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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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...
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