#13 Round 3 - Rollercoaster of rubbish!
Round 3 of Chemo
Sonya M.
2 min read
After Round 3 of chemo, everything was going exactly as expected — which is to say, mildly chaotic but still manageable.
Saturday had me fully committed to my inner James Brown “I feel good! Nah nah nah nah nah nahhh…” And honestly, I did feel good, It was a gooooood day. Then Sunday strutted in like “SURPRISE, GIRL!”
Because mid‑to‑late afternoon — BOOM — body fatigue kicked the door down yelling, “I’m baaaackkkk!” and didn't I know it!
Turns out that “cumulative effect” they warned me about isn’t just a thing… it’s a thing thing.
Then came Monday! Oh, sweet baby cheeses......Monday and it was a whole new level of rubbish.
My usual five‑minute pity party turned into a full marathon. No spectators, no medals, just me dramatically laying in bed feeling ever so sorry for myself.
I leaned into, [completely] and I embraced the trifecta of "doom", body fatigue, next‑level nausea, and bone pain. To be honest, looking back, the bone pain wasn't so bad BUT it was there so it got included that day.
But I kept telling myself, “It’s fine, Tuesday is coming and Tuesday will be better" and in the wise words of Forrest Gump “....that’s all I have to say about that.”
Tuesday lied! She woke me up with a gentle whisper of “Surprise! Still rubbish! "Bi#tch"
Not Monday rubbish, but a fresh, exciting new flavour of rubbish. The fatigue eased a bit but the nausea? OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS!!
I swear the nausea was auditioning for a leading role in some horror movie. The anti‑nausea "stuff" (very technical term, extremely versatile) were doing absolutely nothing. If I had to bet on the worst symptom, nausea wins everytime.
So Tuesday became another “lean into it” day, more wallowing, more groaning, more dramatic sighing.
Meanwhile, Rob kept checking in with what he absolutely knew was a pointless question but he asked anyway just in case. “Is there anything I can do? Can I get you anything? A cuppa?”
Three questions, one sentence, so much to process. My response? Always a long, drawn‑out, tragic and very dramatic “Noooooooo.”
And that was Tuesday.... and that's all I have to say about that.
I’ll admit my whole “I’ve got this!” attitude started developing cracks. Suddenly I was thinking, “How am I ever going to get through the rest of this?” But that was just the nausea talking, and the fatigue, and the bone pain and the overthinking.
Basically, the whole cast of symptoms had ganged up on me.
Then Wednesday arrived like a breath of fresh air and I woke up feeling so much better. I had my oncologist appointment that afternoon and immediately declared “Hi, yes, the anti‑nausea meds are about as useful as.......” He was great about it and we got that sorted quick smart thank goodness and I’m hopeful Round 4 will be less dramatic.
Everything is on track, and after Round 4 I move to weekly chemo for 12 weeks. So a new chapter, a new routine and a new normal.