Only One Chemo to Go! (Click here)

I seem to be a bit slow on the posting of updates lately!  But I am happy to report that I had my 5th chemo on Tuesday - and that means only one more chemo to go! Hooray (then surgery and then radiation, but let's just celebrate that chemo is coming to an end)! 

I never seem to sleep very well the night before chemo because I am taking steroids before, during and after. So I was running on empty when I got to the SB Cancer Cancer as I only had gotten about three hours of sleep.  So the bad news is that I was a bit loopy during some of my chemo (it is always a bit unnerving to feel that you aren't quite in control of your body).  In particular, when they give me my benadryl,  I can feel a wave of tiredness and disequilibrium set it.  And I think that due to the fact that I had so little sleep the night before, my benadryl infusion put me into a totally spacey place (I was checking email during this time - some of which have completely disappeared!).  The Center nutritionist came by to see me during my chemo which was great - but I was all loopy.  As I spoke with her, I could feel myself stopping mid-sentence, loosing my train of thought, or saying things that were slightly nonsensical!  Maybe this is also just a bit of the chemo brain that you hear people get.  This was not pleasant, but it all passed.  I just thought, thank goodness, that I haven't had this experience every time! And even if this happens during my next (LAST!) chemo, well, it will be OK, because it is my LAST chemo! I wore my pink wig to chemo, which seems to make people at the Cancer Center (including me) smile.  It is hard to be in a sour mood when you have neon pink hair on your head. I think that we have even convinced my oncologist, Dr. Kass to wear one for Halloween!  I think that the pink will suit him nicely. We just have to figure out what to do with the mustache.  :)

Meeting with Dr. Kass before heading into chemo.

I am happy to report that my mom and dad are here with me for two weeks.  My kitchen fairy is back! Yahoo! It has been wonderful to rely upon their support this week.  My mom went with me to chemo on Tuesday and kept me company.  We have put my dad on chopping duty in the kitchen (mom cleans the veggies, he chops, they cook, I eat - sounds pretty good for me, no?!).  Chris arrives on Friday for a one week visit - which is great because this is the longest we have gone without seeing each other since 2007 (pre-engagment)! 

As I mentioned in my last blog update, my treatment seems to be going well. My MRI showed no dye uptake into my tumors - which means that they are essentially gone (or almost gone!). So we couldn't ask for better news at this stage.  So my attempt to be a superstar patient may be paying off!  With that in mind I have not tossed my green juice and run off to Crushcakes for a mini red velvet - rather I am doing my best to stick to my cancer-fighting diet (low sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine, no dairy, lots of greens and plants and some animals - organic whenever possible).  I have to say that I am looking forward to seeing what the heck my body is going to crave once I finish my cancer treatment! I have a feeling that desserts aren't going to appeal very much, but am pretty sure that I will want to enjoy a glass of wine every now and then! A nice, full-bodied red...yum!

I was extremely tired yesterday so watched the movie, Iris, about the philosopher and writer Iris Murdoch.  It was a beautiful film that I definitely recommend and I have just started reading her novel, To The Sea, To The Sea.  I have made it through quite a few books, so will try and post a list of recommendations at some point...

I also wanted to share an article that Jenny Lee posted awhile back, which Chris sent to me - The Moral Bucket List.  It rather nicely encapsulates some of that thoughts that went through my head when I found out I had cancer (actually, I thought about this stuff even before I had cancer, but finding out that you have cancer brings a new intensity to these kinds of musings).  This article reminded me of the importance of gratitude for all of the good things in my life and that a life worth living is one that is full of honesty, love and meaningful realtionships.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/david-brooks-the-moral-bucket-list.html?mwrsm=Email

Thank you friends for helping me stay grounded, focused and grateful.

x
Jodi

Thinking of wonder woman and her magic bracelets as I go to chemo!

My incredible shrinking tumors...(click here)

Hello Friends,

I wanted to share a bit of GOOD NEWS! I went in for an MRI on Monday so that they could see how well my tumors are responding to the chemo and....It looks like I am having a great response!  My oncologist is very happy with the results and says that it is possible that my tumors may completely disappear by the time I go in for surgery (yes, even if it all disappears, I will still have to have surgery).  But the responsiveness of my tumors to the chemo is very encouraging news!  I go in to see Dr. Kass on Friday so that we can review the images together.  Then, I head over to have a consultation with my surgeon, Dr. Grafton. Hopefully, we can set a tentative date for my surgery. 

My beautiful electronic flowers from Gale!

Everything else is going fine. I am feeling pretty good this week. Santa Barbara is warm and lovely.  I had two wonderful friends visit - first Adrianna and then later in the week Eric. They both brought lots of smiles to my face!

My next chemo (chemo 5) is one week from today...Thank you everyone for all of your love and support - it has undoubtedly played a role in my tumor shrinkage (I bet you have never been thanked for that before)!

xoxo
Jodi 

Yummy healthy lunch! Think of me when you eat your greens!

Chemo Countdown...(Click here)

Well it has been almost one week since Chemo 4.  As you know, my chemo 4 was pushed back one week due to my platelet count being only 80.  We were a little worried about that, but decided that we should just say, hey, this is a bonus week where I get to feel a bit better... and I did enjoy the week - it was great to have more energy than usual. 

