Whew! & Two Firsts

Glad this 'chemo week' of side effects is finally over. As promised? As warned? As predicted? by my C-Dr and the chemo nurses during Chemo Class each subsequent round of chemo has side effects worse than the previous and last longer. So, yup, chemo round#3 was a bit more intense and lasted longer. In chemo round#1 I was feeling better by Friday; in chemo round#2 it was Saturday before I felt perkier and for chemo round#3 Sunday was the day I felt more normal. So my conclusion is for each round of chemo those crummy crappy icky side effects will last about a day longer. Bad news for chemo round#4.

I've mentioned to others that chemo round#1 was like a new adventure. Chemo round#2 was a chance to compare with the previous and as such also provided a way to prepare for chemo round#3.  With that in mind I'd wondered if the Senekot tablets I've taken (actually a generic, Senna-S) for the constipation have contributed in some way to the funky feeling I have--a feeling I haven't yet found the words to describe. So the 1st First is that I decided to wait a day, this chemo round#3, before taking the Senna-S to see if that funky feeling arrived about the same time as before or arrived with the Senna-S. The problem with that is it extends by a day the icks of constipation. So...my plan in preparing for that was to start on Sunday and 'front load' my diet with really high fiber foods, and food combinations my body reacts to in a very un-constipative way (I like inventing words!), in anticipation of my decision to delay a day the medication. Guess what? Based on the results my conclusion is it's the Senna-S tablets that cause the weird feeling I get. Better yet, the constipation didn't seem as bad as before so in all likelihood there will be 'front loading' for chemo round#4. We'll see if history repeats itself...in the good way.

Well, that was probably more than you wanted to know!
Or, welcome to my world.

The 2nd First took place Friday afternoon...my first time taking an anti-nausea pill. Even though I didn't have that urp urp blarch feeling or the need to carry a bucket around with me there was just that very unsettled crappy cruddy icky feeling I'd felt the past two rounds during 'chemo week' and had told Nancy the P.A. about a few weeks ago during my NADIR visit. As she had recommended I decided to go ahead and take the pill and see if it made me feel better. Yes! Well, it wasn't a 180-degree about face and improvement, but it did make me feel somewhat better. Another pill just before bedtime was also helpful and the final anti-nausea pill early Saturday afternoon. Nice to know.

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2 Things

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Not Just For Chili or Pregnant Women

No, I'm not pregnant. LOL
As recommended during Chemo Class there's a package of these next to my bed for use during 'chemo week.' Have never felt that urp urp blarch in a nauseous way, but keeping something, anything, on my stomach most of the time during this week helps prevent that problem. Since my bedroom is in the basement and the kitchen upstairs, these shelf-stable staples are handy as I'm preparing for the day before going upstairs to eat breakfast. Chemo round#3 and Thursday morning was the first time I decided it was time to crack open the cracker sleeve. Hmmm, surprisingly good all by themselves.
Maybe I'll rename them CHEMO CRISPS.

However, my preferred way of eating them is with a bowl of chili. Actually some might say I have a little chili with my crackers. And that thought got my saliva juices flowing. Since I need a lot of fiber and protein this week, a hot bowl of chili was perfect. See this picture? The only thing wrong with it is those saltines on the plate need to be smushed up and mixed into that bowl of chili. Yum.

THEN...

as I was searching for saltine pictures I saw this...

 

...which required some further research to find out how this yummy looking stack of goodness related to saltines. I discovered there are tons of the recipe (with only a very few variations among them) out on the web and so for purely selfish reasons -to have the recipe handy- here is Saltine Cracker Toffee.

Once this 'chemo week' is over with I just might make some jazzed up saltines. Ooooh, these look good.



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Toxic Waste Dump

That's what I am. True.

Although I didn't get a picture until now, it was during chemo round#1 that I first noticed the scary warning (red arrow I added) on my IV bag of Rituxan and did a double-take. My IV bag of Bendamustine has the same warning. Golly, I shouldn't have been surprised or stunned or shocked or startled or stupefied; we all know 'chemo'therapy derives from "chemical." There was just something about seeing it 'live' and 'in person' that shakes you up just a tad. And is also the confirmation of why you feel so crappy as your body processes the toxins, which, just as a reminder are main-lined straight into my jugular vein via the Port.

And probably also why *TMI warning* for a week or so your pee and poop have an odd, strange odor I've never encountered before.

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Full House - ChemoDay#2 round#3

Awwww.
The twins who played Michelle were cute.
The days of men and their mullets.
But that's not the Full House for today.
That was many years ago, not today.



