Chemo tomorrow

Getting everything ready for chemo tomorrow - cold caps are in the freezer, gathering up blankets and coats to wear with them, changed bandages on port incisions, and giving myself a pep talk. I am so hoping I tolerate this chemo and don't have too many side effects. I want to be able to live my life as normally as possible for the next six months. But I want it to work!!

A friend loaned me some books on diet and how nutrition can heal diseases. They are a wealth of information and what's interesting is they go right along with the other anti-cancer books I've read. I really want to give it a try, but it can be so hard. Finding the foods is one thing and preparing them is another. One smoothie calls for the stem of an unripe pineapple, brazil nuts, and bee pollen, among other things. And you have to blend them in a 3-horse power blender. I wish I had my own personal nutritionist/chef to make my food. For now, I am just trying to eat more fresh fruits and veggies, not so much sugar, flour, and processed foods, and organic as much as possible. If anyone has any advice about diet, I am all ears! I really do believe that what we feed our bodies can act as much like medicine as prescriptions can.

I wish I could exercise (never thought I'd hear myself saying that!!), but I'm still dealing with the shortness of breath. Any exertion - walking up stairs, taking a shower, going to the mailbox, it makes me so out of breath. My heart beats like crazy and I huff and puff for a good five minutes. Yesterday, I was feeling really good and Caroline and I ran out to the store for a birthday present. When we came out, it was pouring rain. And we had no umbrella. So we took off for a quick jog to the car which was parked pretty close. I almost passed out when we got there! Lesson learned, no impromptu cardio for me! Any other time, I would love an excuse to skip exercising. Now, not so much.

Right now, I'm watching the girls play the Wii game "Just Dance 2" - HIGH-larious, by the way!!! But I want so bad to get up and do it with them. Probably a good thing I'd get out of breath. Knowing my kids, they would get out the video camera and I'd be on YouTube within the hour!

Okay, so I'll post tomorrow about how chemo went. The first treatment of Avastin takes an hour and a half, plus the Abraxane is 30 minutes. If I do well, then they speed it up and for the rest of the treatments the Avastin will just take 30 minutes, too. That will be wonderful - total of one hour each week! Really, really hoping this plan works out!