II. We're About to Get Real Skintimate

Hey it's me, I'm back. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Back so soon? Well I'm about to get very real with you. When you are going through chemotherapy treatment you find yourself with an awful lot of free time on your hands. At least that's the case for me. For me, my free time is consumed mostly by popping anti-nausea pills, binge-watching the Office for the 33rd time, and satisfying my pregnancy-like chemo cravings by indulging in the WORST possible food choices. But hey! This lifestyle is about to end real soon, as I completed my eighth and VERY LAST chemo treatment just yesterday!! *round of applause*

To say this has been a long haul is an understatement. Don't get me wrong. I have learned so very much from this journey, more than I could have ever imagined. I learned how strong I am - both mentally and physically. I learned that my family will ALWAYS have my back, and that spending time with loved ones should never be taken for granted. I learned that people are outrageously kind and the messages, letters, visits from friends, acquaintances, and even strangers will forever have a lasting impact on me. Lastly, I learned how lucky I am to live in the United States and to have received my treatment from one of the world's leading cancer institutes. With that being said, this journey has been far from rainbows and butterflies. But as the wonderful Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'"

But before I tell you about all of the things that came with my cancer diagnosis, I think it's important to start from the very beginning. How I knew something was wrong. The signs and symptoms that led to the statement "You have Hodgkin's Lymphoma". It all started back in March of 2019. One of the first and maybe the most odd symptom (that didn't seem much like a symptom at the time) was itchy lower legs. Pretty random right? Wrong. Turns out that itching or pruritus affects 1 in 3 people with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and is commonly experienced in the lower legs. At the time, I had no idea that this was a hallmark symptom. In fact, I was so naive I blamed it on everything but. After all it was March, peak dry skin season. I had also JUST started using Skintimate's Coconut Delight Moisturizing shaving gel©, which smelled, as you may have guessed, absolutely delightful but maybe lacked in the moisturizing department. Whatever the reason was for my itchy legs, I wasn't too concerned, and after about two weeks the itchiness subsided and I actually forgot about it entirely.

Another slightly more alarming symptom that lasted much longer and got progressively worse was fatigue. Initially, like my itchy legs, I blamed my fatigue on lack of sleep and a busy schedule. What twenty-something-year-old isn't tired these days?! I had just started a new job as an early intervention speech-language pathologist; traveling to homes and providing speech and language services for kiddos birth to three years old. I was busy! And after a long day of interacting with kids and driving from home to home, I was ready for a good night's sleep. But I soon realized that no matter how much sleep I got, I woke up feeling like I had just pulled a college, mid-terms-week all nighter.

Appetite. I had always taken pride in having a real good appetite. I don't mean to brag, but I'm one of those girls that can out-eat their boyfriend (sorry Tom). However, towards the middle of March I realized that I wasn't as hungry. Not only did I have a decreased appetite, food itself just didn't seem as appealing. As a big time food lover this was a HUGE RED FLAG.

The perfect storm. When working full time with kids it's inevitable to get some sort of sickness, especially in peak cold and flu season. Some people get the common cold, some get the stomach bug. Some of the very unlucky ones get both. Some of the very very unlucky ones named Becca get both at the same time. Towards the end of March I called out of work two days in a row to lay in bed with a box of tissues and what my family coins as the "puke bucket". It was indeed the perfect storm. After a couple of days, I began to feel better but the lingering effects of the stomach bug and cold, accompanied by my worsening fatigue made the thought of going back to work unimaginable. In order to help myself feel better, I took a shower. After getting out of the shower and looking in the mirror, I noticed what would be termed as "the lump". No, it wasn't the feeling of a lump in my throat (although I did soon feel that as well). This lump, which turned out to be a swollen lymph node, was delicately placed right above my collar bone. In fact, it was so delicately placed that the naked eye could have missed it upon quick glance. However, when I shrugged my shoulders the lump protruded just the right amount to cause me concern.

References:

1) Lymphoma Action. About Lymphoma. 2019. Retrieved from: https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/about-lymphoma-side-effects-treatment/dry-sore-and-itchy-skin