Its a Wasa Week

I've discovered that the week following a chemo treatment is a Wasa Week. What does this mean? A week without much food. However, I have found some things I do look forward to: Vlad's poached eggs with toasted ciabatta is a good start to the morning with my daily shot of Neupogen. Wasa crackers with a little peanut buttter plus canned pears in fruit juice gets me through lunch, and frozen bay scallops sauteed for 3 minutes for dinner. I can eat about half the package. And I love to share a piece of watermelon with Vlad in the evening. As I move through Wasa Week it is tough on everyone to see me suffering and to think I'm starving to death. It is rough, but I hope you all find comfort in the fact that I am aware of my weight loss and am highly motivated to find a program that will help me receive the nutrition and calories I need so that I will have the strength to endure the next treatment I do not want to get off schedule! Lets keep this show moving forward.

Chemo Treatment #2

June 24. Chemo Treatment #2. Not such a big deal now...took my pre-meds, wore the right clothing, put the numbing cream on my port, packed some snacks, my phone, a book and headed off to Waverly with my chemo partner: Mom. Vlad took the opportunity to take this nice shot of his thriving cactus collection, although it only represents about a third of the grand total.

For this treatment we brought the camera to capture the madness. First step is get your counts: My red blood count was good...white blood count was low (3.2---normal is 7-10). Everyone made waaay too much of a big deal about a few lost pounds. Don't worry about me losing too much weight folks...it will come back easily when I can eat all the food I love again. And I plan to have a huge smorgasbord at the end of the Chemo Phase with all kinds of indulgences. Zoe....can you convince Vlad to make some of those delicious spinach clatite for the party? And, oh!, how I look forward to the gigantic, homemade butter rich pound cake with gobs of chocolate ice cream with 6 candles to commemorate the end of each treatment.

Have any of you ever been in a chemo room? The chemo room at Waverly is an interesting combination of tranquilty and astounding bizarrity. Imagine patients settled into comfortable recliners, with books on their laps and friends by their sides. Their recliners face large open windows with unobstructed views of the beautiful upper branches of the trees that surround the building. It feels like you are in treehouse as you watch the sunlight dance between the leaves and see the birds and squirrels move effortlessly from one branch to another. There is a large table filled with books and magazines , poetry, music, scarves, hats and notes of inspiration. Some patients quietly talk to one another sharing their stories, some laugh easily, others cry, and others sit silent with their eyes closed. Each one of them is tentacled to a portable machine through a needle in their chest wall. Through this odd looking connection fluids pour into their bodies. What's astonishing is that this fluid is a poison that is both hurting them and healing them. An uncomfortable duality that makes you not want to be there, but never to miss a treatment.

Since my white cell count was down I have to take those expensive shots that tell my bone marrow to get busy building white blood cells. I'm not looking foward to those side effects, but I'll endure them as I do NOT want to be turned away Jul 15th for Treatment #3. I've got a schedule to keep and a party to plan!

After I received my fill of the herceptin, taxotere, and carboplatin, the plan was to head over to the Lovely Lady to shave my head and get fitted for the wig. However, with my groovy short haircut the balding is less noticable (at least that is what I am telling myself)....so...I'm hanging on to every hair on my head as long as I can. With great relief, Mom and I packed our bags and headed out for some shopping therapy. First the shoe store, then some fun boutiques, before we ended up at the grocery store to stock up on our favorite drink of the moment: Arizona de-caffinated, sugar-free ginseng ice tea. Only one grocery store sells it so when we find it--we stock up! Leftover jugs get converted into scoops for Vlad's homemade soil brews---and for whatever else inspires Vlad.......



It's Sunday afternoon as I am writing this blog and the effects of the chemo are setting in. Mostly loss of appetite, metal mouth, fatigue, a thirst that cannot be quenched, headaches....all manageable. It will be an uncomfortable week, but the further away I get from Jun 24th, the better I will feel and best of all, the smaller the tumor will be.

I'll end today's entry with a whimsical look at this thing we call cancer. Maybe if we can find a away to laugh at it we don't have to be so scared about it. It should be no surprise that Stephanie and Rhondi picked this card out. These 2 will always help you find your way back to the lighter side of life.