I was very nervous when I went in for my labs for chemo 4 (take two) - if you ask Chris, he will let you know that I was a bit grumpy as well, but would you believe that when my labs came back they showed that my count was 240!! So my platelets went from 80 to 240.  A normal level is from 160 up.  I saw on the lab report that they even had the lab recheck my count to reconfirm that my count was indeed 240!  The nurses said that one week can make that big of a difference, but I think I am just back to being a superstar patient!

I was really thankful to Carolyn for being my buddy at chemo 4 (take two) last week.  She picked me up and even carried the infamous blue and pink ice chest!  Now that they know that I don't have any bad reactions to my drugs, they can administer some of the drips a bit faster.  We were in at 10am and then out around 2pm.  This is much better than the previous in at 9am and out at 3:30 or 4pm!

I do feel like this last round of chemo has slowed me down more that the previous few rounds. I suppose that there is some cumulative effect.  I seem to have more fatigue than usual and my tummy is slightly more unsettled, but nothing unbearable.  I have actually stayed home all day today to rest and take it easy (but I did sit outside on the patio and get a few minutes of beautiful Santa Barbara sun!).  And I am so thankful for the support I have received over the past two weeks.  A number of friends have had me over for dinner this week (Ted & Stef, Cami & Mindy, and Debbie and Paul) - I REALLY appreciated this since my motivation to cook was pretty low - and of course my spirits were raised by spending time with such lovely friends!  Actually, I really scored this past week, because Martha also brought me over some chicken soup early in the week and I was able to enjoy dinner out at Carlito's later in the week with Martha and Tim (I just want to say that I looked particularly questionable that night as I hadn't slept well and had a really crappy day - my eyes were VERY red and puffy - I think I truly looked like a cancer patient that night - but I made it out and nobody turned in terror when they saw the wig lady with scary eyes!).  Many thanks to Martha and Tim for treating me to a much-needed night out of the house!

I have decided to start a chemo countdown - since I am now over the chemo "hump' so to speak. I have just two chemos left (June 23 and July 14th)! Hooray! That means in 36
 days I will finish up my main chemo.  I say main chemo because one of my drugs - Herceptin (which targets Her-2 positive breast cancer which is what I have) - will have to continue to be administered to me every three weeks for about 9 more months.  Luckily there are few side effects from Herceptin so it should be a much easier regimen.  But, we need things to celebrate along this rather long journey - so we celebrate 36 days until I finish my main chemo! Chris gets here on July 3rd so we may have to have a little pre-party! 

Even though I am feeling slightly off, I am trying to get my regular exercise in (I can't bear to lose my hair and my muscle mass!). So I am doing my best to stay somewhat in shape.  I even told Chris that I will ride bikes with him when I get back to London (in the parks, not on those crazy streets!).

To close out this entry, I want to recognize my friend Mindy. She is a brave, brave lady. She is the first person to accept my generous offer (or challenge?) to try my stinky Chinese tea!  I think that the photos here capture that - like fine wine, it is an acquired taste...Go Mindy!

"Hey Cami, get a photo of this, Mindy is up for trying the stinky tea!"

"You are gonna like this!"

"OK, this looks pretty, um, well gross..."

"WOW! That is crazy stuff! Will I ever get rid of this taste on my tongue?"

"The things I do for my friends!"

Chemo 4: Take Two!

Hello Friends,

Tomorrow is Chemo 4 - so cross fingers that "Take Two" goes better than "Take One"! I have tried to look at the positive side of the one-week delay.  Having a week where I feel relatively good has been nice and as Grandma Anderson says, "Why complain? Is doesn't do any good"!  So on that note, I wanted to say that both of my grandmas are a real inspiration (and hopefully evidence that I have a good 50 more years of living to do)!  Granny Maben is a breast cancer survivor and is 96 years young (this picture was taken this week) - doesn't she look great?! And Grandma Anderson is 94 and still has a green thumb growing flowers and even tomatoes (can you see the twinkle in her eyes?).  You go grandmas!! 

Granny Maben looking good this week!

Grandma Anderson with me a few years ago.

I have had a good week, green juice, smoothies, walks with friends and a visit from my dad - so hopefully those pesky platelets have risen far above 100 so that I can get my full cocktail of drugs tomorrow. :)  Give me drugs...I need drugs!

Our yummy soup!

Cooking Thai soup for me!

During my dad's visit last week he did a number of great house projects for us (friends here in Santa Barbara you will be happy to know that our doorbell now works - hooray!). He made me some nice dinners as well!  And finally you get the promised photo of my bald head!  I am working on a small tan for my scalp so that I can go out bald once in awhile if I want to (without blinding anyone).

Like father like daughter.

This will be a short entry as I am tired and hoping that I can get some sleep tonight.

As you can see even the wee ones are doing their part to make me smile and laugh - so thanks again to everyone for all of your love, I know that it is helping shrink my tumors!

Hugs,

Jodi

Silly Charlotte making me laugh! Well done little Charlotte!