Catching up.

It is easier to stay up to date than to catch up, but I haven't been up to it.

The fourth treatment went about as well as the others but there was no way I was choking down a green smoothie. Just the smell made me gag. What I craved and had to have was chocolate pie and prime rib. I indulge in those terribly unhealthy foods. They didn't even taste good because my taste was gone. By the end of that cycle I was able to start drinking the smoothies again, just to start over with another treatment.

This treatment I have been drinking fruit smoothies made with plain yogurt with several pro-biotics in it and all the fruit I froze for my green smoothies. I cut up all the veggies including the kale into a soup which even though my taste buds where screwed up tasted pretty good. After having the soup my taste had pretty much cleared up. So the kale must have been able to do the job even in a soup.

I think the most frustrating thing that has happened is the loss of my eye sight. I have always had better than normal vision. My children and I would have contests when we drove to see who could see the road signs first. I always won by a long way. Eagle eyes, that was me. After the fourth treatment I tried to thread a needle and could not do it. I immediately went to see the eye doctor. I need reading glasses 1.25 magnification on the right eye and 1.50 on the left. He says my vision is normal for distances. I am not sure how they can call that normal. I feel like my whole world is fuzzy. I am hoping that when this is all over some of my vision will return. I am aware that I am wishful thinking but I can dream.

Anyway, I go in for my last chemo treatment in a week. I will be staying with mom afterwards. Then will come the surgery and radiation. We will decide when all that will start and in which order after the MRI which will happen a week after the treatment. I guess I will be staying with mom for a while. Not exactly the way I want to spend the holidays but I am grateful to have my mom, her love and help in invaluable to me.

Enzymes and Probiotics

With this last treatment, I was also taking an antibiotic. The result: not being able to digest my food. I bloated up like an Ethiopian malnourished child. At first I didn't realize what was going on. I was just getting more and more uncomfortable. I had terrible gas and diarrhea, but it was of undigested food. Really gross. When I was finally able to get out an about I went to Wal-mart and bought the only bottle of digestive enzymes I could find. Luckily it also included pro biotics. I took 3 doses that day and was feeling better with in 30 min of the first dose. Since then I have been taking at least one dose a day and trying to get more raw veggies. Raw Veggies are full of naturally occurring enzymes that break down our food.

I have also started eating plain yogurt. I have a pink smoothie most every day in addition to my green smoothie. I put strawberries and banana with the plain yogurt, a little agave, and wah la, tasty snack with probiotics for my digestive track.

One more thing I have started is sour dough bread. Again naturally occurring critters. I haven't had a very good loaf of bread yet. Our house is way too cold. I have an idea tho for the next batch. I will let you know how it turns out.

Third treatment results

I have good news. The tumor has shrunk. The Doc had a hard time finding it. I was so excited to know that it wasn't just my imagination. When we started all this, all I had to do was put my hand on my breast and the tumor would fill my palm, now I have to dig for it. Cool huh.

I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping. So when they gave me the Benydryl it made me groggy but I didn't go to sleep. So for the first time I was able to feel the chemo course though my veins. It felt like pressure and slight burning. I felt it first in my liver then across to my pancreas and gallbladder, to my stomach through my intestines, down my legs and my arms. Very interesting feeling.

I feel great today. I think the steroids are giving me the energy, or maybe the green smoothies are the trick. The Doc was all for the smoothies and said that the chemo does all that it will do in the first three hours. So I waited three hours and had another smoothie. Then when we got home my Blendtec was here and I had to try it out so I had another smoothie before bed.

When I was done with treatment I called mom to come and get me, at that time she told me that George had been throwing up and had a high fever. Miquel was going to watch George for my while I went to treatment but Attisyn had the flu and we didn't want George to get it. Too late. Atti only threw up a couple of time, George puked up his toes several times and his fever reached 103 degrees from him arm pit so I am sure it was really higher than that but I didn't want to traumatise him anymore by putting a thermometer up his butt. He is feeling much better today. He doesn't really want to eat but he is drinking almond milk and water. Can't get Pedialite down him.

More good news the scoma in my arm pit where they removed the sentinel nodes has finally started to go down. I started taking an antibiotic a couple of days ago. The redness and tenderness are less and the the lump is much smaller. yea.

Third treatment

My friend Kathy will be taking me to my third treatment tomorrow. Geo has to work. But then he will have 4 days off so he will be able to take care of me and George. I am so excited to be able to stay home this time. Miquel was going to watch George for me but Atti and Cougan are sick so we will take him with us; mom will care for him.