Beaufort Blunders

We decided we needed a weekend away from doctors, hospitals, medicines, and all things related. So Vlad, Mom and I packed our bags and headed down Friday night with high hopes for a relaxing Beaufort weekend. We invited our friend Bill for the same reason: His girlfriend, Susan, was diagnosed June 11 with acute leukemia. Since then Bill has been by Susan’s side as she moved from the emergency room, to Rex Hospital, to UNC Cancer Center, where she currently is receiving aggressive chemotherapy treatment. With her approval, Bill decided a Beaufort weekend was just what he needed to catch his breath and take a break to build strength for the journey ahead.

Not wanting to stay in Discovery Dive’s resort lodge, otherwise known as the “Camping Pit of the Northeast Coast”, we booked a room at the County Home in Beaufort: A laid back, old hotel style B&B with lots of charm and loads of quiet on its rocking chair filled porches, and quaint, comfortably furnished studio rooms. No mold or questionable mattresses to be found here….

We also managed to organize a Saturday night cookout with our friends Brian, Ruth and Ruth’s mom, Helen. Brian had caught a 900 pound Marlin. Wait a minute… that was the winner of the Big Rock fishing tournament…I meant a gigantic, African Pompano. (not sure why a fish caught in the Atlantic ocean is referred to as African, but trust me on this one), which he intended to grill up Saturday night for our dining pleasure…

As we drove down Friday night we were all excited for our weekend of diving, boating, shopping, sight seeing and visiting with friends, but our friend Murphy had other plans in store for us.

Blunder #1

I forgot my cell phone. I’d like to blame that on the cancer, but unfortunately, I forget my cell phone way too often for anyone to believe that line. As a result, I had a ton of messages waiting for me when I returned to Raleigh.

Blunder #2

Mom forgot her camera. This means that this historic weekend in Beaufort will not be remembered in pictures-----but perhaps that’s a good thing.

Blunder #3

Related to Blunder #1: no one exchanged cell phone numbers…so I did not know Bill’s number…Brian and Ruth only had my number, which was useless, and no one knew Mom’s number, which became the only reliable number anyone could be reached at for part of the weekend.

Blunder #4

Mom has a Trac phone, which meant all those calls we made using her phone to people who didn’t know her phone number cost a lot of roaming minutes.

Blunder #5

Bill left his BC in Raleigh. This meant that he had to use a rental and anyone familiar with diving knows that a BC takes some time getting used to.

Blunder #6

As big consumers of ice we didn’t have much. And on one of the hottest weekends of the year to date, this was not a good thing.

Blunder #7

After enjoying a relaxing breakfast together, Mom and I parked the car at Discovery Dive and started our leisurely walk though the small town of Beaufort. Little did we know that I had dropped Vlad’s cell phone somewhere in the parking lot. We spent the entire day shopping and walking without a clue that our sole means of contacting Vlad and Bill was cooking away in the parking lot.

Blunder #8

At about 230pm Mom and I, completely starved and parched, were filling up our cooler with cold ice back at the County Home. A knock on the door was an unwelcome surprise: Why would anyone knock on our door?

Blunder #9

This one was not really a blunder…more like bad luck. Bill got bent after the first dive. An ambulance was waiting for him when they returned to shore.

Blunder #10

That knock on the door was our wake up call to the fact that Vlad and Bill had just spent the last five hours at Cataret County Hospital in Morehead City. I was in deep do do for not having a cell phone handy.

Blunder #11

Mom and I finally make it to the hospital. We are there for about two hours when the doc at Cateret decides to let Bill go…despite Bill’s inability to walk a straight line.

Blunder #12

We decide to forge ahead with our dinner plans and head to Brian’s house for African Pampano.

Heroic Save #1

Vlad insists we bring along an extra oxygen tank---just in case.

Blunder#13

Bill’s symptoms return and we head back to Cateret at about 11pm. Bill connected to said oxygen tank.

Blunder #14

We spend the rest of Saturday night and a good portion of Sunday morning at Cateret. The long wait due to the diving chamber doc on call at Duke not responding to his phone. How can you rely on these folks who don’t keep their cell phones handy?

Heroic Save #2

Sometime early Sunday morning Bill catches a wild ride to Duke in an ambulance driven by an 8 month pregnant woman. Fortunately she doesn’t go into labor on the way to Durham. Mom and I get off the bench outside Cateret and the three of us head back to Count y Home for three hours sleep.

