Monday 9:30 arrived at infusion center for third chemo treatment. Things got off to a slow start because I had to have blood drawn before treatment. I sat around in the not so comfy recliner for two hours before treatment actually started. Once the first bag was hung on the IV pole it took 30 minutes to run. There's a little down time in-between each bag. Last bag also took 30 minutes to run. Then it takes a few minutes to disconnect from the IV. I was free to go home.
My Son Don picked me up and we were home by 1:30. Somewhere around 3:00 I was hit with excruciating stomach pain. I won't go into detail but let's just say once a trip to the rest room was over, I felt better. I tried to drink lots of water and I had a little bit of soup at dinner. I was feeling pretty good except for being tired. I went to bed around 10:00. I woke up off and on thru the night feeling mildly nauseous. By 4:00 am I was throwing up. My mistake was not taking the anti-nausea pill. My excuse was, I was too sick to walk to the kitchen to get it. I know, dumb reason. Going forward each week I now know to not wait but take the medicine before it's an issue.
Tuesday, the day after chemo. I was so wiped out all day, all I wanted to do was sleep. I was sick again in the afternoon after eating some leftover soup. Finally, after the last bout I started to feel better. I kept thinking to myself, I have to eat something, but what? I asked google what foods settle an upset stomach. I made some white rice that I boiled in chicken broth and ate that. Then I ate a cup of applesauce and a few ginger snaps. I also drank a cup of mint tea. All things google recommended. Good old google to the rescue!
So, some lessons learned; take the anti-nausea pill before you feel bad. Could I have eliminated the stomach upset? I guess I'll know next week. Drink as much water as you can, it helps to flush out the chemo drugs. I still have all my hair, I'm not sure when that will start falling out. I have to tell you also, the nurses that work in the infusion center are angels sent from above. They work so hard and have many patients to care for. They are constantly moving and doing something for each patient. They are always asking if you need anything, a warm blanket (there's a blanket warmer in the center) something to drink or a snack. I only wish they had bottled water but all they offer is juice or ginger ale. Did I tell you they offer sandwiches too? Each day at 11:00 am they come around with sandwiches and drinks. The sandwiches are always fresh and really good.
To sum up my third treatment, it could have gone better. Most of the reason for that was because of me and my choices. Now I know better. As I take this journey I'll be learning things as I go and hopefully I'm also helping others who may be taking the journey along with me. It's hard to open yourself up for all the world to see but if it helps someone else it's worth the embarrassment. Till next week 💘
It's been a year since I've posted anything here. I guess I didn't have anything to say. Well all that has changed for me. I'm fighting for a longer life right now. Yes, the big C, Cancer has caught up with me.
My story starts back in 2021 during our year of lock down due to Covid. I went to my primary Doctor for a normal check up as I do every 3 months. I'm type two diabetic, therefore my blood work gets checked on that schedule. While there I told my Physician's Assistant I was concerned by some vaginal bleeding, a concern when you're post-menopausal. She suggested I make an appointment with a genecologist. From this point I'm going to outline the time frame for you:
February 2021 - Saw a genecologist.
March 2021 - had an ultrasound
April 2021 - I went back to genecologist for results and consultation. Her recommendation was to have a biopsy. I was told I would get a call to set up an appointment at the hospital.
This is where things went wrong, I never got a call from anyone. Also at this time (May 2021) I found out that my son Bob was diagnosed with cancer. The next months were some of the worst of my life. He passed away in September and I was devastated. As you might imagine, I wasn't thinking about me and my health. In other words, I blew it off. I had plenty of excuses, must be covid related reason for hospital not calling was the one I used the most.
Jump forward to 2022 - Another appointment with my primary. He asked me about my original concerns regarding my gynecological problems. I told him I never got a call from anyone and I wasn't too thrilled with the Doctor I saw anyway. He recommended another Doctor and urged me to make an appointment. I did because now my discomfort has increased to add pain to the mix.
April 2023 - First appointment with Dr. Sutherland. His recommendation was a biopsy. I agreed to have it done at Community.
June 28, 2023 - Checked into Same day surgery and had the biopsy done.
July 5, 2023 - appointment with Dr. Sutherland for results. Biopsy is positive for Cancer. Referred me to Dr. Hackett for further treatment.
July 13, 2023 - First appointment with Surgeon, Dr. Hackett. He recommended complete hysterectomy.
July 26, 2023- Went to Community for pre op testing.
August 8, 2023 - Checked into Hospital for surgery. Things didn't go as planned. My surgery was more complicated, Dr. Hackett couldn't do the laparoscopic/robotic procedure. My hystorectomy was done the old fashioded way. My stay in the hospital was 4 days.
