Bubbles!

One of my favorite forms of relaxation is sitting in a hot bath, usually with bubbles, reading a magazine or trashy novel. According to my oncologist's office, bubble baths may cause urinary tract infections (UTI) in chemo patients. As I understand it, the UTI is caused by the chemicals in the commercially produced bubble baths. The thought of getting a UTI while on chemo made me fearful, so I was sad at the thought of 5 months with no relaxing bubble baths.

For Christmas, Brandon made me homemade lavender bath bombs with all natural ingredients. He found the recipe online from Instructables.com. I believe most of the ingredients were found at a local health food store. He has two additional tips for anyone who wants to makes some bombs:

TIPS:
1) Measure dry ingredients by weight, not volume
2) Plan to triple the amount of wet ingredients called for. You might not use the whole mix, but you'll certainly need to use more than the recipe calls for.

I highly recommend these homemade bath bombs. The bath smelled great and the oils made my skin very soft. Once again, I can enjoy leisurely baths through the long winter nights.

The Third Day of Christmas

Happy Holidays (whatever that holiday may be) to everyone!

So I am surviving the my latest round of A/C chemo. My appetite has not been good. I've been feeling more nauseous than usual (but no vomit yet!). And the exhaustion, aches, and pains are not going away.

Brandon and I chose to not travel for our holidays this year. The reason for this season was chemo. Holiday travel can be very stressful, and my body shouldn't be overly taxed. As it turns out, I had chemo scheduled for 2 days before Christmas so we couldn't reasonably plan to travel anywhere. We celebrated our first Christmas as a married couple with a tree, our cats, and a delicious meal at the local Chinese (non-buffet) restaurant. I ate a double serving of wonton soup, a couple of steamed dumplings, and a bite or two of crab rangoon. Brandon ordered beef in brown sauce, without vegetables but as per usual at this restaurant, the order was confused and the beef arrived with mounds of delicious looking broccoli. So now the broccoli leftovers await me in the refrigerator.

I love broccoli. Naively, I thought my love of broccoli would keep me safe from ever getting cancer. A quick Google search proves that I am not crazy, and broccoli is considered a cancer-fighting-healer vegetable, see here. So my love of broccoli now confuses me. I'm not sure how to take this next step in our relationship. How can I trust broccoli again? Sure it is still delicious and can be prepared in a variety of salads, soups, pastas, casseroles, etc..., but I counted on broccoli to protect me from a horrible disease, and broccoli failed me. So what is the moral of this tale? Don't count on food to stop cancer.

Christmas Chemo

Tomorrow is round three of A/C chemo. One month down, four to go.

Hair Away

Hair is mostly gone now. I wonder if spray-on hair is still available for purchase? If I remember correctly from the late night infomercials, spray-on hair needed hairs to attach, of which I've got plenty random ones sprouting out of my head.

It's raining hair

The wig is still in its bag. I am not going to wear it until I absolutely need it. I still have hair on my head. Luckily (or not so much so) I have tons of hair. My hair is thin and I have tons of it. My massive amount of hairs means I am able to delay the inevitable of the wig, but at the same time, it means cleaning up after the many hairs on my pillow in the mornings, or removing the clumps of hair on my hands (or from the shower drain) when washing my hair, or just finding hairs on my scarf at the end of the day.

My hair is everywhere. It is worse than the cats' fur. This evening was spent wrapping packages for the family. Not only will my relatives be receiving thoughtful gifts, but also strands of my hair. As much as I tried to catch all the hair, as I boxed up the packages to be mailed, I would see hairs stuck in the tape on what was an otherwise beautifully wrapped package.

Bizarrely enough, at a work holiday function, a colleague complimented me on my hair style. I'm not sure what that means about my hair on other days since my current style is whatever I can manage without using any hair styling implements (also known as brushes and combs). I even have a slight "comb-over" to cover a tiny, developing bald spot along my part. Is it now hip to be a partially balding young woman? Or have I just been in rural Ohio too long?

Hair Update

The hair is falling out. Not in huge clumps, but I woke up to a pillow case of hair. I knew the loss was impending when I washed my hair last night.

Just thought I would share the news.

