February 9, 2026

I know it's been a little while since my last post... life has been busy. We've been dumped on with snow and ice over the last few weeks and only had a day or 2 where temps have been above freezing. Needless to say, we're trying to stay warm but these temps make caring for the livestock more challenging. Until we can finish the coop and pen upgrades, I'm having to take 5 gallon buckets of water out to the critters to defrost their water bowls a couple times a day. Luckily I have ski bibs (definitely not for skiing) and thermal boots so it's not a terrible chore. Not one I enjoy, but hey.. gotta do what I gotta do.

On January 23, I went back to my dermatologist. This is a local doctor and she's been keeping an eye on the rash on my leg that appeared over the summer. Since the cream doesn't ever make the rash go away, it just relieves the immediate itching, and the area has grown, she decided to biopsy it. Yay. It's known that chemo drugs can actually cause other types of cancer in some cases. Not what anyone wants to hear, but all involved are pretty confident it's a reaction to the Keytruda but just to be sure.... So 2 weeks of itchy stitches on my thigh. Since I move my legs, keeping a band aid in place over it has been a challenge. Skin expanding and contracting... Let me be real.. it's been a PITA (pain in the a$$).

As far as my continued recovery goes, the Capecitabine decided it wasn't going to play nice. Friday, January 16, 2026. My hands and feet started burning, swelling and turned bright red. This was not a "poof" moment, but it was gradual thru the evening. By 9-10pm it was more than I could bear and I went outside and stood on our stoop without my slippers on just to cool my feet off and let the cold air hit my hands. Immediate relief. That confirmed my suspicions of hand/foot syndrome. This is a common side effect of this drug. I could see the calluses forming, could feel the skin on my hands getting thicker, it hurt to try to open any screw tops....  I ended up walking around with ice packs in my slippers and running my hands under cold water repeatedly. I sent a message to the doctor that night letting the office know that this has occurred and that thru the weekend I was going to half my dose until I heard otherwise. Monday I got a message back from them saying to stop the meds and things would be reevaluated at my next appt on the 28th. It was also recommended that I get some lotion with urea cream in it so I stopped at CVS and picked up some. 

January 28 - next VCU trip. This was just after we got blasted by the first big snow/ice storm the previous weekend but luckily by Wednesday, the roads were cleared. (except the private, gravel road we live on, which was fun getting up...lol) I arrived at VCU with extra time and without complications. Got my labs drawn by a new tech, who was just as nice and friendly as the others. They were even able to get me into a room earlier than my scheduled appt. 

Sarah and I discussed the reaction I had to the meds and what I did to combat the issues... As you are aware by now, I do my research so I knew the cold packs would help, plus I took ibuprofen every 6 or so hours to help the pain and swelling. I also applied the lotion to my feet prior to putting on socks and to my hands quite frequently. I told her that I halved it because without directive I didn't want to just stop. Half seemed to help reduce the symptoms too. She confirmed all these were the correct methods to help relieve the symptoms. She decided to reduce my dose some, not in half like I did but took it down from 8 pills per day to 6. She also told me to order some lotion with a higher percentage of the urea cream as she felt that what I got from CVS wasn't high enough. I sat right there and pulled one up on Amazon and she told me that should work so I ordered it right then. 

I also let her know that the dermatologist opted to biopsy the rash on my leg so I have to let her know what those results are. She just thinks that the rash popping up on my thigh was odd. She's seen it come up on patient's chests, arms, back, but not a leg or thigh... I reminded her that from the beginning I've said I am an odd duck...

My thyroid levels came down just a tad since increasing that med but she's still keeping an eye on it and checking my levels at every visit. She did laugh at me several times during our conversation, saying she loves when I come in because I always make her laugh. She even told me I'm wired wrong. Like we didn't all know that already...  😜

As I was heading out, I got to meet a new friend - a therapy dog named Keegan! He seemed to still be in training by the way he was watching his handler for instruction but he did well. He was super sweet and if you know me, dogs make everything better! I could have spent the rest of the day loving on this sweet baby! 

Off to downtown Richmond for my infusion. Sarah did tell me to keep an eye out for sheets of ice falling off the rooftops downtown. Luckily, I don't have to walk from a parking lot to be concerned about that. Valet parking for the win! 

When  checked in this time, there was a different lady at the counter. She was much friendlier than the one that's usually there. I told her that, as usual, I was very early for my appointment but since I come from out of town, I will set up my little camp in my corner with my laptop and just work until it's my turn. She was ok with that, unlike the other lady that always seems like that is a bother to her. I literally have a little corner that I sit in, out of the way and work on my laptop, just minding my business. I hadn't been sitting in my corner for too long when I heard them call my name. I love that they are able to get me in early but come prepared to wait. Off to the back for my immunotherapy infusion. My nursing staff is great back there. They're all super sweet and I always keep them laughing. Thankful for another day of being able to head home earlier than expected.