August 16, 2023 - Follow up appointment with Dr. Hackett. My prognosis was not good. My cancer has spread outside the uterus. Dr. Hackett referred me to and Oncologist, Dr. Tang.
August 24, 2023 - First appointment with Dr. Tang. I liked him right away because he didn't hold back on the reality of what I'm up against. There's no cure but my condition is treatable to extend what time I have left.
Sept. 8, 2023 - Appt. at Community Outpatient dept. to have port implanted. This is for easier administration of Chemo drugs. The actual procedure took about an hour. It was uncomfortable but I was mildly sedated and alert.
Sept. 11, 2023 - Back to Community Outpatient dept. for a CT Scan. This was to establish a base line for future scans. Hopefully future scans will show improvement after receiving chemo.
Sept. 18, 2023 - First day of Chemo treatment. Reported to Infusion Center at 8:00. The center is very well run and everything was going smoothly. Around 1:00 pm I had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs. The staff were incredible and reacted immediately. Treatment was cancelled and I was transported to the ER. I was checked out there and it was determined it was indeed a reaction to the drug.
Sept. 25, 2023 - Reported to Infusion Center to start again. Everything went well this time. A replacement was ordered and I received my full chemo treatment. I will be going every Monday for how ever long it takes to receive treatment.
This brings me up to date on my timeline. So far I haven't had any side effects from my first chemo treatment. Keeping my figures crossed to keep it that way.
I know this has been long, but hopefully even if it helps only one person going through something like me, it will be worth it.
If I can give one good piece of advice it's this, Don't be afraid to seek treatment for anything abnormal with your health. Your life could depend on it.
I will try my best to update my blog at least once a week.
This morning I was paying bills, as I do every month when my Social Security deposit arrives in the bank. In the past few months several bills have gone up. Today I was surprised once again by an unexpected increase in my Natural Gas bill. I got an increase of $29.00. Add this to the $30.00 increase to my phone bill, the increase to my out-of-pocket cost for medication, you can see where this is going. The cost of living increase I received in January is wiped out and then some. I got to thinking about how I can reduce my grocery costs. Groceries are the only place I can lower spending since rent and utilities are non-negotiable. That in turn brought my thoughts to my parents and how they survived during the great depression of 1929. That brought me to another question, what is the difference between a depression and a recession? I asked Siri and this is what she told me:
So, in my opinion in my own personal experience, we are in a depression. When I have to make choices between buying food or paying bills, I think there's something rotten in this country. Set aside your politics for a minute and just answer this question, are you better off or worse off than you were two years ago? I know what my answer is. Where do I go from here, I've already cut out just about everything to save money. I don't go out to restaurants, or movies and I haven't had a hair cut in almost a year. I shop mostly at Aldi now for groceries and I never go shopping for anything new like clothes or household items. Maybe technically we aren't in a depression or recession yet, but I am certainly depressed about my quality of life. The Golden Years, that's a joke.
Yesterday we had a Celebration of Life gathering to remember my son, Bob. It was exactly the kind of gathering he would have loved. The venue was my daughter and Son-in-laws Farm. The weather was almost perfect but could have been a little warmer. Everything was set up outdoors as a precaution against Covid.
I have to give a huge thank you to our friend Dee Dee. She went above and beyond to prepare most of the food. Thank you Denis for grilling the sausage. Thank you Dan for making some killer wings. Thank you to my grand daughter, Jessica for making the awesome salad. I would be remiss to not mention all the desserts that everyone brought, too numerous to mention by names. If I left anyone out I'm sorry, just know I thank you so much.
The roses you see above were given to me by my friend Deb. I met her through Tracy and Denis and she is like family to us. Our family is truly blessed to have people in our lives that have shown again and again that we are loved.
There were so many of those caring friends that came yesterday to honor Bob. Some of his friends from childhood that I hadn't seen in years. Some of Bob's newer friends that I had never met also came. Kurt and his wife brought a remembrance for all the ladies to take home (see mine here):
Each pot of flowers was a little different and each contained a packet of flower seeds (forget me nots) to plant next year. The flowers are all real and very cleverly kept fresh. She put a lot of effort into making these beautiful remembrances and I can't thank her enough for doing it.
We are a large family and therefore there were a lot of extended family. Nieces, Nephews, cousins, in-laws, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. I can't name you all but I am so very grateful to you for coming.
