Diet, Fatigue, & Who Wants to Party?

We just returned yesterday from being in Houston for the holidays and a check up. The check up was good, no delays on the chemo. I started it immediately. We are now in round 8 of 12. My lymphocytes are still low and I am still taking monthly breathing treatments of pentamadine to stay safe from lung infection. My platelets have recovered. The dose of the chemo was decreased a bit last month due to blood count issues. The dose this time stayed at that lower amount. For the first time ever we were out of the hospital by NOON! Jason called it a Christmas Miracle. 

People who have seen me, or have seen photos of me, know that I've had my hair in a boy cut for a while. I also put blue streaks in it to distract from the thin/bald spots. I like how easy it is. The sassy is a bonus. In Houston it's been chilly some days but warm enough. In Lubbock it's freezing and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have cut my hair off in winter if it weren't for the radiation side effects. I've yet to go out remembering that I need a sock cap and no one around here remembers to remind me. What kind of caregivers are these people?! I'm missing part of my brain for crying out loud! The least they can do is remind me to keep my ears, head, and neck warm. If I get frostbite, I'm blaming whomever I'm with.

I'm happy to report that my biggest issues right now are the diet and fatigue. I'm slowly but surely learning as much as I can about solutions for both. I've had a few recommendations on how to handle the fatigue and I'm seeing what works. It was recommended that I choose a few things to get done each day, go in early, leave at lunch to get some rest, and then go back to work in the afternoon. Today was supposed to be the first day to try that method, however, it snowed in Lubbock so I just worked from home. I did manage to get some things done. I'm still reminding myself that I need to be happy with getting something- anything done and both up and down days are higher energy than they used to be. One.Day.At.A.Time. 

As far as the diet goes, my weight has stabilized and I have finally picked up a few pairs of pants that fit. I've found that TJ Maxx and other discount stores have more options for my current size than my previous sizes. So few benefits to cancer, but I appreciate them when they become apparent. 

Anyone who is a regular reader probably knows that the ketosis diet is important to me. The research says that it keeps the cancer growth low, loosens up the blood brain barrier so that the chemo can be more effective, and it helps with any residual inflammation. Not to mention the other health benefits unrelated to cancer. Lately I've been trying to branch out with exploring and trying new recipes. The trick is finding recipes that are at least 80% fat calories. Great opportunity to justify prime rib, deep fried everything, and loads of heavy cream. One issue I'm having, though, is stomach ache. I have no idea what is causing it but I'm looking into probiotics. I found a great recipe for homemade sauerkraut that will provide plenty of probiotics with zero carbs. Unfortunately, it takes a few weeks to ferment. I don't know if I can wait that long, but I will because I LOVE sauerkraut with chicken sausage! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. Usually I try something and then find ways to tweak it. The problem is that I have more ambition in the cooking department than I have talent, energy, or time. Perhaps at some point I will put some of the recipes into a .pdf document. I'll have to do that during some of my "free time." 

My next appointment appears to be February 1 and will involve a scan. The last scan was last month and they saw no change. February 12 will be one year since my first scan in Lubbock when they saw the mass. Who thinks we should have one hell of a party that week?