Down...but not out

What would a week be without a small reaction. lol I'm perfectly ok, and this time I'm chuckling while I write this, but this morning I had a small encounter with the snow in my backyard. I took the dogs outside about 8 a.m. to do their morning business. I always hook up Cubby to her line when I let her out (we have no fence) as she has a tendancy to run after anything that moves. I for one, am not chasing a crazed australian shephard through the neighborhood (especially without hair...now that WOULD get some strange looks). I remember standing at the edge of my patio watching Frankie do his buisness (which takes him forever by the way) and all of a sudden a familiar light headed feeling started in my head. I looked over at one of the snow covered patio chairs and thought, "I should sit down." Instead, I reached out to hold onto something until my head cleared and I grabbed the tree trunk on the side of the house. The next thing I knew, I was waking up lying face down in the snow! I had fainted! I couldn't have been down for long though, as my faithful canine companion Frankie was still nearby. I picked myself up, brushed off the snow, and carefully walked back into the house. I climbed upstairs to find Steve (he always seems to be UPstairs when these things happen) and told him what had just occurred. He was very concerned but I assured him that I felt alright and I would just lie down for awhile...which I did. I realized a short time later that I had a gash at the base of my right thumb, which must have happened when my hand slid down the tree as I fell. I can only imagine what this scene must have looked like. Bald woman in red scottie dog pajamas faints dead away in her own backyard into the melting snow only to be totally ignored by her four legged friends. So much for being man's best friend.

It's Tuesday

And I'm still hanging in there! No news is good news...that's what I have to say today. I went in for my Monday "shot" yesterday, and so far so good. I'm actually feeling pretty good this morning. Could it be that my body is getting used to its toxic intake by now?! Three out of four A/C chemo treatments done, and only one more to go (2 weeks from now). Then I will get switched to a different drug and hopefully that one will go as smoothly as this one. I've been occupying my time quietly at home, and running any errands I need in the late morning to early afternoon. I still get pretty pooped out by late afternoon/ early evening and by the time Steve gets home from work I'm pretty glassy eyed. lol

On the food front, I've been trying to stick to simple foods lately. Fruit, yogurt, eggs have all been working for me. I had some yummy chicken soup dropped off at my house the other day and that was tasty too. I also received a wonderful new cookbook from a friend of my sister in Dallas, "Betty Crocker's Living with Cancer Cookbook." I've been looking it over and there are quite a few recipes that I'd like to try. Thanks so much for the book Nita! :-) Now, if we could just get some of that Dallas weather...we'd be in GREAT shape!

Nothing much else to report on the last few days, isn't THAT good news! Carly will be coming home Thursday night from Chicago. She is working on a documentary film for one of her classes
this semester, and guess who is the topic of the documentary?!! My elementary school has decided to honor me and the theme of their March Reading Month this year is "Read for a Cure."
Carly will be home to attend and film the assembly for her documentary. More about this later in the week though...so stay tuned.

Hope all of you are having a good week, I'm looking forward to the temps here in Michigan rising into the 40's this week. And see what happens when I recommend a movie (Slum Dog Millionaire) it winds up winning LOTS of Academy Awards. lol Hope you all get a chance to see it.

xoxo
Joanne (currently drinking Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice...tart but tasty (to me any way!)

Back to Camp Chemo

This morning was my third round of chemo. So far so good. Everything went as it should. My blood counts were good and the drugs were administered accordingly. I was lucky to have a wonderful friend, Terry, help me pass the time while "lounging in the chair," and the time really did zoom right by. We chatted, shared pictures, and laughed quite a bit. It seems that whenever I'm at camp, the nurses always seem to come by to tell me that "someone is having way too much fun over here." (Who me?? Imagine that! lol) Well, it sure beats sitting there for THREE HOURS and having a miserable time. Right? Might as well make the best of it, is what I say. (Not to mention getting it over with as soon as possible...only one more A/C chemo treatment left. Then I get switched to a different chemo drug called Taxol which is given once a week for twelve long weeks.)

I really am hoping that the stomach medication I've been taking this past week leading up to chemo day will really do the trick and eliminate that nasty reaction I had last week. Keep your fingers crossed (or any other body parts that you think will work) that it's doing what it's supposed to!

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time at the public library. I met two Riverside families there (it was planned) and I even ran into two other Riverside students while I was there. I had lots of hugs and well wishes, and it was wonderful to see familiar faces. It seems like such a long time since I've been at school, and I really am missing my students and all of the other boys and girls that I'm used to seeing on a daily basis. I'm constantly asked, "When are you coming back?" and yesterday was no exception. I just tell everyone the same thing...I'm doing everything that the doctors and nurses tell me to do so I can get better and come back to school. I'm just not exactly sure when that will be.