The day was spent sharing good food, and sharing memories and pictures. The only down side came when it started getting really cold. People started to head for home when suddenly a storm descended on us from out of nowhere. All of a sudden the wind kicked up and rain poured down on us. We all started grabbing the food and running for the house. I mean it was so strange, we had no warning. And just as fast as it came, it left. Could it have been some mischievous spirit who thought it would be funny to see us all getting soaked, I wonder!! 👻👻👻
In closing I'd like to share the poem we chose for the prayer cards:
His pain and suffering are over. His passing caught us all off guard because his cancer was stage two and he was responding to treatment. God had other plans for him it seems. Bob left behind his wife Donna and their daughter Ashley. He would have been 55 in November. Please pray for those of us who loved him..
I made this yesterday for the second time. It is so good, it's hard to believe it's Keto. The first time I made it, I used fresh blueberries. This time I used sugar free Cherry pie filling. The fruit topping can be your choice.
To get started you will need a 6 or 7 inch springform pan. I got mine from Amazon in an accessory bundle made for the instant pot. I recommend the bundle because it came with a trivet with handles for lifting the springform pan in and out of the instant pot.
Ingredients
The crust:
3/4 cup pecan meal
1/4 cup all purpose flour (not Keto but it's minimal)
1 Tablespoon Monk fruit sweetener
2 Tablespoons melted butter
The Filling:
2 8oz. pkg. of Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia brand)
1/2 cup granulated Monk Fruit (I might cut this in half next time)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs (I used jumbo)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (next time I might try coconut flour but half the amt.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1 Prep the pan. Coat your pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of your instant pot. If you have a trivet with handles, make sure they are up. Otherwise you can make a sling out of aluminum foil.
2 Make the crust. Place the pecan meal, flour and monk fruit in a food processor or blender (I used a Ninja). Pulse a few times to mix. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until mixed well. Transfer the crumbs to your pan and press into the bottom (I just use my fingers to press).
3 Make the filling. You can wipe out your blender. Add the cream cheese, monk fruit, heavy cream, eggs, flour, vanilla and salt. Pulse until smooth scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the filling over the crust and smooth out with a spatula.
4. Cover the pan with paper towels and a square of aluminum foil. Press the foil around the rim so it's tight. Place the pan in your trivet with handles or if you are using foil as a sling place your pan on that and lower into your instant pot making sure the pan is not touching the water.
5. Cook on high for 25 minutes. Lock the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to seal. Use the manual setting to set the pressure cooker on high pressure for 25 minutes.
6. Natural release for 20 minutes. When the cook time is complete, let the pressure cooker naturally release pressure for 20 minutes. Then do a quick release if there's any pressure left. Gently remove the pan from the pot and uncover. The cake should be mostly set with just a slight jiggle in the center.
7. Let the cake cool on the counter for about an hour before putting it in the refrigerator to chill for about 6 hours. I add the fruit topping after about 3 hours. I don't remove the sides of the pan until I'm ready to serve.
I am not a dietician so I will not post nutritional values. I use an app to figure out carbs for my own personnel knowledge. I hope you try this, if you do please let me know how you liked it. 💕
Good morning, I know it's been a long time since I posted anything. I guess I've been in a rut, LOL! I'm posting this morning because I just read a very good Keto article on Facebook. The credit goes to Health Insider. I'm sure it was meant to sell something on Facebook, but the "7 mistakes" had some really good advice so I'm reposting for anyone interested in starting Keto. I will be the first person to tell you I have been guilty of several of these mistakes. I am recommitted to doing better and reaching my goal. So here's part of the article:
" Is it really possible to eat whatever, don’t watch calories and melt away stubborn fat from the comfort of your home without doing strenuous exercise at the gym?
What to do in these cases of “stubborn” fat?
According to health & wellness experts, the ketogenic diet is the one of the best solutions for transformation.
No Hunger, No Cravings, No Belly Fat…
You can have it all. The ketogenic diet allows you to enjoy delicious meals and lose weight fast, yet feel incredibly energized.
While AVOIDING sugar and carb withdrawal.
One of the main reasons so many people fail on the keto diet…
Is that they try to cut out too many carbs and sugar too fast, which then puts the body into shock.
If you want to smoothly transition into a keto diet and lose fat fast (and keep it off), keep reading.
What you’re about to read are 7 mistakes to avoid to be successful on your keto journey.
Mistake #1: Rushing Into KETO
Surely you’ve heard of the stories: Yes, the keto diet can melt 20lb per month or even more if you’re doing it right.
Thousands of men and women, all over the world, have used this eating strategy. It’s proven, and the results speak for themselves. People transform completely, losing flabby arms, big thighs, and stubborn belly fat quickly.
But before you get too excited, be careful. You can actually end up off worse than you were before.
According to health and wellness expert Dr. Alexander H. Blackwell, “Keto is a very knowledge-based diet.”
“Rushing in without a plan is short-sighted as it will most likely fail,” Blackwell says.
