Graduation Day!

Posted Jan 11, 2009 2:08pm

Hi Everyone – I hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday season. I wanted to write a quick update so you would know I haven’t fallen off the planet. My LAST chemo (#4) was on December 18, and the nurses let me know I was graduating by gathering around me in the chemo room with noisemakers, bubble blowing, bubble wrap popping, shouts of “Congratulations!!” and a Purple Heart Chemo Graduation diploma, signed by all of them.

Three weeks later, I am delighted to say the side effects of the last session were minimal – in fact, they were the mildest yet. There was a little more head/body hair loss, but I did not lose my brows or lashes. A week or so of mild facial acne cleared up with a combination of internal and external care – back on my vitamin/enzyme routine, and using the Tigers Eye products on my head and face. Since chemo #3 was not so bad, I was able to cut the 3 day steroid protocol in half – one pill a day instead of two. As a result, although I had mild fatigue on Sunday, it was not the usual 24 hour crash and sleep I experienced in the past.

I'm not looking forward to the 6 week radiation ordeal that starts in a few weeks, even though everyone says it's a cakewalk compared to chemo. It's just creepy to me. I have several sources for lotions and potions to prevent the skin damage that often occurs, so I’m ready.I'm really on a mission to clean up the toxic spill from the chemo before I start radiation. I've been faithful to a cleaner post-holiday diet, finally started exercising daily. I'm doing the foot bath detox 3x/week - it is BLACK!!!!

An interesting report I read recently followed some post-cancer treatment patients. Much to my surprise, those who followed a healthy diet did not have a significantly lower rate of recurrence than those who ate a lousy diet. However, those who had a healthy diet AND exercised did far better. Another big difference was weight gain - even on a good diet, those who gained even 10 pounds had a higher recurrence rate. Estrogen and fat tissue are fast friends. Fat produces excess estrogen (in both genders), and stores what is already floating around. If that doesn't motivate me to move my lazy butt, nothing will!

I am looking forward to the MRI next week - if you remember, the first one was a Vision Quest, so I can't wait to see this episode. I will also be getting the results from my genetic testing next week, and I’ll write a more complete update ASAP.

Thanks for all your support, and I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009!