Yam Biscuits

In an earlier post, "In a nutshell" dated 11/28/08, I mentioned enjoying yam biscuits. In a comment to that post, Nanette queried about the yam biscuits. To answer her question, the recipe came from a cookbook on how to eat healthy during chemo, Eating Well Through Cancer by Holly Clegg & Gerald Miletello, MD. My first chemo treatment was the day before Thanksgiving. So on Thanksgiving, I wasn't much in the mood for the traditional Thanksgiving meal (a meal which I adore so I'm going to need to find a time soon to eat the whole turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, etc...) This cookbook did have a recipe for Yam Biscuits (p. 48). Brandon made me these biscuits, with a slight variation (he suggests checking Rose Levy Bernbaum's, the baking bible goddess, recipe). I love sweet potatoes (except for the marshmallow dish that for some reason shows up on so many holiday tables), so my Thanksgiving dinner was yam biscuits, served with chicken noodle soup.

Book citations:

Beranbaum, Rose Levy. The Bread Bible. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. p. 136-138.

Clegg, Holly and Gerald Miletello, M.D. Eating Well Through Cancer: Easy Recipes & Recommendations During & After Treatment. Nashville, TN: Favorite Recipes Pess, 2006. p. 48

Round 2 ... The Next Day

Just wanted to let y'all know that it has been about 24 hours since my I received my infusion of the toxic, burning drugs, and I don't feel as bad as I did the last time. Each day is different so tomorrow could be a whole new day of feeling crappy.

Last night was not pleasant. I felt pretty nauseated -- enough so that I took one of my "as needed" anti-nausea drugs. All I had for dinner was lots o' water, a milkshake (before the nausea kicked in, so maybe it was the milkshake), and saltines.

In a couple of hours, I'll head back to the clinic to get the shot that will help my white blood cell count return to normal at a faster rate than if we let "nature" take its course. A normal course would take 3 weeks. With the shot, it only takes 2 weeks. This is the shot that makes my bones ache because it also works on the blood cells in my bones.

And the best news of all (so far) is that I haven't experienced any hair loss... yet. It's supposed to start today.

Chemo... Round 2

Round 2 of 4 is completed! I am at home on the couch after receiving my second round of A/C. We were able to use the port which made the who process much easier and the nurses did not have to worry about any chemical burns in my arms (unlike last time when the A drug turned my vein red and we needed to ice it before I was allowed to go home).

One of the pre-chemo drugs that I receive, besides, one of the many anti-nausea drugs that I take) is a steroid which gives me lots of superficial energy and can cause insomnia -- although my week of only sleeping 2 hours at a time is probably not related to the steroid but it could be (each person is different, so we can never say for sure blah blah blah). So right now I've got this bizarre burst of energy which I can feel fading as I type this post.

I have an ice pack on my head in hopes that the coolness might help me retain some of my hair. After the last round of chemo, I had the occasional brain "hot flashes" so I'm also hoping the ice will also help decrease the reccurence of those instances. According to the woman who did my wig (another story which I will post soon), my hair should begin to start falling out tomorrow. So while my gut feeling is the ice pack is an old wives tale, I'm at home alone with cats getting ready to settle down for an afternoon of TV marathons (I'm thinking Grey's Anatomy, but I also still have a few episodes of the first season of the Tudors --- decisions, decisions) so what can it hurt to have an ice pack on my head. I must say it is quite a look, and I'm sure the UPS delivery person was slightly concerned when he dropped off a package. Didn't expect someone to come to the door today, but I do love to get packages!

And I'm crashing... in 4....3....2....1.....

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry in the "October Surprise" contest. I apologize for the delay in announcing the winner. All of the entries were delightful. Without your help, I would never have learned about the existence of the Warriors in Pink Mustang or pink hair extensions or pink paper towels or pinkly decorated moisturizer bottles, and even pink tic tacs. You simply cannot escape the pink during the month of October. The color pink can be found just about anywhere promoting all kinds of merchandise. So from among all of these wonderfully crazy submissions, I have chosen a winner.

And the winner is... Nanette! She submitted the Julie Goloski Military & Police Pistol. To read the more about the gun and its design, check out Julie Goloski's blog. I really can't believe this item exists. I also love that the ad says that some money will be donated to a "breast cancer awareness charity." Is it just me, or is the phrasing of that statement extremely vague?

Why did I choose Nanette's entry? Because she found an item that raises money for a breast cancer organization by promoting an item designed to kill people. I'm not really sure what else to say. The concept of the pink gun stuns me.

