Jennifer Marie J. Yang, MD

June 26, 2022

Update. End of week 1, second of four chemotherapy cycles.

I have been a hermit this past week, just stayed at home to rest after chemotherapy last Monday (6 days ago). As expected, days 3 and 4 post-chemotherapy were the worst with side effects of nausea, fatigue, muscle pains and occasional tachycardia (fast heart rate; the body compensating for the low hemoglobin content in my blood by ramping up the heart rate to get oxygen delivered everywhere). Today all those symptoms are better and I am tolerating more food at each frequent, small meal. This has been an exercise in patience – I want to get better quickly, but I have to let the body heal at its own pace.

I am still doing light cardio exercises 2x/day and incorporating qi gong exercises. The Chinese really have a different understanding of the human body from Western medicine, but I can see how both of them have similarities in how exercises help overall.

Here are photos of my first public outing without hair – I made it to church on Sunday morning, complete with hat and mask. I inherited mom’s hat from her chemotherapy course in 2005 (yes, there is a family history of breast cancer). Photos of flower arrangements for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this past Friday.