Blunder #15

While Vlad is diving, Mom and I decide to save the day by contacting all of Bill’s family and getting Bill’s things from his beach house at Salter Path

Blunder #16

No one in Bill’s family is available. We go in search for the beach house at Salter Path based on foggy directions from a bent Bill.

Blunder #17

Mom and I spend the next four hours looking for said beach house. We finally get in touch with Bill’s son who gives directions to 4 different houses, none of which are the elusive beach house

Blunder #18

Mom almost succumbs to heat stroke looking for Bill’s beach house.

Blunder #19

We give up on the beach house and head back to Disovery Dive to get Vlad, who came ashore early and was patiently waiting for us…again.

Heroic Save #3

While Mom cools off at the County Home, Vlad and I head back to Salter Path where Vlad is able to quickly identify the elusive beach house, which was delightfully cool with all of Bill’s stuff neatly folded ready to be picked up and brought back to Raleigh.

Blunder #20

Vlad drives Bill’s brand new BMW while Mom and I pack up Vlad’s luxury Corolla for a harrowing drive back to Raleigh in a thunderstorm.

Heroic Save#4

We make it back to Raleigh from our relaxing Beaufort weekend in one piece. All this time Bill is in the de-benting chamber at Duke, finally getting the peace and quiet he needed.

True story. I swear.

Funky Bahia

I watched a music video from Sergio Mendez today called Funky Bahia. It made me feel happy--and the headgear was inspirational. I've since learned that Bahia is another name for Salvador, which is known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless outdoor parties. I found the video and accompanying music to be uplifting, light, and fun: a great, natural antioxidant.


Speaking of headgear, I received a very thoughtful gift from my sister Jenny that I would like to share with all of you. Jenny wrote that if I ever found my wig to be hot and itchy on those sticky North Carolina summer nights, she thought I might want to slip into something more comfortable. Inside her carefully wrapped package I found four individually wrapped "Buffs", each chosen for a special occasion.



















































































































I loved them all and added them to the Buff collection that my friend Blair, another wise and thoughtful woman, started for me.
Blair is one of those kinds of people that know just the right gift to give at just the right moment. She has showered Vlad with all kinds of amazing plants, including the amazing ass cactus. Besides her infectious laughter, Blair is an amazing artist that can make a rock look like a diamond.














Vlad is also enjoying the buffs.

























In the same weekend I received a special gift from my friend Stephanie. Now Stephanie is not one to sit and watch life go by---and she won't let her friends either. When Stephanie walks into the room, the party starts. Always full of fun and joy, Stephanie pulls a group together with her contagious giggle and open heart. And have you ever heard Stephanie sing? Amazzinngg. . I would like Stephanie to sing KTunstall's "Big White Horse and a Cherry Tree" at my "In the Buff" party. How about it Stephanie?

Overall....I am feeling very good. Turns out the shots I've been taking each day to protect my white blood cell count backfired and caused my body to produce more than it should...but no worries..I should normalize in a couple of days. The good news is that my appetite has returned (with avengance!). I get winded easily, but other than that I feel almost normal.

Thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers...they are obviously working!

Groovey New Style

Thanks to Terah, my trusted hairstylist and owner of Bottega, I am sporting a new funky ---very short--hairdo. Terah is not only a talented hairstylist, but one of the most beautiful women in Raleigh. Besides running her own salon she is training for a half marathon in October. Terah was kind enough to give her time and talent to give me a chance to have a little fun with my hair before it falls out. It's a new look for me and I plan to enjoy it as long as I can. Thanks, Terah, for making this part of my treatment easier to bare.

Besides adjusting to the idea of being bald, I am having a little trouble eating. I just need to experiment more...I have found that frozen fruit right out of the bag is refreshing and tasty. so today I bought a big bag of blueberries and peaches. What I don't eat out of the bag I plan to blend up in my juicer.


Vlad claims I've been an emotional roller coaster...who me? Nah! But I have to admit I thought the world would end when I couldn't login to work from home. I had a crying fit over that and promptly walked myself to the gym to get on the bike. On my way I called Vlad to tell him I was sad and blue and was going to the gym for an attitude adjustment. An hour later Vlad shows up at the gym (how did he get in?!) to surprise me with a little gift box. Inside I found a beautiful pair of earrings: the perfect gift hand delivered by an incredibly thoughtful man. Now who could be sad and blue after that?

