Good nausea meds sure make a difference with chemo.

Today is Monday and I had my last chemo on Friday and the follow up shot on Saturday. The Dr. changed my meds for nausea and what a difference. I am a little tired and a few aches from the shot but this is so much easier than I thought it was going to be. I now only have six weeks left (2 treatments). I am so excited to think about being done with it. Oh..... the doe had her twins. We saw them for the first time yesterday. She had been out of site for about a week and we thought she would come back with the babies. They are so tiny and cute. She is keeping her distance from us at the moment but last night they slept in the horse stall. That is great because it is where she was sleeping before. Lots of fires around and really smoky at our house. We were a little concerned yesterday when we could hear the planes not far but they must have done there job because they went away. Well there isn't much to report this time but I am tuely feeling much better. Love you all K

The cycle continues and I am so GRATEFUL.

I remember a few years ago starting a grateful journal. I didn't get very far and didn't continue. It seemed such a chore to come up with five things a day that I was truely grateful for. Now it is so easy.

Yes the week after chemo sucked big time. I was still depressed, nauseated, in pain and most awful, unable to eat. Most days I don't think I was able to get down more than 5 oz. Eddie did everything he could to entice me to eat. I lost so much weight even I could see it. I finally called Dr. Fig's. nurse for help and am now on Megase. A wonder drug in my opinion. Doesn't make me feel hungry but I can't seem to get enougt to eat. If it doesn't move and tastes good I'll eat it. I have also figured out which nausea drug works in the mornings when I wake up. I took it regularly three times a day along with my pain meds for about a week and now mostly take it when I wake up. I don't seem to need it as often. Pain meds are seldom needed now.

I have found a new lease on life. The day after starting on Megase I got out of bed and the only time I get back in now is to sleep at night. I am eating like a horse, sometimes to the point of being uncomfortable. I think another factor in my improvement is that my meds for depression kicked in about the same time I started on the Megase. I now have some energy part of the day and can do a few chores. The laundry may take all week to get done but at least I can do it. I planted petunias accross the front of the house yesterday and that is something I didn't think I'd be able to do this year. I am trying to walk each day but spend most of my days under the canopy Eddie bought me. Eddie has been working his tail off mowing and weed eating and Roseglen looks like a park. We have deer that live on Roseglen and one of them is expecting any day. Because it is her second yr she should have twins. We are truely looking forward to watching them bouncing and playing on the lawn. Speaking of babies Erik and Kirsten now have a new baby girl named Sofia Grace Rose. She is beautiful and we can't wait to meet her. Life is GOOD for now and I am grateful.


Grateful for the Drs. and nurses, at Cancer Care Consultants, my good friends at Hayfork Pharmacy for their patience and friendship, the staff at Hayfork Clinic, all the friends in Hayfork that give us encouragement and prayers daily. A special thanks to Janelle Wingert who being, in our opinion ,. one of the best of cooks, has dropped off dinner several times.Also Betty Scott for coming over and spending the whole day with me when Eddie had to be out of town. She brought me home made brownies and a new hammock. We had a great day catching up. Out of town friends and family that take the time to call. Some every few weeks and some every day. They spend bunches of time listening to me moan about my plight.I can't tell you how much you all mean to me.

I am also grateful for feeling good 90% of the time. To be out of bed, to be smiling, able to feel tuely happy even when doing nothing except being outside on the lounge. Eddie is usually close by working on something or sometimes just sitting and being with me. Our dogs, cats and even the parrot spend time out there with us. I have had people ask me in the past why we live to far out and in Hayfork. The answer is so simple. It's beautiful , the people are honestly wonderful and our Roseglen has turned into my healing place.

OH YEAH!!! I AM NOW AS BALD AS BILLIARD BALL.

Wearing scarves, hats and whatever is fun. I have wigs but haven't worn them yet. I really don't mind being bald but it is shocking when I glance in the mirror. Eddie hasn't complained at all when I am just exposing my baldness for comfort.

After First Chemo Treatment

As you might guess Karen is not feeling well so she ask me to let ya know what's been going on lately. First though, I'd like to thank everyone for your kind words concerning the loss of my sweet sister Claudia. We will all miss her terribly. The last time we saw her was when Karen was in recovery from her surgery. Three of my sisters , including Claudia, came to visit . Claudia was giving K a scalp massage while Joan was rubbing her feet, Juanita was being in charge. lol
Anyway,,,,Karen had her first chemo treatment on the 29th. We arrived at the center at 8:30 am and left at 6 pm. The whole thing was a bit surreal. The treatment room reminded me of someones family room. There were about 10 or 12 others there. All in soft leather recliners with their individual iv's going. The treatment is basically pain free, so everyone was talking , joking ,reading, etc. I brought the laptop with a couple dvd's , but the atmosphere was such that comraderie with the other patients seemed more appropriate. No one was outwardly sad or depressed, more like encouraging each other and sharing their stories. The next day we had to go back for the follow up injection of a drug intended to stimulate white cell production. Then the fun was over.
Karen has been alternately nauseous, lethargic, in pain and weak for the last week. Food is something she must force herself to eat. Not only does it not taste right, but she doesn't know which bite will make her nauseous. I spend a lot of time running back and forth to the market trying to find something she can eat and more importantly keep down. She has zero appetite and only eats for survival. We called the Doctor yesterday to get a prescription for something that will give her some appitite. I will pick that up as soon as the pharmacy opens this a.m. She has already lost more weight than she should at this point. As you know she didn't have much to spare before this all started.
Even with all this she does have short good spells. I bought one of those fold up awnings and put it in the front yard. Put a chaise lounge and a little table under it so she could be outside enjoying the scenery, critters, birds and all those things she loves so much about living where we do. Yesterday she was out there for awhile and the next thing I noticed , she was snuggled under the quilt you folks from the quilting guild made her, sound asleep and peaceful. Of course the lounge was being shared with three or four of her animals. Don't try to convince me that the cats and dogs don't know something is up. I think this will become a daily ritual for us.
Hopefully Karen will be able to personally update this in the near future. Until then I'll try to keep you up to date.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers.