Posted Nov 12, 2008 7:16pm
…about all that ambitious stuff I had planned yesterday. Just after I turned off my computer, chastising myself for that foolish public commitment to do 8 minutes of exercise, I was hit with a wave - make that a tsunami - of nausea that prompted an out loud, “What the hell is that???”
Forget the wristbands; I headed for the drugs. Fortunately, the Kytril kicks in within seconds, but I still felt a little dazed, and in no mood to get fluffy and go interview the oxygen therapy doc.
But true to my word, about 10 minutes later, confident that my tummy would not attack me again, I cranked up the DVD and did my 8 minute abs. The Universe was quite kind; something went awry with the player so I couldn’t actually see anything other than a blacked-out screen.
It was probably a good thing. At the moment I couldn’t think of any sight that would be more irritating than three tanned long-haired youngsters flexing and glistening in the sun as my pale, fuzzy headed self struggled on the living room floor at half pace in a fleece bathrobe. But I could hear Mr. Jarhead’s chipper encouragement to, “Come on guys, only 10 more – and this is fun!!” Ah yes, of course it is. And I’ve done it enough times that I could follow his verbal instructions without feeling intimidated into keeping up with the rhythmic pace I couldn’t see, so it all worked out.
I called in my apologies and rescheduled the oxygen interview, and puttered around getting ready for my noon appointment with the oncology nurse. Outside of a brief, unprompted blurt of indigestion, the rest of the day was pretty much without incident. I did tell the nurse about the splitting finger/toe nails, and she suggested tea tree oil. I picked up a little bottle at the health food store on the way to work, and although it smells like kerosene, it worked great! Apparently another thing I may have to look forward to is the skin splitting around the nail beds, but that can be held together with Liquid Band Aid. Skin tack, kerosene, head stubble and an occasional uncontrollable belch - it’s all so sexy.
There was a fascinating story on NPR around Halloween about an article published in the Journal of Ophthalmology in 1921. Shortly after moving into an old house, an entire family became ill, heard voices, pounding and other strange noises, saw unearthly beings in their rooms at night, and felt hands gripping at them so tightly that they couldn’t move. It turned out that the furnace was leaking, and the entire family had a low level of carbon monoxide poisoning, which caused all their hallucinations. It seems that back then, lots of stuff leaked carbon monoxide – gas lamps, kerosene lanterns, leaking chimneys, wood stoves. Once the furnace was fixed, the “ghosts” disappeared.
Living in a chemo body is much like a stay in a haunted house. Every creak and groan and blemish and ache is a source of alarm, because everything is unfamiliar, and everything is suspect as yet another scary goblin. I'm finding that the most likely explanation is that there’s nothing really wrong. It’s a kickass treatment that temporarily puts the inner furnace on the fritz. Things will go bump in the night (and the day) and everyone’s reaction is different.
More fun symptoms – abdominal cramps on and off all last night, but gone by light of day. On the way to work, my mouth felt like sandpaper, and by noon I had to guard my speech pattern so I wouldn’t drool all over myself. I had a lovely configuration of purple scarves wrapped into a fancier-than-usual turbany thing, and I trust my patients were distracted enough by the hand-painted gold gingko leaf pattern swirling around my head that they didn’t notice the dribble.
Other than the array of surprise symptoms, my energy was back to normal by yesterday afternoon, and I’ve been very busy since then. I was up at 5:30 this morning, read a few chapters, did some laundry, ironing, made breakfast and lunches – and got to work early. It’s a great day here; I hope it is for you, too!
Love, Laurie
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Oncology "Nutrition" 101
Posted Nov 11, 2008 10:30am
Although my body and brain feel reasonably normal, my taste buds have taken leave of their senses. Remember what a food snob I was in the beginning, after reading the American Cancer Society booklet on “Nutrition” tips? Remember how I scoffed at their recommendations of foods like mashed potatoes and ice cream? Once again, I’ve been humbled. Once you start chemo, unless you have a personal chef, all bets are off regarding culinary interests. Even then it would be a challenge.
It’s not due to nausea – if I feel the least bit queasy, the Psi bracelets do the trick. It’s just that the usual foods are not appealing, and stuff that would usually turn my stomach now beckons me, even if it ends up sitting inside like a lump of lead. It is such a strange shift in my appetite. Last night the sight of soup made my tummy turn over, yet I ate most of a medium organic veggie/pesto pizza, to which I had added extra chicken and goat cheese.
I can’t stand the sight of a carrot, but I’ve had a couple of days of craving Kraft Mac & Cheese – remember that sticky orange mass we used to seriously consider as “food?” Although I didn't succumb to the temptation, I confess that I did pick up an organic version at Trader Joe's last night - just in case. And with the carrot aversion, you can imagine my dismay every time I open the fridge to see it stacked with containers of the carrot slaw I spent 2 days creating. Good thing Dave likes it as a side dish with his lunch.
Juicing? I’ll give it a try this morning, but it is pushing my limits (i.e. the ominous carrot). My best food friend at the moment is plain organic yogurt – sometimes with organic applesauce and a little organic maple syrup. The concoction not only soothes my conscience, but also helps the daily supplements go down more easily. In contrast, at night I may make another pizza or a veggie quesadilla with lots of goat cheese and guacamole. How crazy is that???? As I’m reading articles about the food experiences of other women, mashed potatoes seem to be a big favorite. I’m not there yet, but now I know better than to eliminate the possibility.
Not that I’m complaining - over the past month, as my weight has shifted up & down, overall I’ve lost about 7 pounds I didn’t really need to keep. I am concerned that it probably is not fat loss, since I haven’t been very active, so I’ll do a body composition test this week to see what is going on. I’m feeling more ambitious today; I can at least do one of my “8-minute” exercise DVDs, and start alternating that with yoga to do something each day (more or less – bear in mind I’m having a rare flash of exercise ambition). I have no idea how some folks choose chemo time to train for a marathon, let alone take care of a family and work. I am such a wimp! Well, I am running a business, so that does keep me pretty busy…
I’m meeting with a local chiropractor today to discuss starting some sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). There’s an overview about it at HBOT. I checked with other doctors that work with cancer patients, and there are no contraindications to this treatment. Although I was able to find several research articles on HBOT and different types of cancer, they are careful to note it is for wellness enhancement, and not a cure, but one doctor indicated it may help with “chemo brain.” Since I already had “menopause brain,” that was one smooth transition, but we’ll see what happens to improve the situation! Other than my two off-days on the post-chemo weekend, my brain seems to be doing quite well, and I actually don’t feel as forgetful as I was six months ago. From what I can remember, anyways...
The research on HBOT during radiation has been very favorable in regard to minimizing tissue damage, so in combination with the Chinese Soothing Balm, I trust that it will not be such a bad experience. I’ll cross that bridge next year.
Have a fabulous day!
Love, Laurie
Although my body and brain feel reasonably normal, my taste buds have taken leave of their senses. Remember what a food snob I was in the beginning, after reading the American Cancer Society booklet on “Nutrition” tips? Remember how I scoffed at their recommendations of foods like mashed potatoes and ice cream? Once again, I’ve been humbled. Once you start chemo, unless you have a personal chef, all bets are off regarding culinary interests. Even then it would be a challenge.
It’s not due to nausea – if I feel the least bit queasy, the Psi bracelets do the trick. It’s just that the usual foods are not appealing, and stuff that would usually turn my stomach now beckons me, even if it ends up sitting inside like a lump of lead. It is such a strange shift in my appetite. Last night the sight of soup made my tummy turn over, yet I ate most of a medium organic veggie/pesto pizza, to which I had added extra chicken and goat cheese.
I can’t stand the sight of a carrot, but I’ve had a couple of days of craving Kraft Mac & Cheese – remember that sticky orange mass we used to seriously consider as “food?” Although I didn't succumb to the temptation, I confess that I did pick up an organic version at Trader Joe's last night - just in case. And with the carrot aversion, you can imagine my dismay every time I open the fridge to see it stacked with containers of the carrot slaw I spent 2 days creating. Good thing Dave likes it as a side dish with his lunch.
Juicing? I’ll give it a try this morning, but it is pushing my limits (i.e. the ominous carrot). My best food friend at the moment is plain organic yogurt – sometimes with organic applesauce and a little organic maple syrup. The concoction not only soothes my conscience, but also helps the daily supplements go down more easily. In contrast, at night I may make another pizza or a veggie quesadilla with lots of goat cheese and guacamole. How crazy is that???? As I’m reading articles about the food experiences of other women, mashed potatoes seem to be a big favorite. I’m not there yet, but now I know better than to eliminate the possibility.
Not that I’m complaining - over the past month, as my weight has shifted up & down, overall I’ve lost about 7 pounds I didn’t really need to keep. I am concerned that it probably is not fat loss, since I haven’t been very active, so I’ll do a body composition test this week to see what is going on. I’m feeling more ambitious today; I can at least do one of my “8-minute” exercise DVDs, and start alternating that with yoga to do something each day (more or less – bear in mind I’m having a rare flash of exercise ambition). I have no idea how some folks choose chemo time to train for a marathon, let alone take care of a family and work. I am such a wimp! Well, I am running a business, so that does keep me pretty busy…
I’m meeting with a local chiropractor today to discuss starting some sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). There’s an overview about it at HBOT. I checked with other doctors that work with cancer patients, and there are no contraindications to this treatment. Although I was able to find several research articles on HBOT and different types of cancer, they are careful to note it is for wellness enhancement, and not a cure, but one doctor indicated it may help with “chemo brain.” Since I already had “menopause brain,” that was one smooth transition, but we’ll see what happens to improve the situation! Other than my two off-days on the post-chemo weekend, my brain seems to be doing quite well, and I actually don’t feel as forgetful as I was six months ago. From what I can remember, anyways...
The research on HBOT during radiation has been very favorable in regard to minimizing tissue damage, so in combination with the Chinese Soothing Balm, I trust that it will not be such a bad experience. I’ll cross that bridge next year.
Have a fabulous day!
Love, Laurie
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