Nanette has a choice of prizes: a weekend in Ohio! (travel to/from Ohio not included) or a t-shirt from the college where I work. If she chooses to visit Ohio, we might even be able arrange for an afternoon at a local shooting range.

A tummy tuck is included

Sooo excited... I went for my 3 month post surgery doctor's appointment this morning. Even all these months later, I still really like my surgeon and her team. I'd love to go for afterwork drinks with these people. They just seem like really nice, fun, caring people. The first thing my doctor wanted to do was see wedding photos but sadly the hospital bans Facebook from their computers (what's up with that!?!?), so I promised the doctor that I would email her the link to our photos when the photographer let's us know that the photos are ready.

But the reason why I am soooo excited... my surgeon arranged for me to get an appointment with one of the few doctors in the country who does the diep flap reconstruction surgery. The diep flap surgery uses only stomach fat, no muscle, to build a breast. This means that if I am fertile after all of my chemo treatment (50/50 odds), I will also be physically able to have a baby. The more mainstream reconstructive surgical procedure, called the tram flap, uses stomach muscle & fat, but destroys any future hopes of pregnancy for me. The tram flap is fine for post-menopausal women or women who don't plan to have children, but not for me who hopes to one day be pregnant.

Yippee!!!

And my scar is healing nicely.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Hair -- the first thing I think of when I hear the word chemo is bald people. Chemo makes people lose their hair. Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have learned that not everyone loses their hair. Some people don't lose their hair towards the end of their treatment. Some people don't lose it at all (and contribute their hair retention to ice packs). In the end, I think, in my all my pure and glowing ignorance of medicine, that the hair loss is dependent upon the drugs and an individual's body's reaction to the drugs.

The drugs that I am currently receiving, Adriamycin and Cytoxin, cause hair loss, or alopecia, as hair loss is medically-referred. Everytime I think of alopecia, I think of Stan Sitwell on "Arrested Development" whose eyebrows kept falling off of his face. With the AC drugs, first I'll begin to lose my hair in patches. Any hair that I don't lose with AC will be gone with when I begin Taxol (in mid-January), including eyebrows and eyelashes.

I am due to lose my hair sometime next week. I am not sure exactly when but it is soon. Yesterday I went to get my hair cut at a salon. My hair was very long, a little past my shoulders; the longest it had been in years. The stylist cut my hair fairly short, and thinned it out a bit. I have a lot of hair -- lots and lots of strands of hair. I'm not looking forward to cleaning up after the clumps as they fall out. I did purchase a silk pillowcase. Supposedly it well help me retain my hair for a little but longer; I don't really see how but am willing to give it a try.

My First Time

So far the worst part of chemo is the exhaustion. I am constantly tired but I can't sleep. Unless I medicate with pain or anti-anxiety pills, I cannot stay asleep for longer than 2 hours at a time. And everytime I wake-up, I need to urinate. With the lone bathroom in my house being on another floor than my bedroom, this is an annoyance I could really do without. Plus by the time I shuffle back to bed, one of the cats has claimed more space on the bed than she really needs - an ongoing battle.

Last Tuesday my port was installed. The bruising on my shoulder and arm from the installation procedure was extensive, so the cancer nurses decided that I would receive my first treatment via IV in my arm. Brandon and I spent practically the whole day in the cancer clinic going over the treatment plan, the side effects in detail, and how to live our lives for the next 5 months.

I won't bore you with the not-so lurid details. I had multiple drugs injected into me via IV while I sat in a comfy recliner, ate some lunch and watched a "Law & Order" marathon. The whole chemo process was quite uneventful.

The big excitement for me was from to the redness of one of the chemo drugs, Adriamycin. The drug is bright red My urine was red immediately afterward the injection. My vein also turned red and I had to put an ice pack on it for about 30 minutes before I left the clinic. I am very sensitive. At times I want to think about all this stuff being pumped inside of me but other times I think ignorance is a wonderful state.

One of the any side effects of chemo is urine that can burn other people -- a super power I never thought I would have. In reality all that means is that I must flush twice for about 72 hours after chemo. Then my urine returns to human strength.

Other side effects seem to include lightheaded-ness and achy joints (supposedly more achy joints are to come so I'll be thankful for the little achy right now). I've got 5 more months of fun side effects to discuss so I'll keep you posted as they arrive. If all goes according to plan (and my blood cell count plays along), I should complete chemo in mid-April. Having an end in sight makes all of this seem do-able.