2 down, 1 to go

I made it through the 2nd chemo appointment yesterday. I visited with a different doctor this time since my doctor is on vacation. Dr. Chambers was very personable and also was a proponent of (w)holistic care, which I deeply appreciate. He and I discussed naturopathic/acupuncture care and he has processed a referral to help get Kaiser to pay for these appointments. He also talked to me about pushing my return to work date back even further. He is particularly concerned about my immune system and having me see so many different people on a daily basis, which could make me very susceptible to germs and illness. He recommends that I return to work at the end of September/beginning of October, but I am going to discuss this with my boss and see what options are available to me.

The chemo appointment itself went about the same as the first time. I'll spare the details, but if you're interested in finding out more, you can read the entry on my first appointment. This time we tried my left arm for the IV and the vein was a little more finicky, so there was a little pain here and there and it's still sore today. I also found out that Kaiser will pay for a free wig in partnership with the American Cancer Society, so maybe a wig will be in my future after all.

Speaking of hair, it started coming out in clumps last week, so Brian and I sat down with the shaver and shaved it into a mohawk. I'll post a pic of it to this site after getting out this entry. Probably today or tomorrow we'll shave it completely, or leave a few bangs for fashionable accessory to the scarves I've started to wear. I'm excited to have some help from a good friend in learning how to tie head wraps in a variety of ways. That will be very cool.

I also got hooked up with a woman through the SW WA Ovarian Cancer Alliance, who is around my same age and has gone through Ovarian Cancer herself. She and I had a great conversation on the phone and will continue our phone relationship with the hope of meeting each other in the near future.

I wanted to follow up and say that I did have an appointment with a Cancer Counselor through Kaiser, which went well. I think the main gain was to find out that I'm doing well with this: a little denial is healthy (Hah!), I have a great support team, and I'm seeking out the help I need. This blog has been extremely helpful in getting out my feelings, keeping everyone informed, and letting you all know how you can help me. It's a win for everyone.

I am wiped out today and feel weak and susceptible. I'm just taking it easy and drinking lots of water and tea to flush these toxins out.

I have started to see an acupuncturist, mostly for the hot flashes, but also for some numbness in my feet. I've been twice now, and noticed some improvement in hot flashes after the first visit. Since I was a little late in figuring out that I needed a Kaiser referral, those visits will be out of pocket. I'll also have to see the guidelines that Kaiser gives to figure out whether I can continue to see this particular person or if I need to change to someone else.

Needs this week? Nothing too new: food & hats/scarves. The doctors have really pounded it into me that I need to stay away from group gatherings, so I'll need to focus more on having mostly adult visitors to the house (those pesky kids and their germs!) I hadn't really considered the germ factor into all of this, so I continue to learn and adjust my lifestyle to accommodate my health.

The diet is going well so far. I've had a few incidents where I didn't plan appropriately and ended up doing the carb overload rather than adding in a bunch of vegetables as I should have done. I ordered pan fried noodles from a restaurant the other day and forgot to mention that I wanted veggies, so I just ate a plate full of noodles! I made a simple lasagna the other day (with the help of my good friend, Holly) which turned out great, but I didn't think to adjust the recipe to include more veggies until we were just about done. At least we had salad on the side. So I'm still learning and adjusting to these changes. I still haven't cleared dairy or sweets off the menu yet, which I need to do soon. The apple trees are starting to produce fruit, so I'll switch my sweet tooth to lots of baked apple goods. That's a decent compromise.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support. As I mentioned in my letter to these damn cancer cells, you guys are my army. I need your support, your suggestions, your recipes, your hats, your notes, and love. I appreciate all you have done so far, but we're not even half way through the battle yet. Thanks for all your comments on my strength - it really helps me to hear that from everyone. Peace and good health to you all.