(ALF, trying out life as a blonde in September. Photo via her Facebook page)
By Laura “angrylittlefeet” Nicholson
Greetings Taters! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in so I thought I’d take a few moments and let you guys know what has been going on in Alf-Land. My schedule hasn’t changed much. Still chemo every two weeks followed by that lovely Neulasta shot that never fails to make me feel like complete and utter shit for a few days. On the in-between weeks I go to have my chemo port flushed and they run more blood work. I have good days and not so good days just like anybody else who’s fighting this battle with cancer.
It’s been kind of good news / bad news lately. Let me explain.
Good News: My Doc feels that I have been responding really well to my treatments and wanted to do a CT scan to check progress since it’s been almost six months now.
Bad News: The hospital refused to do the scan because I cannot pay for it and all my attempts to get any financial help are still “pending”.*
Good News: (And this is really keeping a long, tortuous story short here) The awesome lady in charge of my cancer center was finally able to knock some heads together and get them to agree to do this one more scan.
Good Good News: Scan showed that while the cancer is not gone yet — I am winning this fight! The original tumor is gone and the other spots have shrunken to half or better in size since we started treatments. I still need to continue treatments of course but this is so amazing to me. When I started this whole thing my cancer Doc gave me a 50/50 shot at survival. My battle isn’t over by any means but I’m pretty sure my surly, stubborn attitude is also helping to save my own ass!
On a more vain level… more good news for me is that my hair is already starting to grow back! Okay, it still looks like shit. But think more Monchhichi… less Yoda.
My life is completely different than it was six months ago but I’m adapting. I have to go see a neurologist in a week or so for some issues that arose as a result of the chemo drugs. One problem is what they call Foot Drop. It’s like my whole right foot just gave up working properly. When I walk it’s like step – drag, step – drag. Yeah I know. Sexy. The other big problem is my short term memory is just shit anymore. Plus some trouble concentrating. Sometimes I feel like my brain is just mush and my thoughts are disjointed as hell. So if this update seems to meander everywhere and still get nowhere — welcome to my world. Don’t get me wrong though. I’ll take absent minded and gimpy over the alternative any day! They actually have recently dropped one of the components of my chemo blend becasue of this and it does seem to be getting a bit better since.
So for now just one day at a time continues. And I am damn grateful that it does 
Thank for reading. Later Taters.
ALF
* You may be sick of hearing it but tough shit I am going to say Thank You again to everybody at CP for the fund drive you all did for me. As previously stated I am receiving no assistance at all yet so the money you all generously donated is what I am using to pay utilities, eat, and still have cable and internet! You all rock