What a difference a day makes. Maybe today could have been called a rockin' day also, but it was more like a zoo! Thankfully this is my 'short' day that only requires about 2 hours in the chair.

After meeting with vitals tech gal for info she collects it was then directly in to the infusion room. There were already 4 people in there, and after I picked an open chair (the one I wanted to try was already taken), other patients just kept coming and coming. As nurse Lisa was setting up my IV's I commented to her that it was sure different from yesterday. In my now 6 visits here I think I've seen the calm, the storm and the in between. Anyway, both infusion nurses were here today and they were constantly on the move and usually running more than walking. IV pumps were beeping that needed their attention and often in chorus. If the afternoon was anything like this morning they earned their well deserved pay today.




By the time I remembered to get the 'my view today' snapshot both chairs across from me had patients in them so what I got was Lisa as she was getting supplies.







Since today is a short day I don't bring my big bag of keep busy supplies, usually just a book to read. Today that book was on my Nook and in spite of all the goings-on around me it was an interesting read that kept me glued to it. Yup, that's it and my stretched out feet in the pic on the left. Once both IV bags had emptied, I got the Heparin flush as the last of today's treatment (given by injection into the IV catheter to keep blood flowing and prevents clotting in my 'Port-a-cath'), and then the IV tube from the Port was removed. While those last steps were being done on me all 12 chairs were full of patients, and most of the available visitor chairs were full too, with visitors of course. I didn't stick around to see how quickly my chair was filled but if the morning was any clue it probably wasn't empty long.

Yup, it was a Full House today in the infusion room.



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Rockin' It - ChemoDay#1 round #3

Many years ago while lots of family were at my parents house, my then brother-in-law (now an "ex") and I were listening to the LP/album soundtrack of American Graffiti and discussing, or maybe even rating, the songs. Turned out we had similar taste in music and appreciation of 'oldies' and especially those with a rockin good 'beat' to them. Some years later when I was visiting them at their home in Wyoming the subject again turned to music and he said I'd really like the music of Chris LeDoux. What?! I'd lived in Wyoming for two years in an area where I could only get one radio station that only played cowboy music, except for a 2-minute serial called "The Tooth Fairy" that was played each morning and I did enjoy it. The other junk...nope. And all I knew was this Chris LeDoux guy was played on cowboy music stations. No thanks.

Well...brother-in-law might have played me some Chris at that time (I don't remember) but I obviously dismissed it. So while Chris LeDoux rocked the music stages with his unique style of cowboy and country music and wrote more songs, I wrote him off. However a few more years

later I had my 'see the light moment' with the new country music and became a convert. Chris LeDoux songs popped up occasionally and guess what? I became a big fan of him too, and especially his rock-n-rollish songs. Time to eat a little crow. Yup, ex-brother-in-law was right. Chris died too early at age 56 from a rare form of liver cancer, but I feel lucky to have seen him perform two different times at the Lincoln County Fair in Afton. I think we paid $12 a ticket the first time, before his liver transplant, and $19 the second time, after the transplant, but each time we got a full-blown show that you'd pay $75-$100 to see anywhere else. Great musician, great music, and a guy easy on the eyes! If you don't know the song, this is a YouTube link to "Even Cowboys Love a Little Rock and Roll" Chris did with Charlie Daniels. (I prefer the Chris only version of this song but can't find it on the internet.) This post isn't about Chris LeDoux's cancer but related to his rockin' style of music.

Because, here it comes...during the appointment with my C-Dr today prior to chemo infusion's I got some information that made me feel like I was "rockin' it" -- that's a good thing. That was after vitals tech gal had taken the BP, weight, oxygen, respiration and C-Dr and I reviewed the 2nd round of chemo and side effects I'd experienced. All are manageable (with various levels of misery), apparently minor (compared to some other people), and blood work is still good. Counts of white blood cells and red blood cells are slowly dropping along with platelets, but not so drastically or critically, and C-Dr says NADIR visits (what I've called the 'mid-terms') aren't needed and the once-a-month blood work counts done on ChemoDay#1 will be sufficient. All this based on previous blood work but blood work taken today by infusion nurse just prior to treatment was okay. Of course, if any bad side-effect problems arise between infusions I can call anytime, but I feel like I've graduated from kindergarten to first grade.

