Yep, I chopped my hair off. It started falling out, in dramatic fashion, everywhere. The amount of hair coming out would make anyone gasp, even if you knew it was coming. Cutting it off was easy, because it was going to be a relief to not see clumps of long hair all over the place. I took a shower after I got home, rookie move. Now this so-called-pixie-cut is patchy and see through in many places. 



I'm 5 days post my second round of Chemo and I'm coming out of the hole that you climb into during the aftermath. I can feel the bloat coming on. Basically, I'm sick with the worst stomach flu of my life for 4 days, then I start retaining every ounce of fluid available. This week I'm also fully engulfed in the Chemo fog. I AM REAL DUMB right now people, REAL DUMB. Like, it's hard to use actual words when I'm talking. Thankfully, I can still type, but speaking is a struggle.

I also wanted to touch on a topic that is hard for me, but something that everyone is asking about...what can you do to help me? I don't really know. Honestly, when you're in the midst of a crisis, it's extremely hard to even determine what help is needed, much less ask for it. If you're lucky enough, you'll have a few people in your life that don't ask - they just do. I feel like the luckiest cancer patient around, because I've had an outpouring of help. So, I'm going to mention a few things that have been helpful in some capacity in case you know anyone who is going through this, that you may want to help.

Food:
My Aunts and Uncle sent me my favorite hometown pizzas, from La Casa Pizzeria. Cooked fresh, then frozen and delivered right to my door. What a time to be alive! We've already had one and it was amazeballs. If y'all ever find yourself in Omaha, do yourself a solid and visit La Casa. You won't be disappointed.

My brother and his girlfriend sent ice cream, deliciously personalized ice cream, from another Omaha company, eCreamery. Not only was it packed adorably with personalized ice cream creations, it's actually totally delicious ice cream.  I would highly recommend using them if you need to send someone a gift in the future. Who doesn't love ice cream?!


My Aunt & Uncle that live nearby-ish sent over casseroles for dinner (for several nights) which was super helpful. Elliott still eats a strict hot dog and/or chicken nugget diet, but the rest of us really appreciated not having to cook while still being able to enjoy a delicious meal. 

Housecleaning:
My Mom and Mother-in-law selected a maid service and sent them over to clean every 2 weeks. I CANNOT express how awesome this is. She's only here for 4 hours every 2 weeks, so priorities are a must, but I may keep her once I'm Cancer free just because of how amazing it is to have someone else pitch in to clean this place.

Childcare:
I'm blessed with an amazing tribe and family. My parents, Mother-in-law, brother-in-law, friends and my Aunt & Uncle have all stepped up and babysat the kids while I ran to appointments and procedures during the staging portion of this journey. It helped keep me (moderatly) calm knowing that the kids were with people they love while Matt and I were away. And now, another member of the tribe, has volunteered her time to become my sister wife. If she wasn't here during the 4-5 days immediately following my Chemo I would simply not be able to survive. I'm able to nap, rest and puke uninterrupted while she takes care of the kiddos.  If it wasn't so annoying, I'd "hashtag blessed" her ass all over the interwebs.



Comfort Items:
Flowers are always appreciated because they help bring a little sunshine inside and make me smile whenever I walk past them. I love having real flowers around but consider it a luxury that this SAHM doesn't indulge in often. So keep 'em coming.

Chemo makes me cold for 4 days, then hot for 4, then back to cold, and so on and so on. So, a comfy robe was a much appreciated gift from a friend. Plus, it was a fancy, schmancy Vera Bradley Robe. So she scored some cool points there.



A friend of my Mom sent me a handmade yellow pashmina. It's beautiful and was incredibly sweet.

Even something as simple as a greeting card expressing your sympathy is enough to boost my spirits.  All my cards are being displayed proudly as I try to bring their positive messages into a daily mantra. While all are loved, so far, this one is my favorite. Because it's just so me.

Hand Sanitizer: 
Seriously, my immune system is donezo. Please don't come around here unless you've slathered yourself (and your children) in hand sanitizer. Because we're basically bathing in the stuff over here, we can always use more.

So, that's it. My big public thank you list and a helpful how-to list for anyone you know that might need a pick me up while battling the Big C.