Hand-Foot Syndrome

The Apothecary Shop sent more literature with the Xeloda pills.  I had already gotten a sheet from my oncologist, provided by Roche Laboratories, the pills' maker.  The listed side effects are mouth sores, Hand-Foot Syndrome, Heartburn, Nausea and Diarrhea.  Pretty much the norm for most chemos, but I hadn't heard of Hand-Foot syndrome.  It's not peripheral neuropathy, which you can get with Taxol, and affected me more during the COLDER months.


There are several things you can do to help lessen the symptoms of Hand-Foot, one of which is to use Emu Oil.  Well, I found it at Sprouts, and I hope no Emus were harmed in the making of this product.  My debit card smoked a little from it, but if it works, such is life.  You can't take it with you, you know. ;)  Another thing you want to do, and which my oncologist recommended, was to take 100 mg of vitamin B6 twice a day.  And I need to keep my hands and feet as cool as possible.  Hee Hee... desert... 106 today..oh boy. :P


And I did indeed wear my purple fedora to Sprouts today, and made a friend of another shopper who greatly admired my stylish chapeau.  I found lots of goodies to tempt my appetite, and stocked up on garden burgers.  When I purchased the B6, I also got some Turmeric capsules, but I don't want to take them until I talk to my oncologist on Tuesday.  Turmeric is supposed to be a cancer cell killer.  And you know, at this point, I'll try it.  I doubt it can hurt, but I have to run it by Dr. Fastenberg first.  


Yesterday's episode of "Torchwood" was FANTASTIC!  I'm beginning to like the US cast members, but I adore the character of Gwen.  And of course, Captain Jack is the best omni-sexual character on TV.  Oh wait, I think he's the ONLY one, too. :D  So I have hopes for this season and thank you, Starz, for giving us our "Torchwood" fix!


I've got a pork loin marinating in some Tequila, lime, garlic, oregano, Worcestershire, and a little soy sauce.  And I think I should be able to risk a big old salad for lunch, since I'm an extra week out in my chemo cycle.  YES!  SALAD!  It's the little things in life that make me happy as a clam. :)


SO, get out there, have a great weekend, and love as much as you can!

A Purple Fedora

I first wore the purple fedora to Tuesday's meeting with the oncologist, thinking I'd be having my regular round of chemo.  Since it's summer, I don't wear the hats indoors, but I have to shield my pale noggin from the summer sun, or fry.


Everyone seems to love this hat, and that includes me.  Nancy found it for me in the Walmart clearance rack, I think.  No matter from whence it came, it suits me to a T.  Even more importantly, it makes me smile.  I feel better when I wear this particular hat.


I had a call from The Apothecary Shop today.  My Xeloda pills will be delivered tomorrow.  It's both exciting and scary news.  You know how I fret about new treatments.  You'd think I'd be an old pro at this cancer stuff by now.  Still, when I had to sign several papers on Tuesday to acknowledge that the shot they gave me to build up my red blood cells could also kill me, well, you know, it's hard to be blase. ;)  But hey, I've taken another black box medication twice a day for probably ten years, and I'm still kicking.  


Also, the fact that I still care about not dying is a really good sign!  I mean if I felt depressed or just terribly sick and unable to see ahead to something good, then I wouldn't have cared about signing those papers.  So yeah, I cared, and that's MOST excellent. :D


Because I haven't been outside of my house except to go see a doctor or get poisoned, for a few months, I'm planning an outing.  No, nothing exciting; just a trip to Sprouts.  We're charging up the scooter even as I type.  I'm thinking we can go some time Saturday morning.  HEY!  I'll wear my purple fedora!  I think this is probably the best shot I have at getting out and not getting sick.  SO, beware Sprouts!


And that's it for this post.  We had left-overs for dinner... including of course, ...squash!  Hugs and love to all!

Saturday, Bright Day

My friend, the sun, is out this morning, already blazing away.  I think yesterday was around 80 degrees and that's the forecast for today, as well.  It's just after 7:30AM and it's gorgeous outside.  How can you not be excited to step out into your garden and be able to grab an orange to have with your breakfast?  Heaven!

Yesterday, I decided that I would just randomly grab two cookbooks from my collection, and choose a recipe or two from each and that's what we'd cook this weekend.  And thus, I chose a roast chicken recipe from Nigella Lawson, and something called "Dinner in a Loaf" from a quite whacked out, spiral bound 'community' cookbook someone found in a thrift shop.  Today we'll do the chicken, and pair it with her gratin of potatoes and mushrooms.  I need to head over to Sprouts and see what's available in the fresh veggies arena.  I would LOVE to add some celery root to that gratin; just sounds really good to me.  Or we could top it with some blanched asparagus.  See, I definitely have my appetite back. :)

As for that "Dinner in a Loaf," we'll be adding a bit more nutrition to the original recipe that is essentially ground beef and Velveeta. :D  I'll have to think on that one, but we're good at that sort of thing.  I'm thinking roasted chilies, and maybe some shredded spinach, and ... goat cheese!  Dang, I'm hungry.

Didn't get a call from the PET Scan place, so if they don't call on Monday, I'll call the doctor and he can raise some hell.  He's not a big guy, but when he gets going, he can be pretty scary. :D  I love him to bits.

Ok, I'm going to grab some of my muesli, add some dried cranberries and walnuts and have a good breakfast.  Love to EVERYONE!