We are expecting a snow storm tonight in Michigan, but I'll believe it when I see it. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. If you are in a warm climate, soak up a few rays for me.

xoxo
Joanne (I've been drinking Earl Grey tea the last two days...don't you love changing taste buds!)

Confessions of a tacoaholic

Everything about this cancer journey is strange and different. However, the strangest thing of all has got to be my ever changing taste buds. From day to day I never know how anything will taste. In desperation I searched the internet for a common food that cancer patients may have some luck in actually tasting good. I came across a post from a woman that said that her mother enjoyed taco bell during her chemo, and in fact, it was the only food that she enjoyed. That was enough for me. It was time to " make a run for the border." I didn't want to get carried away (in case I couldn't taste anything) so I ordered two chicken soft tacos with regular hot sauce and pulled out of the drive-thru. I parked in the lot, unwrapped the taco, and squirted out the sauce. I was doubtful as I took the first bite, but let me tell you that I heard a choir of heavenly angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus! Not only could I taste it, but it tasted good! (OK I realize that "good" may not be a word that you and I would normally associate with Taco Bell...but let's consider the situation here!) I think I inhaled those two tacos in record time. It wasn't so much the taco, but the SAUCE! I think it was the first thing that I could truly taste in weeks. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I licked the rest of the sauce out of the packets. (Yes, I have no shame when it comes to being able to taste) I was so excited at my new taste sensation, that I decided to try and find something similar while I was at the grocery store. (Or else I was going to be making regular visits to pilfer the taco sauce from inside at the counter) To my amazement, I found this at the grocery store! (more angels singing)
To my utter amazement, I have continued to "taste" this sauce. I have used it sparingly, as I don't want to over do it, and have it lose it's taste. It came in quite handy however, last night, when friends from my school, Jenni, and her sons Zach and Logan stopped by with chicken enchiladas and rice for dinner. YUM! (Thanks Rossignol family) I opened that bottle and poured it all over those babies. Let me tell you, it was the BEST dinner I've had in a long time. Here's what's left of it.

I plan on eating the rest slowly the rest of the week to make it last. Now, what else can I pour the
"miracle elixir" on top of? I think I need to buy some stock in Taco Bell.

Have a great day. I'll be here taking sips of Taco Bell sauce. :-)

xoxo
Joanne

Happy President's Day

Monday morning. Back to work for some (sorry Jess) and day off for others (enjoy the week off my Riverside friends). For me, time to catch up on the blog. Physically, I've been feeling alright, so all is well on that front. I'm now taking yet another pill, as this is the week of chemo (sigh) and hopefully this pill will prevent that nasty little side effect I experienced last Wednesday. Mentally, well, let's just say that most days I'm fine, but once in awhile I do get overwhelmed with everything
and I'm told that this is normal. Considering that it has now been 9 weeks since I received the "news" I'd like to think I'm handling everything to the best of my abilities, but let's face it, we ALL have bad days with or without cancer.

I wanted to share the beautiful flowers that my daughters sent me. They arrived on "wig day" and most certainly brightened up my day. The message on the card said it all. Jess, Carly, and Rach, I love you SO much. Thanks for loving me with or without hair...but if it's alright with the three of you, I'm looking forward to the day that you can love me WITH my hair again. :-)
(They are so beautiful, they deserved a close-up too!)

I also received a t-shirt and hoodie that I had to share with all of you. Both made me laugh out loud and I'm sure you will too. The t-shirt was sent from my wonderful friend, Lisa, in Texas.
She's really my sister's best friend, but if it's ok, I'm going to claim her too. Thanks so much Lisa, I just love the shirt! I'm sure it will get many many comments when I wear it outside of the house. lolAnd if the t-shirt isn't funny enough, look at the hoodie was sister sent me for Valentine's Day. If this doesn't make you laugh, you need an attitude check. Who ever said that cancer doesn't have a humorous side! ;-)

Last, but not least, I wanted to share a good movie tip with all of you. Steve and I watched "Slum
Dog Millionaire" yesterday afternoon. I really had no idea what to expect but I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. I REALLY enjoyed this movie. I'm not one to care about Oscar nominations and I usually have never even heard of the movies that win the awards. I do remember however, this movie getting a lot of nominations, and now I know why. For once there was an interesting story to follow and better yet, a happy ending! I don't like violence in movies, and there were a few times that I closed my eyes but most people aren't as wimpy as me. If you see it, let me know what you think.

Happy President's Day to everyone. Maybe there are some good sales at the mall today!

xoxo
Joanne (drinking Earl Grey tea today)

P.S. I've changed some of the settings on the comment section of the blog. Many told me they were having difficulty leaving comments. Try again to leave a comment and let me know if you are still having trouble. You should be able to comment now, even if you do NOT have a google account.