If you rush in without a plan, here’s what might happen:
You will keep craving sweets because you won’t know enough about healthy dessert substitutes.
You will keep snacking unhealthy food because you won’t have a well-thought-out meal plan that keeps you pleasantly full.
The weight won’t go down. It might even go up!
Instead, Dr. Blackwell recommends a professional, custom plan based on your body type, age, and eating preferences.
“Look for support and ideas on how to manage the diet correctly,” he says. “Your health is the number one priority. Invest in it now so you can save money and time in the future.”
Mistake #2: Not Getting Enough B Vitamins
Have you reduced carbs and then felt tired? Not enough vitamin B might be the reason why.
“B vitamins are mostly found in whole grains,” explains Blackwell. “Lacking them can make you feel tired, lower your energy levels, and slow down your weight loss progress.”
Fortunately, you can still get plenty of B vitamins from keto-friendly foods. You just need to eat the right stuff.
Here are our favourite options: meat, eggs, and dairy products. Combine those with seeds, nuts, and dark, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli for a more complete nutritional profile.
What to do if you still feel tired? Talk to your doctor about taking a B vitamin supplement to boost your energy levels.
Mistake #3: Eating Too Many Carbs
The big secret behind why the ketogenic diet works so powerfully at any age is ketosis.
Ketosis is an intense, fat-burning state. Instead of using carbohydrates for energy, our body starts to use our fat as fuel. This can double our weight-loss results.
But to enter ketosis, we need to limit carbs.
And here’s the problem. “Many people don’t realize how many carbs are in common, healthy foods,” says Dr. Blackwell.
Eating too much fruit is a common example. You think you’re doing a great job, but actually, you’re blocking yourself from entering ketosis. Keep reading to see how to avoid such mistakes.
The recommended carb intake is around 5% of our total calories. Finding this carb reduction tough when first getting started on the keto diet is normal.
However, it is essential if we want to reach and maintain ketosis. That’s the only way to start burning 20lb every month.
And thankfully, things get easier after the first week or two because our body starts to adapt.
Don’t give up early!
Registered Dietician and Wellness education specialist Nare Davoodi, says: “It is a common misconception to think you are in ketosis after doing the Keto diet for 7-14 days. But what often happens is people are not calculating their intake correctly.”
How to make sure you reach your intake goals? Consider tracking your macronutrients through an app like Keto Cycle.
Mistake #4: Eating Too Much Protein
Protein is great for you, but too much protein can cause problems too.
“When our body digests protein, it converts a small amount to glucose,” says Dr. Blackwell, which can then slow down your body’s ability to go into ketosis, he adds.
That’s because glucose is a sugar, and sugar is a carb.
Instead of using the keto diet as an excuse to eat as much bacon and steak as you’d like, remember that your main goal on keto is enjoying healthy fats.
Thankfully that includes delicious foods like nut butter, olive oil, and avocados.
So remember to have some form of healthy fat with every meal, and keep your protein intake in check.
Mistake #5: Not Eating Enough Fiber
There’s a lot of fiber in fruits and whole grains. But you can’t have many of these on the ketogenic diet.
So you need to be extra careful in order to get a nice amount of fiber during the day.
According to Dr. Blackwell, “Fiber is essential to help regulate digestion, hunger and fullness cues. It helps provide long-lasting energy and a steady blood glucose level.”
In other words, fiber is critical. If you don’t eat enough, you may feel hungry, overeat, and ruin your hard work.
The recommended approach is to eat more vegetables. All leafy greens are great. Follow this simple rule: the darker the color, the better.
Don’t like eating vegetables all the time? Consider trying fiber supplements to refresh your body.
Mistake #6: Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a powerful fat-controlling hormone.
It sends a signal to your brain that says, “you’re full,” so you know when to stop eating. If your body produces leptin properly, your appetite will stay in check.
But when your body produces too much leptin, your brain stops receiving the signal.
So you don’t feel full easily which causes overeating and eventually excessive weight gain. How to avoid that? Fix the underlying root causes of leptin resistance:
Irregular or poor sleep patterns.
Processed foods and overeating.
Too much stress
One of the many benefits of keto is that it can help fix leptin resistance. That’s because it consists of whole foods.
“Healthy sources of protein, fat, and fiber are proven to help improve sleep, decrease sugar pangs, and combat snacking habits.”
Mistake #7: The “Google Curse”
With a bit of light research on Google, you’ll find thousands of keto weight loss transformations. The proof is everywhere, and it’s easy to get excited.
Many people read a few articles, note a few keto recipes, then try to get started on their own."
Just to be clear, this is not the entire article, I left out the part where they get into selling their plan. If you want to read the full thing you can see it on Facebook.
