Cat Feet, Chemo, and Crazy Hair...

 Hi Everyone,

I am happy to report that chemo 2 is done and dusted. My tummy is a bit unsettled and I am feeling a little tired, but I am happy to be moving forward in the process. 

My mom was a super “chemo date” at the Santa Barbara Cancer Center on Tuesday.  We were at the SB Cancer Center from about 9am – 3:30pm – so it was a long day, but it went relatively smoothly.   I joked with the nurses that I was their “best customer” as I was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave!   My mom and I had our trusty little pink and turquoise “Playmate”  (ice chest) to hand, which the nurses seemed to think was quite fun.  As you can see in the photo, I am feeling rather chilly with my feet and hands submerged in ice water during my one and a half hour Taxotere infusion!  It was so nice to be in SB for my chemo – and to have Regina and Mindy stop by to visit me during my infusions.  It is amazing how a few minutes of smiles with friends can lift your spirits.

The infamous pink "playmate" and my ice water dip!

On Tuesday, we also met with my Santa Barbara oncologist, Dr. Kass, just prior to going to chemo and – good news – we agreed that it does appear that my larger tumor has already shrunk a little bit (this is the one that is noticeable to the touch)!  I won’t have an MRI until mid-June which will give us much more definitive information about how effective the chemo has been, but for now a simple physical exam shows at least a bit of shrinkage – after only one round of chemo - which is great!

My mom and dad have been a wonderful source of support over the past three weeks.  I feel so thankful to have them here with me.  My mom sometimes refers to herself as the laundry fairy (as my clean laundry magically appears in my room!)  and she is fast becoming quite the anti-cancer chef!  She has also made new friends at CVS (our local drug store/chemist), Gelson’s Grocery Store, Trader Joe’s Grocery Store and our favorite – Lazy Acres Grocery Store (or as she likes to call it – Crazy Acres)!   Dare any person get between a mother and her daughter’s organic, cancer fighting food!

On Thursday, I went in to see Terri, my fantastic hairdresser, as there was no avoiding it any longer – my hair was ready to go.  She was super sweet about my situation and gave me a fabulous shampoo and scalp massage.  As my hair was cut off, I said to Terri, how is my mom doing with this??   Although I feel a little bit exposed with a nearly bare scalp, I am not overly upset about cutting it all off.  Life is all about new experiences – right?  And now I get to know how most men feel – with super short hair!  It is a bit freeing in a way.   Although as you can see in the photo, I am still sort of at the not-very-fashionable Friar Tuck hair stage (i have tufts hanging on around the sides of my head - it reminds me of some sort of alien hairstyle out of Star Trek)!  Hopefully the next stage will be to progress to the smoother, Sinead O’Conner or GI Jane look (we didn’t shave it all off because it is too itchy to do so)!  I am so grateful to Terri for kindly fitting me in for this important cut.  I had thought I could maybe do it on my own at home, but that would have been a total nightmare! Thank you Terri!

Nearly bald!

Chris will be here to visit in about 2 weeks which is great!  We are now starting to do research on oncological surgeons.  Managing cancer treatment seems to be a full-time job – between going to appointments, setting up appointments, asking questions and dealing with insurance companies!  We have some consultations scheduled during his Santa Barbara visit – as you all know Chris and I like to be prepared – so we are doing our best to determine how to pick the best surgeon for my procedure. 

View from a sunset walk.

My mom and I have been going to restorative yoga classes at the Cancer Center 1-2 times per week. They are very gentle, relaxing classes and provide a wonderful opportunity to just slow down and be still.  We are also continuing with our walks which I really do believe are helping control some of the chemo side effects.  Santa Barbara, continues to provide a lovely, warm environment where I feel that I can breath deeply and stay as healthy as possible.

Thanks to everyone for their fun notes and messages of support.  It seems that I constantly have encouraging words coming via emails, cards, texts, phone calls and visits from friends.   Thank you for helping me feel so strong!

X

Jodi

Happy cat feet, sent from London!

