And now for the side effects.

As everyone knows, I've long since decided that this multi-pronged chemo treatment is going to be my cure. However, it appears to be kicking my ass. I have met a truly formidable opponent. I'm tired all the time. I throw up on a pretty regular basis. I have the disgusting smell of rotten eggs coming out of my nether region. My skin has the appearance of a pubescent teenager and hurts like nothing I've experienced from infected pores. Just in case you were considering this regimen for yourself, let me be the first to discourage you. In my case, the upside has the potential to be worth it. Therefore, just say no.

I'm currently in Houston. Last week I saw the dermatologist to discuss what to expect on the skin front. This week I have a series of tests to see if I'm having any other side effects from the chemo (internal organ functioning) and I see the oncologist for a general check up. 

Because Jason is a frequent contributor to our local National Public Radio station, I had the privilege of free tickets to Moody Gardens (please give to your local NPR station, they do lots of great thinks in education, news, and other areas), so Jane brought Poppy for the weekend and we went out to Galveston on Saturday. We had a great day. If you've never been there, you should go. If you have been, then you know you should go again. We first went through the rain forest, where we saw monkeys, exotic birds, exotic plants, bats, you name it. It was (purportedly) 94 degrees in there and (I'm guessing) 150% humidity. Once done there, we stopped to get Poppy a snack and some water at the cafe, where I took my pills. A few minutes later, on the way to the aquarium, I threw up in the trashcan. I was just happy to have made it to the trashcan and that Poppy didn't seem to be upset by it at all. When we got to the aquarium Poppy pointed at me and told the ticket lady, " She takes a pill that makes her throw up in the trashcan, so you should put out more trashcans!" She's going to make an excellent medical professional one day. After the aquarium we visited the third pyramid, where we saw the Discovery Museum and the Spongebob Submarine movie, an interactive movie where you are squirted with water, poked by the seats, and showered with bubbles. That's always a lot of fun to do. On the way back we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner. The next morning they had to go back to Austin and I miss them! 

I've decided the best strategy for avoiding throwing up is to take my nausea pill every six hours, whether I need it or not. It appears to have worked today. As for the low energy, I'm not sure how to handle that but I'm going to try going outside for a walk and some sunshine tomorrow. Today I walked a block to the grocery but I couldn't tell if it helped me at all. It does seem to help when/if I focus on eating foods with many micronutrients and antioxidants (i.e., vitamins A, C, E). Therefore, I focused on celery, broccoli, and the like at the store today. Since Jason discovered that most Ranch dressings fit into my high fat/low carb metabolic therapy fairly well, raw veggies are taking on a whole new role in my diet. So now to test all of these strategies together: regular nausea pills, highly nutritious raw veggies, sunlight (for vitamin D), and low impact exercise. Now if I can just figure out how to get rid of the excessive sulfur, I'll be rocking this whole chemo thing. Well, at least until the next side effects kick in (I guess).