We also talked about the schedule for the rest of the year and he reminded me that after today and tomorrow's treatments I would be at the half-way point of the monthly treatments. YeeHaw. So, in the way Wednesday is 'hump day' for the week I'm gonna think of this as 'hump month' in regard to my chemotherapy infusions. C-Dr also said that sometime after treatment #4 (October 21/22) we'll do a re-scan (PET scan) to see how the cancer cell activity is responding. Told him I've got mixed feelings, hoping results show improvement but the 'what if' lurks in back of my mind. In the calming and reassuring way he exudes, he said "You're doing great, you'll do just fine."

From there to the infusion room. Discovered today my phone does a so-so job of panorama shots (Monday is the long day and I got bored after about 4 hours in 'the chair') so here's today view:

Actually it is the same chair I sat in during my very first treatment. Decided I needed a chair closer to bathroom since a lot of fluids go in me on chemo-day#1 and well...you can figure it out. If you compare, this view is a little different because the snacks basket that was to the right of the fridge on my most recent visit had been moved, and then I see it to my immediate right.

Knowing it's a long day in the chair I bring various projects to keep me occupied and today I had my Nook, yarn to start a new crochet afghan, and of course phone to do a few games and internet surf. Also brought my lunch: the usual peanut butter sandwich (made today with peach butter my sister had made), 2 snack bags of grapes, string cheese and cashews for snack. Cashews and one bag of grapes were spared. I'd also picked up a few magazines from their rack for a little more variety.

Only one infusion nurse on duty as today was a slow day in the infusion room, and I'm not talking about 'slow' because of how long I spent in there. Rather, during the entire day there were only 5 patients, but never more than 3 at a time. I should know, I was there the longest. Two patients already in infusion room when I arrive, both 4 or 5 chairs away on my right. Then one of them left and another guy came in and sat in chair to my left but was there less than 30 minutes for whatever he needed. Then he left and shortly thereafter two other gals came in about 15 minutes apart and each were there less than an hour. By 12:30 pm I was the only patient. Had the place to myself for the next 4 hours. Weird.

Sad. One of the gals who came in was skinny, skinny, skinny with an obvious wig. Hoarse voice and having problems eating. She received IV fluids for dehydration and nurse was counseling her on how to improve nutrition and even brought her an Ensure from the fridge. After gal told guy in chair across from her that she had lung cancer he asked if she'd been a smoker. He named his cancer (I can't remember the name but I thought I heard him say it causes red blood cell trouble) and then she answered his question that yes, she was a smoker...and still smoked. The guy seemed stunned, as was I. Doesn't make sense and I don't understand how someone so miserable from the problems caused by her smoking continues to smoke. Proof of the power of nicotine addiction on some people. Like I said: sad.

After reading through magazines, tried internet but 4G service not working so played a few games but no patience today. So by 1:00pm I'd finished lunch and decided to get started on the afghan. It was an easy pattern once you get past the chain row and then figure out row2 and row3 patterns it moved along fairly well. Breaks from crochet due to bio breaks across the hall and conversation breaks with nurse and also Nancy the P.A. who stopped in. Picture above is chain row and start of row2, but by the time my infusions were completed I had about 6" of afghan completed.

All ChemoDay#1 drugs the same as previous two ChemoDay#1's and I was out of there a little after 4pm.

ChemoDay#2 tomorrow!


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Always On My Mind

Today's blog post title is not to be confused with the Willie Nelson song! (btw, great song.)

Although I don't "obsess" about having cancer in the form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma it is always on my mind, usually in the back of my mind, but always there. Some days less so. Some days more so. Tonight is a 'more so' night. Maybe because two days of chemo treatments happen again on Monday. Where did the last 4 weeks go?!

TV has been off all day, tonight the house is quiet (Mom is doing an online jigsaw puzzle in the room where her computer is) and the quiet is occasionally interrupted by a bunch of lively young people, and cars, in the church parking lot next door. I'm current on email, wasted time on Facebook where I'm more stalker than contributor, am avoiding looking at the pile of dishes that needs to be hand washed, and I've completed the assignments that need to be done for church tomorrow thus freeing up my laptop to do other stuff. As a result, thoughts in the back of my mind have raced to the front of my mind.

Googling...found a few new 'cancer blogs' and reading through them can put you in a seesaw of emotions. Most, however, I find uplifting and informative. I've bookmarked a few of tonight's new finds to the "C" folder on my toolbar and one day may even add them to a blog list on this blog. But not tonight. Not in the mood. There's ice cream in the freezer that's been calling my name and I'm going to answer!

Here's a Quick Read for you today.

And a rarity: a blog post posted the same day it was written.

