Is it the Kemo...

...or is it Us?
I got an update from Kathy just before the weekend and I thought I would share some of what was in the email.
The doctor told me yesterday that she could hardly feel the tumor, to which I replied, "So, we're done here?" To which she replied, "Uh, no!"

Thursday was my last "poison" treatment," and I'm not looking forward to the next couple of weeks of being sick, but I am encouraged by the reports of how much easier the next drug regimen is. And, I'm half-way done with my kemo!

It still seems as if I have such a long way to go, and I tried to give myself the same advice I give to students when they talk about how long it'll take to get a certificate or degree: "It's OK, you'll get there--break it into chunks (baby steps)--you'll be surprised at how quickly the time goes."

What a load of crap! Well, not really, but it's hard to take your own advice!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for helping me shrink those little !@#$%&ers with your positive thoughts and actions.

So is it the Kemo, or is it Us? I vote that we call it the combination of the treatment, Kathy's personal and family strength, and the energy we are all creating! Whatever it is, let's keep it working!!!!! When the strength of one of those things starts to flag, the others are there to take over the heavy lifting. Keep the comments coming, too. Kathy and her family really appreciate hearing from all of you out there. (255 visits to the blog as of this morning!)

TLC

Kathy has her last of the first round of nasty kemo tomorrow. Over the last three treatments the side effects have seemed to be cumulative, getting worse each time. You can imagine what that does to her state of mind. You know it's coming and you know it will probably be worse than the last time. Ugh!! The only two saving graces are 1) that this is the last one of this particular "cocktail" and 2) that if she is feeling crappy, the !@#$%& cancer cells are feeling worse. The good news is that the kemo is definitely shrinking the tumor. That makes it hard to know what to wish for her. The awful side effects seem like proof that the kemo is working, then again, none of us want her to have another week of side effects. What to do, what to do....

TLC is the answer! The kemo has to do its job, so the feeling crappy is probably a given. Doesn't that suck :-( But Kathy doesn't have to feel crappy alone! We're all here to provide some TLC. Family, friends, colleagues, anonymous blog readers, lurkers... Send some online Tender Loving Care! Let's let Kathy know that we are all out here creating positive energy to help with her fight. (Can we blow up the comments section with too many responses? We can try!) This next week will be hard, but she's tough and she has a support group behind her. This blog has had over 200 visits since I put up the counter (and that was after three weeks of blogging). That is a lot of positive energy and a lot of TLC!

Small Bites

It is important to do whatever it takes to combat nausea and get nutrition into the body during kemo. In this video Kemo shows how small bites can get one through a meal. Do take a a minute to watch ! ;-)

Be Kind to Kemo Stomach!

The kemo stomach is not a happy stomach, and although it tries to be stoic and not complain too much, it sometimes can't keep quiet.  The stomach and digestive tract "takes one for the team" during kemo.  Those chemicals that are bad for fast growing cancer cells are also bad for fast growing cells in the digestive system and stomach cells are the collateral damage in the cancer wars.  The more treatments you have, the more unhappy the stomach gets.  So here are some recipes I found that might make life a little easier for the heroic kemo stomach!

 Banana Shake--super easy, used in a hospital
 Citrus Rice Pudding from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Why does rice pudding seem like the ultimate comfort food?
A half dozen ginger recipes, including Carrot Ginger Soup, from the Prostate Cancer Foundation
Finally, here is the recipe I found for a Kemo Smoothie by Unknownchef86.  I could imagine adding ginger to this as well.  Maybe a 2-3 TBS of fresh or 2-3 tsp of ground ginger.  I think ginger added to this would be especially good if the fruit were berries or peaches.

• 1 (12 1/3 ounce) package tofu (I like Mori-Nu Extra-Firm Silken Tofu)
• 2-4 scoops protein powder
• unsweetened fresh fruit or unsweetened frozen fruit, to taste (bananas, berries, peaches, etc.)
• whole milk, as needed
• 1 quart yogurt, any flavor (berry flavors work well)

Run the tofu through blender til smooth, adding milk as needed to thin.
Add the protein powder and fruit to the blender, scraping down sides as needed.
Frozen fruit may be added to thicken (like ice) without substantially watering down the mixture.
Add more milk to thin, as needed.Add the yogurt into the blender and thin to taste with more milk.
Pour into individual drink containers, or leave in the blender pitcher and store in the refrigerator. 
Only make as much as you need for one or two days; make a fresh batch as needed.

Cancer Cells on the Run

Just remember Kathy, if you don't feel good neither do those @#$%& cancer cells.  You've got them on the run for sure. 









Thanks to lüke's photostream on flickr for the image. 

Kemo Number Three...

...with a Curriculum Committee meeting chaser!
Yes, you read that right.  Kathy had her three hour infusion and then came to school to chair a Curriculum Committee meeting! Tuesday she and Melissa had a marathon session working on the P.E. curriculum changes that will be coming before the committee soon.  Melissa was begging for mercy, but Kathy just wanted to keep going ;-)
That is the kind of strength it takes to kick Mr. Cancer in his fancy pants and send him scurrying for cover.  You know, maybe curriculum work has some kind of curative power.  I know there are faculty who run for cover when they hear the C word (curriculum I mean!).  Maybe it will have the same effect on those cancer cells.

It will probably be a less than pleasant weekend for Kathy as she deals with the queasiness, chemo-fog and fatigue from the kemo.  Let's send her and her family good vibes for this third round of the fight.  We're all out here cheering for you Kathy!

I Love NPR

I saw this article back in December and saved the link. This is the greatest story! I so admire this woman's sense of humor and comic talent even in the face of @#$%&ing cancer!  Be sure to check out her website to see all the funny t-shirt slogans.  Here is one example in case you need motivation to click on the links above!