"Keep spirits up. Keep breakfast down."

That was the message David emailed me this morning. Yes, that most
iconic of chemo side-effects -- nausea -- has arrived. Last cycle it
showed itself in the need to take anti-nausea meds for a few extra
days after treatment. This cycle, the meds have failed to control it
fully.

Yeccchhh.

I am eating small amounts of easily digestible foods. Drinking ginger
ale. Taking meds three times a day instead of two (with chemo nurse
Connie's blessing). Using Edy's Fruit Bars as additional sources of
hydration (very refreshing!).

The prevailing theory is that my body (or mind) has finally let down
its guard, now that the end is in sight. I've heard this idea
independently from three very smart people, so I think it's a good
one. It explains also why this last cycle has felt so debilitating in
general. It's not exactly that I've used up all my energy -- although
it feels that way -- but that the finish line is there, just ahead of
me, and I'm going to get there anyway, so the urge is just to slow
down and walk.

As I type those words, I think of races I've run, particularly my
first 5K in modern memory. David sacrificed his own chance at an
age-group medal to run with me, encourage me, and be my tactician.
The last bit of the race was around a field, with the finish line
tantalizingly visible the whole time. I felt totally spent, but
somehow I found the energy to kick it into a higher gear and finish
with a small burst of speed.

Think I'm gonna try to do that now, too.