P.S.  I had quite a few positive comments on the hot pink wig from my wig shopping trip! So it looks like I may need to invest in some neon colored hair.  I also thought I would share a picture of some fun cat socks Sara sent me from London! Nothing like some cats on your feet to put a smile on your face...

Round Two: Get wiggy with it…

Hi Everyone,

I think that in my attempt to keep my blog from being too much of a downer, and spewing far too many medical details, I failed to give a few bits of helpful information on my treatment.  First, my chemo treatments are every three weeks and I have 6 chemo sessions.  So that means that after my next chemo on this coming Tuesday, April 14, I am 1/3 of the way through chemo (sounds short and sweet when I put it that way)!  The drugs I am receiving at chemo are: Carboplatin, Taxotere, Herceptin and Perjeta.  This is the standard treatment for breast cancer with triple positive biomarkers (the biomarkers are: HER2, estrogen and progesterone – so I am positive for all three).   The HER2 biomarker is especially important because Herceptin is very effective in treating HER2 positive breast cancer.  My chemo sessions should be:  April 14, May 5, May 26, June 16, and July 7.  Then I have a bit of a break before my surgery. I will likely celebrate the end of my chemo with one red velvet cupcake and a glass of red wine with Chris who will thankfully be here for chemo 6 (and for chemo 3)!

So, my mom and I made it to the wig shop and I am including a few photos for your viewing pleasure!  I don’t know that I will always wear a wig, but figure that it will be good to have the option.  I am also investing in a few scarves and hats. So I will have options and I like options - I may also opt for the Sinead O’connor look occasionally!  Or as Chris suggested, if I buff up my arms a little bit – and put on a camouflage tank top – I could adopt the GI Jane look!  

With bangs (fringe)!

Short and blonde.

Just weird - a female mullet!

Channeling my inner Pink!

Good news!  I received my genetic test results back and I am negative for BRAC and 15 other genes associated with cancer. They had one inconclusive result for one other gene, but said those often turn into negatives, once their testing improves and they aren’t worried about it.  This is all good news because it means that my genetic profile does not indicate the need for a more aggressive treatment plan – hooray!

The winner!

Sad news…We have read that to be on the safe side it is better to not have freshly cut flowers or plants in the house.  You may know that I love flowers!  But they are all now out on the patio (thanks to Spencer for alerting me to this).  Evidently, these items can shed mold or bacteria into the air, and they (or the water they are in) can be a source of infection. So there we are – no flowers or plants for now! I recommend that you go out and buy some for yourselves in my honor.  :)

Actually, I am working on being very careful about germs as I am now immune-compromised due to my chemo.  So we are doing everything we can in the house to be careful about reducing the spread of germs.  This also means that if anyone is sick at all, or even suspects that they might be, I need to keep my distance. Visitors are supposed to wash their hands when they arrive – so it pretty much sounds like the treatment we would give a newborn baby!  Hmmm, once I lose my hair (which is now falling out at pace), I suppose it might all feel like a bit of a re-birth.

Another great meal from mom!

I have been feeling good this week.  I went to a very relaxing reiki session on Tuesday, mindful meditation on Wednesday and restorative yoga on Friday.  I am trying to make the most of this week since I am feeling pretty robust.  Chris (thank you husband!) made me a nice mix of meditation music that I often use to go to sleep to (any recommendations for more good relaxation music are welcome).  I have read two books so far (thank you Sasha and Adrianna for sharing your books and Sara and Jeb for my trilogy!). I am loving all of the book recommendations that have come in.  I think I will also check out some of the movies that have been recommended while I am resting after chemo 2.  

Hands in the air for my walking buddies! I have a growing my list of walking partners! So far, we have my mom, Debbie, Yonie, Stefani, and Martha. This is a great way for me to enjoy friends and get some exercise – so thank you for supporting my attempt to walk every day!

Finally, as with my first chemo, if you can send me a message, photo, link to silly youtube video etc. to make me smile or laugh on Tuesday, April 14th while I am at chemo – I would love it! 

