Three days after the first infusion, the noise has quieted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not disappeared \u2014 just softened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m now moving through day four of a fourteen-day cycle, shortened this round by the realities of the calendar and the Christmas closure at Princess Margaret. That adjustment matters clinically, but it hasn\u2019t changed the larger picture. The work has begun. The drug is in my system. The process is underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Physically, I feel better than I expected. Energy levels are uneven \u2014 moment to moment rather than hour to hour \u2014 but they\u2019re manageable. When fatigue arrives, it\u2019s honest. A short nap resets things quickly. I\u2019m learning the difference between tiredness that needs pushing through and tiredness that needs respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s intermittent nausea, light and brief. Not constant, not debilitating. More like a reminder than a warning. Brain fog comes and goes the same way \u2014 a slight delay in thought, a softening of focus \u2014 but it hasn\u2019t taken anything essential from me. I can still think clearly. I can still write. I can still decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vital signs have been steady. Blood pressure has remained controlled, heart rate low and consistent, especially during sleep and early mornings. The cardiovascular monitoring done post-infusion hasn\u2019t raised new concerns. The ECGs show a heart doing what it\u2019s always done: slow, deliberate, stable. That matters more than it sounds like it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking continues, but at a reduced pace and volume. This isn\u2019t a season for testing limits. It\u2019s a season for cooperation. Short walks, light movement, enough activity to keep circulation and rhythm intact without demanding recovery I can\u2019t yet afford. The discipline now is restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know from experience that the middle of the cycle \u2014 days seven, eight, and nine \u2014 is often where side effects sharpen before they release. I\u2019m not na\u00efve about what may still arrive. But I\u2019m also not anxious about it. This isn\u2019t anticipation. It\u2019s awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most importantly, there is a psychological shift that\u2019s hard to quantify but impossible to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m no longer waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waiting for scans.
Waiting for eligibility.
Waiting for permission to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Treatment has begun, and with it, a sense of forward motion that no amount of planning can replicate. The uncertainty hasn\u2019t vanished, but it\u2019s been given a container. The fight is no longer theoretical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m under care.
I\u2019m being monitored.
I\u2019m responding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s enough for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This phase isn\u2019t about heroics or milestones. It\u2019s about settling into the rhythm of treatment, listening carefully, and letting the process unfold one day at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m here.
I\u2019m steady.
And I\u2019m moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three days after the first infusion, the noise has quieted. Not disappeared \u2014 just softened. I\u2019m now moving through day four of a fourteen-day cycle, shortened this round by the realities of the calendar and the Christmas closure at Princess Margaret. That adjustment matters clinically, but it hasn\u2019t changed the 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