Cycle number five complete

Sherrie completed cycle number five on Monday. Her blood count was quite high (47.3), and so it was a go.

As soon as the nurse started to infuse her with the preparatory items, Sherrie turned white and asked for a barf bag. Lucky for us and the nurse, there was one right at hand, which was a good thing, because within seconds she lost her lunch (and probably breakfast too). She threw up twice, in rather copious amounts.

The funny but not-so-funny thing is that (a) she didn't have any chemo drugs in her yet, and (b) the 5-FU they were going to give her has never made her sick. It was all mental; she associates the time she does get ill with the place, the nurse, and the process.

I can relate. When I was around 12 years old, I got sick once after eating apple crisp. Every time I even thought about eating apple crisp, I would get physically ill. I didn't eat apple crisp for probably 10 or 15 years because of it. A friend of mine at work had a similar issue with Ding Dongs; he couldn't eat them for many years.

The brain is a very powerful force.

In two weeks, and we start cycle number six. I sincerely hope she can get through it without getting too "mental."