sweater! So excited! It does mean, however, that I have no real portable projects now! The hat piece might be dry tomorrow so I might be able to work more on that if I go to the gaming night (if we have it). Otherwise, I either need to make some more hats or be prepared to bring the sweater with me.

I moved my dragons (I have 7 Zugglesnooks dragons, five of whom were in my room) into the entertainment unit in the living room and put a few of my nicer knitting and art books in the case as well. I still have an empty cubby, but I might bring some pieces from my too-high 'nice stuff' cabinet in my room to live there.

So, either the Prevacid is working or today was a good 'coughing' day...I still coughed some, but not as much as I had been. Tomorrow I'm seeing the ENT so I'll ask him what I can do to deal with this more aggressively right now. Also, in the morning, I'm going to a 'Look Good, Feel Better' session at the hospital. A stylist comes in and talks to people about how to look good despite going through the chemo and wearing wigs/scarves/etc. I was told to bring in my big, bushy, theatre wig and maybe the stylist can help me tame it. I'm sure I'll write more/post pictures tomorrow or so.