Also, a reminder that...

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So True

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Junk Mail

Junk Mail is Junk Mail is Junk Mail, and I usually just shred it to oblivion.
This one? It got a reprieve long enough for a "say cheese" moment.

My awareness level of certain life events has been increased since June.
I've obviously become more sensitive to some things since June.

This piece took my breath away at first glance. Then I laughed...
...realizing all other mailbox's on the street got one too.

At least I hope they did.

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Why Me?

Why not.

So far, that's been the answer.

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School Daze

The aroma of Autumn & Fall is in the air and there is a certain 'feel' to this season that I love. It lets me know the heat of summer is finally gone and more pleasant and cooler days are here for a while. It reminds me of the start of the school year. It reminds me of the anticipation and wonder of what was to come during the four school terms that made up the year.

It was the same for me as a public school student, a college student, and even the two years I spent teaching students. As I mentioned in the Mid-Terms? post: I miss school. Fortunately there's this time of year when I can 'feel' school in the air.

I'm in a daze longing for the good old days.
Of youth, and innocence, and school.
And when there was no Cancer.

So, last Monday, after the early morning Mid-Terms #2 appointment the mood struck me to take some time for a leisurely, out of the way, scenic route home. Back roads. Through some farm land (diminishing) and subdivisions (increasing). Lots of stop signs. No freeway.

As I slowed down for one of those stop signs I saw these bikes propped against a fence. I must be getting old. My first thought was how far away from the school they were; was that a new rule? My second thought was that there weren't very many bikes and wondered if various societal fears are preventing the pleasure of a kid being able to ride a bike to school, like we did in the good old days.

There were students out on the grass playing outside. At the stop sign I made a left turn to continue my slow paced drive home and was also watching the activities on the school yard grass. Then I saw something that made me realize I would need to eat my words thoughts. I laughed at the folly of what I'd been thinking previously. Right there, inside the school fence and near the load/unload zone were HUNDREDS of bikes. It seemed like a sea of bikes. Although this was the best picture I could get there are still so many you don't see. This sight made my day!

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NHL Awareness (#2)

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Mid-Terms #2

Yesterday was NADIR visit, or as I called it here my "mid-terms" and I think that name shall be retained. Makes sense. At least to me.

Round#2 mid-terms was, for the most part, very much a deja-vu experience. I believe that is a good thing.

First stop is actually checking in and paying my co-pay, so what I have been calling the first stop is technically the second stop. Hey, does it really matter? Probably not. So, to be correct, second stop is visit with vitals tech gal. And, guess what?! My blood pressure reading was only a point off from the numbers during chemo day#1 & chemo day#2. Yippee.

So why do I make such a big deal about these BP readings? Because the doctors do and it bugs me that my body gets all wee-wee'd up about BP readings in medical settings. I'm hoping these last three readings (today & chemo days two weeks ago) that were nearer to normal and in the same ballpark (so to say) mean I may be getting less stressed about BP readings. Gee, and after all these years, all it took to accomplish that is a disease called Cancer. 

Next, time to extract some blood. Tech gal always asks where best place is and I've just had her use the inside of my right arm at the elbow but today thought we'd try the other arm. She was game. She was successful but earned her pay today. Long story short: my right arm is better. Two vials of blood were retrieved but it took a bit longer as the vein she finally found reluctantly gave us what was needed. One vial labeled as mine was immediately put into the fancy machine that does the CBC analysis. When I asked why two vials are taken she said sometimes a blood chemistry is requested so they just take two at the beginning and then don't have to do a second 'stick.' Smart.

Hey, who just passed out?  Sheesh.  It's only a picture!!

Next stop was across the hall to exam room and wait for Nancy, the P.A. She's the same gal who did the NADIR visit#1 with me.

We again chatted about last chemo round and side effects and what I did or didn't do for them and how this round compared to the first. Most of it you have already read about here on the blog. One thing she and I talked briefly about, that I don't think was mentioned in a previous post (and I'm not going to look it up right now so maybe I have), was the one night I felt so yucky, crappy, crummy, icky and wondered if maybe one of those anti-nausea pills was what I needed but wasn't sure because I didn't feel nauseous. Just yucky, crappy, crummy, icky. Or maybe I was nauseous but didn't know it. Anyway it was just as I was heading to bed for the night so I pulled out the pharmacy paper that came with the pills so see if there was anything I needed to know since I've never had one before and then read through the warning and cautions. Big Mistake. Decided I didn't want to wake up dead and would wait until morning to better monitor any potential problems. At this point Nancy looked at me, shook her head, smiled, and said, "Take it. You'll either feel better because it worked, but if it doesn't there's no harm." Okay. Good to know. BTW, as it turned out I felt better in the morning, so, no pill.

