First, let’s start with some good.

Our trip to Europe was AMAZING (as if there was any doubt) and it was the perfect escape from reality for 2 solid weeks of eating, walking, sightseeing, and siesta-ing.

Three days in Venice turned out to be just the right amount of time to see everything we wanted to. Though multiple people told us it wasn’t enough time, it was SO CROWDED (cruise ships galore) that even visiting the major sites was a chore. We enjoyed our little apartment by the canal in a quiet part of town and got to explore plenty of the city.

The beauty of the canals.

We found a musical instrument display in one of the churches. These are kontrabasses.

Waiting for the ferry to go to the airport.

One the ferry to the airport.

From Venice, we were off to Sevilla, Spain. The city is beyond beautiful with a multitude of architectural styles and cultural influences. Our little apartment was blessedly equipped with air conditioning, which ended up being a lifesaver during the heatwave that was hitting that part of Europe. We quickly adapted to the Spanish time table, though we were still the earliest eaters at most tapas places at 9pm. We got a day trip in to Granada for a trip the the Alhambra, which was breathtaking. And of course, lots of churches.

The complex cat who greeted us a few times.

The view from the tower of the Alcazar.

Tapas and beer. Life is good.

The weird pedestrian wood structure that are the Mushrooms.

In an elevator with fun lighting.

Just a small glipse at the beauty of the Alhambra.

The view from the Alhambra into Granada.

The view of the Alhambra from the Albaicin.

Greeted by complex cat again!

Traditional Spanish breakfast: cafe y pane con tomate. SO GOOD.

Siesta-ing like a champ.

Hanging out at the Plaza de Espana.

Typical tapas view.

Open 12/365 (not 24/365) — truly Spanish time keeping.

And then we rounded out the trip with a slower pace in Portugal to attend our friends’ wedding in Sintra. We stayed in interesting accommodations in a TINY village (literally not a single stop light, and there was a one-way road through town that no one took as one-way). We had friends in the same village and enjoyed catching up and hanging out at the amazing wedding location.

The cafe owner’s dog who would slowly sneak in.

The dining/kitchen area of our little hippie house.

The best damn tomatoes I have ever had.

All the coffee.

The Portuguese love their pastries. They have over 2 dozen different kinds and we did our best to try as many as possible.

They also have savory pastries. These were our favorite — filled with chicken curry. SO YUM.

We sat on a beach.

We saw Amir get married!

We clean up well.

There’s a story about this corner. Ask about it in person.

Our final day in Europe was spent exploring Lisbon. We wish we could have had more time in the city and definitely want to visit Portugal again. All in all, it couldn’t have been a more lovely trip.

Lisbon as viewed from our AirBNB. The streets to up and down.

A monastary.

Same monastary.

A famous tower. Wish I could tell you more.

Obviously, vacation was great. We came home on a Friday to give ourselves a few days to get over our jet lag before my first new infusion regimen was administered.

I knew the possibility of increased symptoms was likely, particularly because I am platinum sensitive, and sure enough, I found myself throwing up in the middle of the night Tuesday after my infusion.

So, that sucked. Considerably.

I’ll have to take the prescribed anti-nausea meds often. I’m exploring some other options that won’t constipate me thanks to a new resource from my BFF. She knows an oncology fellow and connected us with him. It’s nice to have another place to which we can turn with questions. He’s recommended an alternative anti-nausea medication that doesn’t constipate that I’ll be discussing with my infusion nurses next round (October 29).

Beyond the suck of Tuesday night, everything else seems to follow the same schedule. I feel like shit for about 10 days and then I’m back to normal.

The plan at this point is to try 2 rounds and see where my CA-125 numbers go. If they move in the correct direction, we’ll do a full 6 rounds. Another 8 months of treatment. UGH. If they don’t, we’ll move onto PARP inhibitors.

Here’s a good video on how those work.

Still, I’m able to keep working and now that I know I need to stay on top of the pill form of nausea prevention, I’m hoping the next round will be more bearable.

Onward, we go!