Taco Tuesday, Minus the Tacos

Taco Tuesday, Minus the Tacos

🌼 Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

⚡ Energy: Socially present. Physically irritated.

💔 Status: Chemo mouth is choosing violence.

🌞 Outlook: Doing what I can, eating what I can, and calling that a win.

Last night was Taco Tuesday — our usual one — with Uncle Dan, Aunt Patti, Matt from work, and our bestie Marnie, who is basically part of the standing reservation at this point.

And for a couple of hours?
It felt normal.

Just sitting there, talking, laughing, being out in the world without cancer running the conversation. I didn’t realize how much I needed that until I was in it.

Unfortunately, my mouth had other plans.

This round of chemo has brought mouth sores back with a new twist. Instead of just sore spots, I’ve got raised sores protruding out the side of my tongue — which means not only does it hurt to eat, not only does everything taste weird or barely taste at all, but I now have the added bonus of biting my swollen tongue on the right side with nearly every bite.

Super fun.
Highly recommend. 🙄

So while everyone else was enjoying actual Mexican food, I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie and French fries from the kids’ menu.

Not exactly Taco Tuesday vibes — but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Everything I eat this round feels like it tears my mouth up a little more. And my lips? Chapped like the first two rounds, but now with the exciting enhancement of feeling like I just ate something wildly spicy. All the time. Constant burn. No relief.

It doesn’t matter how much lip chap — yes, lip chap, because that’s what my kids called everything — I slather on. Nothing touches it. All I can do is ride it out.

The cruel joke is that by week three after chemo, the symptoms magically disappear. I start to feel human again. And then — surprise — it’s chemo week all over again, and the relief evaporates.

Good times.

Still, sitting there last night with people I love, drinking my smoothie, picking at fries, and pretending this was just another Tuesday? That mattered.

Sometimes normal doesn’t look like it used to.
Sometimes normal comes with a straw and a kids’ menu.

And honestly?
I’ll take it.

💗 Tina –
One Badass Day at a Time