She then again looked over her notes and was apparently reviewing what C-Dr and I had discussed two weeks earlier during our appointment on infusion day#1. Next question was about swallowing and if I'd had problems, and also if I had troubles with acid reflux. Same answer as to everyone else: "No." Beginning to wonder if I'm some kind of anomaly with so many medical folks apparently incredulous I've been able to swallow food and such...at all. She then read through PET scan results and the dimensions of the esophagus mass from the report and measured it out to show me. I still had to ask: ?What if all this I'm going through doesn't work? because it often crosses my mind. She assured me it would and then we kind of went through the chemo dates for the remainder of the year. It's expected December will be my last of the two-day chemo infusion treatments and based on those dates she thought my yucky, crappy, crummy, icky feeling days would likely be gone by Christmas so I could enjoy that day. I certainly hope so.

Today's blood counts were reviewed and she was again pleased with the numbers. White blood cell count and platelet count were each down but not to any critical numbers. Red blood cells are holding their own and other numbers were good. Relief to hear that. Then a hop up on the table for the quick once over: my heart still beats and my lungs function, etc., etc. Because I'd forgotten to get a copy when C-Dr offered in July, of scope-Doc results of the Endoscopy and UltraSound and Biopsy, I was able to get that done today. Reading through it in the car later was interesting but I'm going to have to dig into two of my mother's medical books (Merck manual & Talbot's dictionary) to figure out some of the words used that I don't think I've ever heard of before. Anyway, today's visit was completed in less than an hour...

Again.

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Sticky Flies & Time Flies

Hate may be too strong a word for some people but I really hate this time of year when all those annoying 'sticky flies' turn into the pesky problematic pushy pests persistently psyching us out!

Fly Paper has never been an appealing solution to the problem either. Ick. 

How about this fashion statement? The solution found by this man apparently works well for the deer flies he has to deal with. Although my Dad wore these 'safari hats' around our cherry and apricot orchard (sans the can, of course)...I'll take a pass on this fly control method.

As for Time Flies? Apparently they do exist! Look at this--

However, as mentioned here I've experienced some strange dealings in relation to 'time' and since tomorrow is my Chemo Round#2 NADIR visit to C-Dr office I'm convinced once again that time flies. Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm happy it's going by fast, but there's so much I'm not getting done that I should be doing or think I need to get done. That's the rub.

My twisted humor delighted in finding this regarding TIME FLIES.

Enjoy.

Then I saw this and decided it was a perfect to end for today's post.

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Is It, or Isn't It?

Reminds me a little of the old Clairol hair color campaign.

That was a stretch.

Sometimes I wonder if I 'stretch' to find a chemo side effect or if they just find me. Because that is the question you ask: "Is it or isn't it?"
A question that's just another part of a life turned upside down.

This past week I've had a few experiences that make me wonder:
"Is it or isn't it?"

After the Chemo Class in July, and as an 'extra fiber' treat (and 'salty' helps odd tastes) I bought a box at Sams Club with three varieties of Planters peanuts, each packaged in an individual tube. A few tubes had been eaten early on but none since then. This week it was decided to chomp on another one, so I pried open a tube of the Salted Peanuts. Yum. That night the inside of my right cheek was very tender but by the next day wasn't so bad. The following day I decided to munch on the Honey Roasted and cut open a tube of them. Yum again. That night? OUCH. The inside of my mouth on the left side was almost raw. The next morning it wasn't much better and I started wondering, "Is it or isn't it?" a side effect of the chemo. Mouth sores are one of the things they warn us about. Then you ask yourself what seem like silly questions, "Have peanuts caused me problems before (chemo)?" and if I don't know the answer to that does it mean they haven't caused problems? Then you start doubting. In the meantime your tongue keeps wandering over the the cheek to see if the irritation is better or worse. Ow. It took several days for the soreness to go away but "Is it or isn't it?" just a canker sore or mouth sores associated with chemo? was the question rolling though my mind. Fortunately it didn't progress beyond a bad canker, but I'm off peanuts for a while. Maybe a long while.

One thing I didn't experience this round of chemo (and didn't miss) was the metallic taste and the 'warm ice water' thing. How nice to drink cold ice water!

However.