Return to Wig Day

I'm ready to back track now. Let's return to Tuesday and the infamous wig day. My dear friends, Deb and Michelle, went along with me for moral support. I was SO glad they were there. After all, it's not every day that a girl loses her hair in under 5 minutes flat! After my shower that morning, it was quite evident that the doctors and nurses did know exactly what they were talking about. ( I was hoping that just maybe they'd be wrong...but no such luck) After the second chemo treatment your hair DEFINITELY falls out. What a weird feeling that was. I can't even really put it into words. All I can say, is one second there is hair on your head, right where it's always been, and the next thing you know, it's lying in your hand in VERY large clumps. It made the decision for wig day very easy. The rest of the hair needed to go. We arrived at "Advanced Hair Solutions" (very fancy name for wig place...but sure does sound better) and I was ready for MY solution! My last visit there had culminated in two finalists, and they were ready and waiting for me to try on. One wig was chin length, the other extended a bit past my shoulders. You can see them over my shoulder next to the mirror. They are even labeled with my name so no one else could claim them as their "solution." I had arrived with my pink bandana tied tightly around my head for fear I would be shedding hair all over Deb's car. As good as a friend as she is, I didn't feel that it would be polite (call me crazy) for her to have to vacum up my hair from her car after she took me home. This is what I looked like when we arrived. Fairly easy to recognize me.

I told Pam, the wonderful stylist that was helping me, that her first job was to get rid of the remaining hair. She had told me on my last visit that she could do this for me and that I would also know "when it was time." She was very kind and turned me away from the mirror so I couldn't watch. I had brought my camera to document everything, and Deb had brought hers as well, so Michelle and Deb snapped pics of the entire process. When it was over, I reached up and truly felt my head for the first time. It was nubby! lol Now I know how my fourth grade boys feel when their parents decide to buzz their hair for the summer. I will now look at their buzzed heads in a completely new light. Michelle and Deb then said the magic words, "You have a beautifully shaped head," and I actually relaxed a little. After all, who knew what would be lurking up there? There could have been bumps, lumps, or anything! If you're ready to see me, I'm ready to show you now. It's ok if you stare, I've been staring at it for three days now, and I'm not really used to it either. Here I am.

See, I even managed a smile. Don't worry, the next pic should hopefully put things back in focus. I tried on the two wigs that I had narrowed it down to, and this might be hard to believe, coming from someone that has had long hair forever, but as soon as I put on the shorter wig, I felt like me again. It was hard to believe that it was fake hair. It looked SO real! Pam showed me how to put it on, and then she made me take if off and do it by myself. Everyone agreed that I looked just like my old self, and in the end, even I had to agree. Here I am with Deb and my brand spankin new hair. The next is Michelle, Deb, and I ready to go out to lunch with my new hair do.

It's been quite a week, and I'm glad that it's over. I'm wearing knit caps around the house to keep my head warm, and I'm going to sympathize now with bald men in cold weather. You can definitely feel a chill up there!

Hope you have a great weekend. (drinking ORANGE (lol) gatorade today)
xoxo
Joanne

Back in the saddle again

Where to begin with today's blog? I left off two days ago with heading to the wig shop, but sometimes "stuff" happens. I was all set yesterday morning to update with some pics from the wig outing and to let you know how everything went. Unfortunately I had another chemo reaction, and all I can say is thank goodness that it was Steve's day off and he was at home to help. Chemo affects everyone differently and there is no rhyme or reason when it will strike. I became very light headed and broke out in a cold sweat. I was also experiencing some pretty bad stomach cramps to say the least. I realized pretty quickly that I needed "help" and somehow managed to get upstairs to where Steve was still sleeping. I told him to call the doctor right away. The office said to come by immediately. I don't really recall the trip over there, I was pretty out of it. They checked my blood counts, which I'm happy to say were fine, but my blood pressure was very low and I needed fluids. I was also given some other medications to immediately stop the cramps and stomach problems. I was also told to drink, drink, and drink fluids all day, and if there were any other problems later in the day, I'd have to head to the E.R. Steve went out and came back with assorted gatorades and juice for me to drink, which I consumed the rest of the day so there would be no need to head back to the hospital.
There was no way I wanted to go back over there. I took it easy the rest of the day and ate toast and cream of wheat. How yummy does that sound. lol I figured better safe than sorry. I have to admit that the whole thing was a bit scary and made me realize how little control I have over all of this. I'm going to be taking additional meds now the day of chemo and the days following to hopefully avoid this type of reaction again. The one good thing about yesterday...I didn't think once about the fact that I no longer have hair! :-)

I'll come back later this afternoon and tell you all about the wig trip. I'll even share some pics with you...if you can stand it! lol

Have a wonderful day. I'll be here drinking purple gatorade today. yuck.
xoxo
Joanne