I forgot to get my steroids til this morning, so I was late taking the first dose. But I got it before lunch so I am guessing that I am OK. Again the steroids made water taste like chlorine and I have a very scratchy voice, almost horse.

I wonder if this treatment will finish off my hair. I have never lost all of it. I shaved it off last time thinking is would all fall out and then I wouldn't have the mess. All that did was give me really bad razor burn and lots of ingrown hairs all over my head. Not pleasant or pretty. My hair grew about an eighth of an inch in two weeks, some very fine blond hair is a quarter of an inch. Anyone know if this is normal?

Geo and I spent the last week in Winnemucca NV. We took Georgie to see his grampa Gibb and Lisa. We had a great time. Georgie loves his gampa. They had a great time playing. Gibb took us on a tour of the city and then to see old abandoned silver and gold mines. It was really interesting. He showed us a hoist with a really deep hole under it. It had been caved in so we couldn't go investigate further (thankfully). I was worried that Geo and Gibb might get to adventurous and try to get into one of them but rationality prevailed and we all returned home safely.

Another high lite of the weekend was being invited to Zachary's Patriarchal blessing. It was really special to be there and participate in the spirit that was there. I knew Zach was a special person but it was fantastic to have it manifest in a blessing from Jesus Christ thru the Patriarch.

Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. Mom and Leonard came to stay with us. It was Atti's third birthday and Chase and Miquel were having Cougan blessed. After the fun little party for Atti we went to Win On's for dinner. Leonard has been meat free for about 4 months and I am trying really hard not to eat meat so Win On's Mongolian BBQ was perfect for us. Plus they have a really nice meat free veggie dish, veggie lo mien and veggie egg rolls. We were happy as clams.

Then we had an enjoyable evening of eating popcorn and watching "The Secret." A documentary on the Law of Attraction. I love this movie, it helps me to be positive and proactive in my life. We get what we think about, so I want to think good things.

Sacrament meeting in Lapoint was very nice. Cougan was blessed to me named Ceagan, but I guess because the paper work was correct it will go on the record as Cougan. It was a nice blessing even with the name mix up. After the blessing we again went to Win On's and then went to the mountain.

We went up Taylor Mt. to Oaks Park. I think that is the most beautiful mountain we have in our area and there are very few people up there. In a few weeks that will be a different story with all the deer hunters but for now it was rather deserted. It poured down rain on us up there so we weren't able to get out and walk around but I love just being up there. We talked of having a family camp out up there next summer, so start preparing for it everybody.

Walking

My dear friend Kathy has been walking with me and Geoy every morning. We don't walk very fast. We keep it at a moderate pace and visit. I am not sure what is more beneficial, the walking or the visiting. I love Kathy, she is so patient with Geoy and the little things that come up when taking a child walking, like him wanting to push the stroller instead of riding. He has a hard time keeping it going where he wants and refuses any help. We have been run over a few times. We also have to go to the playground after we walk. Kathy just goes along and we keep visiting while we play, slide and swing.

I had gone off of the smoothies for a few days when we came home. After being at mom's where Leonard has a Blendtec, my smoothies made with my Bosch blender was less than satisfying. In fact it was down right awful. I was still trying to eat a good diet. Lots of fruit, whole wheat bread made by my visiting teacher, and some veggies. But I realized that I was having less and less energy, so I am back on the smoothies.

I tried to get Geoy to drink a smoothie this morning. It was very simple with almond milk and a banana with a little cocoa added as incentive. When I gave it to him and he tasted it he said "it dewissius" but then he didn't drink it so maybe not so much. I will keep trying. Maybe I will find a combination that he will drink.

Haven't felt like eating

The last few days everything has tasted like bitter metal. So getting anything down has been a chore. Mom made a rice pudding last night. I had a little bit of it. There are eggs in it. My arm pit filled back up with fluid. I just can't handle any animal protein.

Today I will start my three day detox with green smoothies, that is if I can get a smoothie down. The last few days they have tasted incredibly awefull.

Good news though, I haven't had any pills other than the blood thinner. No pain killers or anti-nausia. yea. I have been taking L-Lysine for my mouth. I don't feel any sores but when I brush, my gums are bleeding so I don't want to end up with an issue. I have also taken cascara sagrada. I want to keep my bowels open.

I feel much better today and so excited to see Geo. He will be here today to get us and then we will probably go home tomorrow. I want to get some peaches on the way home and get them in the freezer.