Shout Out To Stand Up To Cancer

Taken from their Wikipedia Page:

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders who have been affected by cancer. SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon that was televised by three major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) in over 170 countries on September 5, 2008. SU2C made over $100 million after that evenings broadcast.

Please visit standup2cancer.org.

Food Just Ain't Fun Anymore

Yesterday was an alright day ... I stopped at the clinic for my weekly PICC line dressing change. The place was busy as ever. I stopped at the cafeteria to pick up a couple of cinnamon buns to take home for D and myself. They are usually pretty good but because my taste buds are off, I not only didn't enjoy it but my stomach felt overloaded afterwards.

Food has been a great friend of mine. I have always loved to eat and it has always given me a real satisfying feeling. Pre-cancer, first thing in the morning, I used to jump out of bed and have something to eat. That was priority. I used to always looked forward to the next meal. That is no longer the case. Now it seems I eat because my stomach says I’m hunger.

This being week two of the cycle which for me is the worst as far as taste buds go and stomach issues go. My eating regiment has included a fruit or some yogurt for breakfast and usually I go out for a simple sandwich. I really have to think about what I want to eat because sometimes I'll get something and it just tastes bad to me. Something as simple as bread can taste bad in my mouth. My favs at home are strawberry yogurt, cottage cheese and bananas. Coffee is awful right now. I just can’t really stomach much of anything in the fridge. It just turns me off.

I also find that my stomach tends to be highly reactive to what I eat. If my stomach doesn’t like it ... it just goes right through me.

These days ... food doesn’t give me the satisfying feeling it once did ... which kind of sucks.

At School Last Night....

At last night`s class we were to hand in a questionnaire the instructor had given out the previous week. The questionnaire included things like ... if we were part-time students or full-time students, if we worked in our field and so on. The last question was ...’is there anything I should know about that may be a challenge to your learning?’ I pondered this question a long time. I so did not want to play the cancer card. I wanted to complete school without getting any possible preferential treatment.

As I was considering my decision, I thought ... if this was a class where I could hide in a corner, I probably wouldn’t consider sharing the fact that I was under active treatment but this class is very interactive. I will be required to do presentations in front of the group and that scares me a bit. I wasn`t sure I could do it all without appearing a bit odd.

My decision was to tell her, the instructor, that I am receiving chemotherapy for cancer. I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Not A Good Day

I’m still trying to recover from the effects of the chemo. The fatigue really makes me feel frustrated, agitated and full of negative emotions. Sometimes I rely on the Ativan to calm myself for the night time sleep but it makes me so groggy during the day that I don’t really like to take it either ... it’s a tricky balancing act.

Already feeling a bit down and depressed I watched the news last night only to find out that Patrick Swayze died from his cancer. Then shortly after that they announced a local lady who had been in the news quite a bit also died from her cancer. Then blogging in the evening I read one of my fellow cancer bloggers died. I was definitely worked up and I ended up having a rough sleep.

I’m usually pretty strong but yesterday was a tough day.

It's Better

The weekend was spent getting over last week’s chemo treatment. It was not a nice weekend.

Today as we start a new week things are improving ... the worst of the side effects are over and ... I just woke up from a two and half hour mid-morning nap. I thought I’d do some reading and poof ... I was out.

Once again it’s a beautiful day out here and my goal is to get out and enjoy it ... even if it’s just for a cup of coffee or to take care of an errand.

Sunday Inspiration

Sporting A Hat

I’ve been complaining about my wig for quite a while. It’s itchy and annoying. Well on Wednesday when I was getting my chemo, I was just fed up with it ... it kept shifting on my head and getting messed up. By the time I left I was so grumpy that I decided to stop at the store at the clinic and buy me a hat.

Thursday I went out and about taking care of some errands and stuff and guess what ... I wore the hat instead of a wig. I felt so liberated and comfortable. I will continue to wear that wig on certain occasions but people don’t be surprised if you see me sporting a hat more often.

Back Pack On Wheels

Last week I mentioned I was looking for a back pack on wheels to help me get around school with my books and laptop ... well my sister O came up with a wonderful solution. She found a Zuca Sport bag and purchased it for me. This is quite a unique bag because not only can you haul stuff around but you can actually sit on it. So for me that is just perfect ... it goes with me everywhere. I can now go shopping without worrying about looking for a chair because when I feel weak in my legs, I just sit down on my Zuca for a few minutes. I have gotten rid of my purse and just pack a wallet in it so I’m literally hands free. It weighs just 9 lbs empty so is quite easy to maneuver if I don’t overfill it.

When I’m out and about with it, I do get a few looks but mostly because it is unique looking and people are interested in it. I showed it to the physiotherapist on Wednesday and she was quite impressed with it.

For more details about the Zuca bags see zuca.com.

I want to thank my sister O for this thoughtful gift. I just think it’s the cat’s meow.

Yesterday Was A Busy Day

Yesterday I started the day with a physiotherapy appointment at the Cross Cancer Clinic, the same day as my chemo. I remember making the appointment five weeks earlier saying make it a Wednesday because Tuesday I usually have chemo. Well it turned out I had chemo on Wednesday this time because Monday was a vacation day ... go figure.

The physiotherapist measured my lymphedema arm and said it was 10% smaller than that last appointment. This was quite an improvement but I have to mention that five weeks ago was week two of the cycle where my body was retaining the most fluid. Yesterday was just before chemo which meant the least amount of fluid retention ... we both agreed it has to do with fluid retention and is affected by my treatment.

She asked if I wore the sleeve everyday and whether there was any irritation caused by the sleeve. I told her that yes I wore it daily and it was not causing me any grief. The only issue we found is that fluid is collecting in my hand as the glove and the sleeve where causing a double compression at the wrist and wasn’t allowing the fluid to flow away. The physiotherapist has arranged for me to go to a medical supply store to get a custom glove that flares at the wrist and a similar sleeve to what was borrowed to me through the clinic.

If I remember it right, I am to come back and see the physiotherapist every four months for a couple of years and then once a year after that. She also recommended I replace the glove and sleeve every six months.

Regarding chemo ... my appointment was just before noon and went on for just short of four hours which made for a pretty long day. It was so busy in the chemo room that people where having their chemo started in the wait chairs and when a proper recliner chair or bed was available, they would get moved. Wow, there were people everywhere getting chemo. I was really lucky and got a bed right away.

I came home feeling tired and decided to take it easy for the remainder of the day.