When I'm out and about there's a bad habit I've gotten into of finding a McDonald's drive-thru and spending a $1 to overpay for a large Diet Coke. Problem is I'm not a big fan of Diet Coke (reminds me of brown water) but McD's must have a special recipe of the stuff because it seems quite flavorful. Of no-cal Coke products I really prefer Coke Zero but have found that if a drive-thru carries Coke Zero it isn't always consistent (even McD's), at least to me and therefore avoid it. So, I'm out running errands the week following chemo and decide to quench my thirst. At the nearest McD's I pull in and get a tall cold one -Diet Coke, of course- and continue on my merry way. ICK. First swallow was awful. Second and third swallows were just as bad. I wasn't thirsty enough to finish it. Now occasionally you can run across a bad batch or badly mixed or poorly maintained soda fountain, but not often. After another errand or two I was getting a hankering for that caffeine fix and pulled into a different McD's to again overpay for a large Diet Coke at their current bargain price of $1. ICK--again! Can you really have two different places with the same bad Diet Coke? Possibly, but unlikely. And then it hit me, "Is it or isn't it?" related to the chemo. I may never know. Any other day I'd have gone into the McD's and asked if they'd had complaints and maybe asked for a refund, but this day I decided the odds were too great for it to be anything other than me and some taste related chemo side effects. It was McDonald's lucky day.

Maybe I should dye my hair.
Then you can ask "Does she or doesn't she?"  ;-)


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On Second Thought...

In this 8/5/13 post about the week of my first round of Chemo I wrote:
"My energy level is good and although not much was accomplished last week I've decided it was because being lazy is a choice. I chose to be lazy last week."

I was wrong. A little bit.

More on that later.

So I've gone through a second round of chemo -- and have something to compare ChemoRound#1 in July and ChemoRound#2 in August; what I now think of as "Chemo Week" which begins with two days of infusions and is the start of my 28-day chemo cycle.

The July chemo experience and the weeks that followed were very much like a trek or voyage into the unknown. Perhaps like Columbus; or Lewis & Clark; or even Borman, Lovell and Anders. If you don't know those last 3 names, look them up. In college I won 2 free movie tickets* in a radio station contest by knowing those names. Okay, I'll help you out: one of my favorite photos ("Earthrise" below) was taken by Anders.

Well, that was off topic. Sort of.

Anyway, to continue. The August "chemo week" provided opportunity to see what was the same and what was different. In fact, very much was the same, although side effects were slightly more intense and lasted about a day longer this time. One thing in particular stands out. Those two sentences from above about July's chemo: "My energy level is good and although not much was accomplished last week I've decided it was because being lazy is a choice. I chose to be lazy last week."

The choice to be lazy came from the idea that after all I'd been through and after waiting for what seemed like f-o-r-e-v-e-r to finally find out my treatment plan, that I could finally take it easy and relax, and 'be lazy'. I'd earned it. Was my energy level as good then as I'd said? Maybe. Maybe wishful thinking. Maybe not.

But in comparing the July and August Chemo Week's I've come to the realization that while my mind said in July I could be lazy, my body had little choice. A case of mind over matter? or matter over mind?

There must be a hidden camera in my bedroom during Chemo Week.

My C-Dr had warned me the side effect I'd probably feel the most is being tired, but I've been tired many times before in my life and that was the basis I used for the "tiredness" expected. In my working years dealing with computer systems there were far too many unplanned overnighter's and more than a few 'events' that resulted in 30+ hours (even 42 hours once) with no sleep. THAT is being tired. Chemo Week is different. During Chemo Round#1 the blame for how crummy I felt was placed on the Senna tablets used to combat the constipation. I didn't know any better. During Chemo Round #2 that crummy feeling was there again, but crummier. Did a lot of pondering and thinking, while my head was weighted to my pillow, and had to admit that the reality of those scary and caustic chemicals coursing though my body did have an affect -- like it or not. No nausea (yet) or this not so smiley face would be green; instead, this is what crummy looks like.

So, yes, being lazy is a choice, but feeling chemo CRUMMY is not.

*The question I answered (after many callers didn't get it correct) was "Who were the Apollo 8 astronauts that orbited around the moon last month?" Also, I'll show my age, leaving the oldsters nostalgic and the youngsters amazed (maybe). Back in the day, winning movie tickets was a big deal. There was only one movie theater in our little college town. One movie played two times each night for 7 days. Everything cost considerably less. How much were those two FREE movie tickets worth? A grand total of $2.00  Yup, the good old days.

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NHL Awareness

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