Vlad with his new additions:

Mom checking in..........

Hi,

So you want to party, eat, drink and NCTEIFRAO! How did you get so wise at such a young age? I'm looking forward to following your adventures. Just don't give me more information than I need!

I like that positive approach to this glitch in the road. I am honored to be with you on this journey. I'll check in again soon.

Chemo Phase: Day 5

Day 5 of Chemo and hopefully those nasty cancer cells are choking!!! I am doing OK...no nausea...no vomiting...no teeth have fallen out.....Actually, besides loss of appetite, metal mouth, a general queasiness in my gut, and a lazy tired kind of feeling....I feel great! The wound from my drain is sealing up nicely, although it looks like someone stuck some wood putty in there. No fresh fruit or veges for the week....but come Saturday I plan to pull out my brand new juicer (gift from my great mom, of course) and whip up some cancer killing


green coconcoctions! Perhaps I'll come up with a fruity cocktail or two...it is summertime after all. While Mom kept me distracted with various shopping venues, Vlad had an eventful diving trip to Beaufort this weekend. Surprisingly, Vlad didn't have trouble with nausea either. Let's call it good karma! As always, he brought back some amazing photos ---some of the best compositions I've seen yet. The jellyfish shots are truly magical. Next cancer blast is June 24th so I have over two weeks to sit back, relax and get used to being bald. Maybe I'll be able to ride my bike next weekend! That would be great!

Other good news to report: HM is back up and running with a brand new water heater. The installers surprised Vlad this morning with a 930am appointment time. They worked steadily until 2pm. The new appliance is impressive. Vlad is a little concerned about a leaky valve, but he intends to get that taken care of with inspectors tomorrow. I'm happy because now I can flush the toilet, take a shower, and have a cold glass of water once again. Ahhh...the simple things in life are what make us the happiest...

Welcome to our Season Of Lost

Vlad and I chose to describe this Summer 2010 as our Season of "LOST"...not because we feel lost but because we have found that by becoming fans of the popular TV season series "LOST", we have found one way to relax, take a break, and keep things light and fun. We are watching the "LOST" episodes via Netflix online. Its been a great escape for both of us. Season 1 got us through the Diagnosis phase...Season 2 and 3 will get us through the Chemo Phase.

This is going to an extraordinary journey where there will be moments of feeling lost, but there will also be times of celebration and moving forward: Like Jan 1 when Vlad found the cancer. Like March 26th when Vlad finally forced me to do something about it. Like May 10th when I found out I don't have the mutated gene for breast and ovarian cancer. Like May 18th when I finally got the nausea medication after surgery (better late than never)! Like June 1 when I got the drain removed. Like June 3, when the battle call was blown and herceptin and chemo drugs were poured into my port so that they could get started killing that nasty cancer. And like today! It's day 3 after chemo treatment #1 and I am still feeling good: no nausea...no fevers, no mouth sores. My bones hurt a bit, but I think I can handle that. I'm ready for Day 13 with wigs, scarves, cool hats and a fun red turban. I can't wait until September for our "Get Lost In the Buff" party to celebrate the end of the Chemo Phase and the beginning of the next "LOST" season.

The other great news is that I convinenced Vlad to continue as planned with his diving trip to Beaufort this weekend. He has been the most wonderful, loving partner in this journey so far. From changing bandages, to unplugging drains, to doctor's visits, to taking documentary photopraphs.....to opening a blog for me. I am so fortunate to have him...I will never feel lost with Vlad. I hope when he returns on Sunday we can upload some of his underwater diving shots.

I also have to mention how supportive and helpful my Mom has been to me. She has been there right along the way, stepping in when needed, always lending a helping hand, and offering a thoughtful gift. She recently completed her own serious surgery and is moving rapidly through her own recovery, already dropping 20 pounds. Best of all: no more acid reflux.

And of course I can't name all of our many friends and other family members who are sending me good thoughts and energy. Keep it coming!

What I need most from all is as much normalcy and sense of humor as possible. We have not lost our way or our summer...we are just a little off track. But we will get right back on our preferred road of diving, chasing waterfalls, and enjoying the lighter side of living.

Christine's first post

Here is where Christine and I will post all the adventures of this summer