3.18 1st Chemo Woke up feeling ready to start the chemotherapy regimen! Day one of infusion Chemo complete! I am currently sitting here with “The Rock 5FU” in my fanny pack chemoing for the next 46 hours. Oh the joys of kicking Chemo's butt! Notes, day one 3.18 at infusion center was great. The staff were fantastic and very attentive. They took good care of me and Art. We arrived and it took a while to get settled. They then give you your pre chemo drugs and you wait a half hour. Then the sugar water IV solution. The first two drugs are Oxaliplatin and Leucovorin which drips for 2 hours. Then they disconnect me and do a push of Fluorouracil (5FU) for 3 minutes. This regimen is called FOLFOX. I am then hooked up to the lemon 🍋 size bulb filled with this chemo and I leave the infusion center and take the lemon which is connected and infusing for 46 hours. We left Kaiser, as soon as I reached the outside my finger tips instantly felt a cold sensation like they were frost-bitten. While in car I felt cold 🥶 then hot 🥵. I was also hungry 🤤. I was so excited when Art gave me a Pressed smoothie to drink but quickly remembered I could not have anything cold and my throat was quick to let me know by me feel a very sharp stabbing pain. Lesson learned. Everything will be hot or room temperature. Huge adjustment for me. We made it home and warmed up some delicious 😋 chicken and vegetable soup made by a sweet friend. I then had to brush teeth with soft bristle brush and rinse with baking soda and salt to prevent the mouth sores. Art is doing ok but there is a lot to do with everything having to be room temperature. And taking care of me. And worring so much I will now be taking a nap. Hopefully Art too. Austin is at Pepperdine but has checked in a few times. PJ is at school and then has a golf match today. Ways to help: prayers and checks in’s! I love your messages. Soup on Chemo days like Tuesday and Thursday (when F5U is finished) (link in bio or below). Dinner on chemo weeks for sure. https://www.giveinkind.com/inkinds/Z8M1V2C Any delivery of club soda, coconut water or juices mixed. Fruit and Avocados 🥑 also seem to be a hit so far. Chemo will be every two weeks and start day was 3.18 (today). We go for 12 rounds. GoFundMe in bio or linked below. https://gofund.me/6eacc9aa I would love to get you all a bracelet that our sweet friends got for us. Share your photos once you have one. #nickiestrong Hello Eskaton Family, I want to take a moment to thank each of you who have reached out to check in on me—it truly means the world. The past few weeks have been incredibly challenging, and while there’s still a long road ahead, I wanted to share an update with you. I have been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. It’s a lot to process, but I am taking it one step at a time. I recently underwent emergency surgery to remove the mass and spent a long week in the hospital recovering. Now that I’m home, my focus is on regaining strength as I prepare for the next stage of treatment. I’ll know more about what that entails after meeting with my oncology team in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I look forward to working a few days a week to keep my mind engaged and stay connected with all of you. Your support and encouragement mean so much, and I am grateful to be part of such a caring team. With appreciation, Nicole