A quick fact-filled update

It’s been a while.  Tomorrow is my second dose of round 4 of chemo.  Last week I got the good news that the chemo is working–I had a CT scan that showed the two main metastases are slightly smaller than before.  I had a brain MRI as well, which as expected showed the zapped brain lesions looking nice and inactive, and happily didn’t show anything new.  So I will continue with the eribulin.

Which unfortunately has not been as piece-of-cakey these last two cycles as it was before.  I’ve been queasy a lot, and my week “off” at the end of round 3 was a week of non-consensual napping and feeling very, very fatigued.  And that was supposed to be my good week.  (Just a reminder of the schedule here:  I have chemo two weeks in a row, then have a week with no chemo, then start over.  So my week “off” starts a week after dose #2 and lasts until I start the next cycle.)  The fatigue lifted a few days before I started the new cycle, but I have still been pretty low-energy and have spent many afternoons sitting on my bed working or reading instead of being more active.

In the middle of that week, though, I went to an overnight birth!

I’m reading The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which is all about the history of cancer and cancer treatment.  It is dense and interesting.  And grim.  I just got to the discovery of BRCA1.

I am trying to eat well–specifically, avoiding lots of white flour and avoiding white sugar, and drinking green tea, and eating lots of shiitake mushrooms and broccoli!  But it is hard to eat well when you feel poorly.  Last week I had a lot of meals made up of triscuits and cheese and maybe some almonds.  (Triscuits!  whole grain!)

We are buying a much larger percentage of organic food these days.  All our dairy, almost all our vegetables, even before our CSA begins, and much of our fruit, and more organic staples from the various health food co-ops within reach of us.

And now I am going out for sushi with Eric.  Omega 3s.  Very important.

3 thoughts on “A quick fact-filled update

  1. Alice Raymond

    So glad to hear that the nasty chemo seems to be working – that should make the queasiness & fatigue worth it. And good for you for eating so well & healthfully! Organic – omega 3s – green tea – yea!

    Love & healthy karma to you –
    Alice

  2. Cricket

    High five to the chemo for doing it’s thing… though I wish it could be easier on you. Sending love from here… and I hadn’t make the connection between triscuits and whole wheat… I’m gonna get some! xoxxo

  3. Jo Anne Myers-Ciecko

    Hi! Just getting caught up on your ding dang recurrence. Got the word from your Mom via MEAC and also your blog info. Have been reading everything while sitting at my desk looking out on a bright sunny day, past the bright yellow daffodils and into the deep green woods. I am, of course, reminded of our time together here and am so grateful for that connection. You inspire me in so many ways and I will now add you more regularly to my daily thoughts. With love, Jo Anne

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