A day of appointments

Josh and I had a busy day today.  I had an appointment at 7:30 over at North Memorial to have an x-ray done of my port to make sure everything looked good since I've been having pains in my neck and port area.  The Nurse Practitioner I saw on Monday didn't think anything had shifted, but wanted me to go in and just have it checked out since I had concerns.  I think it was more so to give me peace of mind.  They accessed the port and ran a small dose of dye through it to ensure it's flushing through, and according to the RN, everything looks perfect!

Josh and I had an appointment at DK International this evening at 5 pm to check out wig options, and we were so impressed!  Our consultant Michelle made us feel so at ease about the whole situation, and was extremely knowledgeable, answering all our questions and then some!  Before I even walked in the door I just had a good feeling about this place.  The manager (Bethany) is a young 20 something who has struggled all her life with an autoimmune disease that affects hair growth called Alopecia Areata.  If anyone knows a thing or two about wigs and has empathy for the customers setting foot in the store, this gal does!

DK International

Never in my life did I think I'd be purchasing a wig for any other occasion outside of maybe Halloween, but I'm happy to say we purchased a wig today!  It should be in early next week already, and I'm looking forward to trying it on and having it cut and styled.  It's made out of human hair and of course it's blonde.  I was surprised that the human hair options were actually cheaper than the cyber hair.  Ideally I wanted a wig made out of human hair (who wouldn't?) but I just didn't think it'd be a good option for me after seeing how much the cyber hair ones were at the first place we went to a while back.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

Since we're on the topic of appointments, let me tell you about the massage I had yesterday!  I received a very generous gift card from my amazing friends this past weekend that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I made the call and was able to get in for an 80 minute hot stone therapy massage.  Sounds pretty amazing, right?  Wrong...unfortunately.  Since I was a new client I had to fill out the standard paperwork, answering questions about why I was there, areas of concern, and of course my medical history including any recent surgeries and current medications.  What would normally be a very quick form to complete was now a laundry list of medications and recent procedures I've had done thanks to my new "friend" Lymphoma.  I thought about just not mentioning the medications or procedures just to speed up the form process, but I'm too honest and laid it all out there on these sheets of paper.

When I got into the room, the masseuse went over the paperwork with me and we discussed her staying away from my port, which she understood.  Apparently she went through chemo herself at one point in her life so she could empathize with me, and my need for this massage.  The massage itself started out fine.  The towels and blankets were nice and warm, and the lights were low.  It was so quiet besides the sounds of trickling water and singing birds from the CD that was playing in the background.  The rocks felt almost too hot the second they touched the skin but then felt amazing!  Everything was going well...until she started talking!  "So...when did you find out you had cancer?" "How many rounds of chemo do you need to have?"  "Are you going to lose your hair?"  Seriously lady?  You have got to be kidding me! I am here to clear my mind, relax, and NOT think about the fact I have cancer for 80 minutes, and you want to have a full blown discussion on the topic.  Being the passive-aggressive Minnesotan that I am, I politely answered all her questions only to be filled in on how many kids she has (along with their names), what sports they participate in along with what she likes to do on her free time.  After realizing I haven't acknowledged her fun facts she proceeds to ask, "So...have you heard of that new Schweddy Balls ice cream that Ben & Jerry's just introduced?"  At this point, I swear I'm being punked!  All I could do was bust out laughing.  This woman is crazy with a capital C. 

In case you're not familiar... SNL - NPR Delicious Dish - Schweddy Balls

When I got home I just felt awful.  I now had a migraine, upset stomach, and I was the opposite of relaxed.  I asked the masseuse about these symptoms I was having and she said it's due to the toxins being released from my muscles, and to make sure to drink lots of extra water.  I've had many massages before and never felt sick afterwards.  It took me until this afternoon to finally start feeling better.  I guess I've got a lot of toxins in my body these days, but has been told that getting regular massages is good for me right now so I'm going to try to keep it up.  Josh took it upon himself to call and discuss the massage situation with the manager (against my wishes), and now I have a "do over" coming my way with someone whose not a chatty Kathy.  Yay for free massages! Assuming he/she doesn't ask me about schweddy balls this time around,  I will consider it a success!