As always, I thank everyone for their love and support! 

X

Jodi

Less is more...

It has been 14 days since my first chemo.  I am happy to report that overall, the side effects haven’t been too bad (knock on wood!).  I had an unsettled tummy and felt more tired than usual, but still managed to get in my daily walks (although one was only around the block!).   We are crossing fingers that I do as well with chemo 2 – which is on April 14^th.  Some good news – I now have an oncologist at the Santa Barbara Cancer Center – Dr. Kass.  This means that my second chemo will take place in Santa Barbara – which should make life much easier!  The drive to LA through Malibu is pretty, but it is a bit of a mission to drive down (2 hours) for 5 hours of chemo, and then stay the night so that I can get my neulasta shot the next day and then drive back to SB.  So hooray, I am now set up for chemo in SB and will next go to UCLA for an MRI after chemo 3 in  mid- May to see if the chemo has shrunk my tumors (think shrinking thoughts for me!).  The SB Cancer Center is a fantastically supportive environment – offering yoga, meditation and lots of classes along with various support groups.  They have a very holistic  approach which is wonderful.

Green juice cocktail hour!

My mom and dad came in from Arizona just before Chris headed back to London on March 28th.  They have been taking very good care of me.   My mom is a real trooper.  I drag her along on my walks, take her to yoga classes at the Cancer Center, and have now trained her to know the difference between organic (certified) and no spray/pesticides.  I think that before long she will have good friends at the farmers market (those of you who know my mom won’t be surprised by this, she makes new friends in line at the grocery store)!  

Everyone continues to be supportive!  My dad in Thailand and my little brothers (in Washington and Oregon – we are a spread out bunch) have said that they will all shave their heads when I lose my hair – and my dad assures me that bald is beautiful (OK, he already shaves his head, but I have to say it does look pretty darn good on him so I am hoping I will take after him)!  My grandma who has the greenest thumb I have ever seen has been sending me flowers which is a real treat (as were the flowers I received from my University of California colleagues and friends in London).

With Regina and Mom - pre-haircut!

My big news is that I have preemptively cut my hair off (ha, take that cancer)!  I went to see Terri at the Luce Salon in Santa Barbara and she did an amazing job. She cuts my friends' (Debbie and Regina's) hair and she was kind enough to squeeze my mom and me in for our cuts.  Regina even joined us for the fun and Teresa joined us after to celebrate with a cup of tea!   My hair is being given to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children.  Would you believe that I actually like my hair short?! Who knew??  It is a good reminder that we shouldn't be afraid to try new things.  The last time I had it this short I was probably 8 years old!   Next, I go in to get some bangs cut (fringe for my UK friends) to test out short hair cut number 2 - before it all starts to fall out…

Going, gone!

Going...

With Teresa and my new hair!

I am still doing my best to stick to the healthy diet – but as the nutritionist told me – there is your diet during cancer treatment and there is your diet after treatment.  So, long story short, I have reintroduced some bread and pasta into my diet.  In part this is to ensure that I don’t lose weight, but also to help with my energy levels – especially when I am in the first 1-2 weeks after a chemo session and I am feeling rather fatigued.  However, I am still off of sweets, refined sugar, caffeine, diary products and alcohol.  I can report that the winning green juice combo at this point is:

Kale

Spinach

Cucumber

Parsley

Ginger

Apple

Lemon

The lemon and apple are key!  Chris can also make a mean almond milk, almond butter, vanilla smoothie! 

Thanks to everyone for your messages, cards and thoughtfulness – it all lifts my spirits and helps me stay strong!  

Stay tuned for a recap of my visit to the Santa Barbara wig shop…my visit with a reiki specialist and my appointment with Dr. Henry Han a respected Dr. of Chinese medicine here in SB…all coming soon… 

I will leave you with a quote from my new (thank you Sara Jerome!) book of Dolly wisdom:

"Someone once asked me, 'how long does it take to do your hair?' I said I don't know I am never there."

Thank you UC London Friends!

My "Oceans of Love" quilt

made by Carolyn!