Martha’s Health Journey Update: August 21, 2023

If you’re checking this space because you just thought to yourself, “I wonder how Martha is doing?” Well, guess what-you have filled my heart with gratitude!

A lot has happened since my last post. It’s been one of those periods of time where there’s been joy, challenges, and more joy. I’ll start at the beginning, which happens to be one of the joyous moments. Are you ready?

My daughter Annabelle and her boyfriend Andrew got married!! They tied the knot in Las Vegas, just like my husband Jordan and I did 32 years ago.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Watching Jordan walk our daughter down the aisle was definitely one of the most moving moments I’ve ever experienced. Our baby girl is over the moon and we are ecstatic to have an awesome son-in-law in the family.

Christie my friend, mentor, and good-vibes radio sister who’s been in for me at the station, was able to join the festivities which was totally awesome. She and my producer Karena Velazquez have known my kids since my son Ryder was in middle and Annabelle was in high school. They are part of our family so we were thrilled Christie could make it.

A few days after the joyous wedding, (here comes a challenge!) I had my second chemotherapy treatment.

The chemo day itself was not that bad. It just took a long time. First, they give you an IV with saline solution for hydration. Then they give you another set of liquid infusions with a steroid and antihistamine so you don’t have some kind of reaction. Then they go onto the chemotherapy drugs themselves. The first one I get is a three-hour infusion, the second is a one-hour process. So right there I’m about five hours in.

An extra 90 minutes is added to my chemo day as I’m trying something called a “cold cap” to help minimize my hair loss. It’s like a mixture of a bathing cap and an ice pack. It’s hooked up to a machine that keeps the cap cold the entire time you’re there. The extra time is tagged onto the end of the two infusions to help insure those chemo drugs can’t make their way up to your scalp as easily as they could if your scalp wasn’t frozen.

The reason chemotherapy causes hair loss is because it kills fast-growing cells, which your hair is made up of. The cold cap isn’t a 100% guarantee. I have lost some hair, but I have a bunch left too! They say to focus on the hair you’ve got, not on the hair you lost. But soon I’ll have my long hair back! Before this whole process started, I cut all my hair off to be made into a wig. My daughter Annabelle contributed some hair too so it’ll be extra special, but I don’t think it’ll be ready for at least another month.

After I left the center, and most of the day following my chemotherapy I felt awake. Probably due to the steroids they infused me with. But that didn’t last, I had a few days where I crashed, felt a bit nauseous, and very very fatigued. Thankfully each day I feel a little better.

I mentioned at the top of this post, there was joy, challenges, and more joy. On one of the days when I was feeling super low, our new car arrived! About four years ago, my husband and I ordered one of those new electric SUVs, the Rivian. We finally got it! I wasn’t able to take a ride because I felt just too nauseous, but I was able to enjoy looking at it in the driveway.

Thank you for checking out this blog post. One of the reasons I’m writing here is, you or someone you know might also be undergoing a challenging health journey. Between the procedures themselves, plus the tangle of insurance, juggling appointments, family, and work, it’s a lot to handle. There can also be the emotional component of potential anxiousness and maybe even depression.

Are you now, or have you ever, gone through a challenging time? Sometimes just knowing we’re not alone can help soothe our mental health and give us the strength to keep marching forward.

As you might have heard me mention on the station, we’re getting through this thing called life together. For info on my specific condition, check the post below where I get more into the weeds about it.

I’ll be back with you soon until then, miss you already!

Martha

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