Three down....

 My third cycle of this chemo protocol is complete, and my PET scan is this coming Friday.

I looked at MyChart, and another treatment cycle is now scheduled.  I was thinking that my doctor was going to wait and see, but apparently not.

SO, onward we go.

I'm feeling the effects of this Neulasta injection, so took it a little easier at the gym on Friday, and only did my chores and cooking yesterday. Nothing "extra."

I will enjoy this week off from chemo as much as I can, once I start to get past the Neulasta funk.

We've had a little bit of rain overnight, and some comforting, distant thunder.  On Friday night, though, we had REALLY LOUD thunder and no rain.  Weird.

There's a hurricane in the Pacific that is supposed to bring us actual, beneficial, measurable rain next week, along with a temperature drop.

We've been back up in the 90s this past week. Yuck.  Last night's rain will basically just make it more humid today.

For now, though, it's still relatively cool outside, and the windows are open.  At least it's not in the 80s at night anymore.

Our policy has been to close up the windows when the A/C comes on for the first time.  We sometimes get a couple of hours of fresh air.

There's really nothing else to report this week. 

We'll be watching the last Cub game of the regular season this afternoon, and I will be making a pot of pasta fagioli soup.

The baseball playoffs start next Tuesday, and I hope we are able to see the games, since the Cubs clinched a Wildcard slot.  

We paid extra this year for our MLB TV subscription on the advice of a friend, and I THINK that was why, but that was way back in March, and I've been through some stuff, and don't actually remember, HAHA!

Have a great week! 

Is the end near?

 The end of this horrible, hot summer, that is!

We have steadily had temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s since July.  

Today SHOULD be the last day hovering in that temperature range, with a predicted cold front due to pass through at some point.

The forecast shows a low of 68 for tonight, but, as I have said before, I will believe it when I feel it.

This has been the longest stretch of truly dangerously hot days on record.... They have never extended all the way through the summer, and so far into September (without a reasonable break) before.

They might not have been as intensely hot as the summer of 2011, but the stretch has gone later in the year than ever before.

There is supposed to be some rain tonight, too, but the chance keeps dropping... At first, it was 80%, then 70%, now 50%.... so the extreme drought may not end any time soon.

The forecast shows highs next week in the 80s!!!  Maybe we can get back out to the woods for a walk at some point.... I miss my nature time more than I can express.

Nature is the basis of my spirituality, after all. 

Plans are starting to come together for having a friend here at Yule and Christmas.  

In a way, I dread it a little, because she will be here for almost a week, and I don't know how I will be feeling....  

BUT, we have been friends for decades, and she knows me very well, and will pitch in, and entertain herself, when needed.  It should be a very relaxed, and pleasant, visit!

I REALLY look forward to having someone else-especially her- at the table for my medieval Yule feast, and then for Christmas Eve Ham, with our friends from Switzerland!

Since we canceled our plans to maybe go up to Illinois for Christmas, due to my needing full blown chemo again, this will make up for that disappointment.  For me, anyway.... Not for my family.

Sigh.

My treatment went just fine on Wednesday, and, while I did not sleep that night until some time after 5 am, I did not have any cold sweats! 

Maybe I am starting to tolerate the steroids a bit better?  My face also never really turned red and puffy the next day, either.  

For some reason, though, treatment days continue to mean at least 5 hours at the cancer center.  My treatment itself is only about 2 and a half to 3 hours all together, and there's the hour wait for my labs to process.

However, aside from that, it always takes SO LONG for nurses to show up at my chair, and for pharmacy to fill my orders, that it inevitably adds an extra hour to hour and a half to how long we have to sit there.

Oh well...it is what it is, until it isn't.

I continue to take my iron supplement, and to eat high iron foods as much as possible.  My labs looked better last week, so I hope that trend continues this coming week, when I go for part two of this cycle of chemo.

Tonight's dinner will be turkey breast and beets.....roasted in the oven, despite the 100 degree weather.

Last night, I baked fish, and made a pan of sauteed beet greens and spinach with white wine vinegar. it was SO GOOD!

We got to the gym all three days last week, as per usual.  I am really pleased that the only day we have missed, so far, was that first chemo day, back in August, when I had to be at the clinic literally all day.

I am off to make us some brunch.... sweet potato hash browns, cooked in ghee, with Moroccan spices, and fried eggs on top!

Have a great week.  I hope the coming Autumnal Equinox brings you the changes you are seeking, too. 

Anemia

 Well.  I was so focused on my low sodium and white blood cell levels that I never looked at my lab results for hemoglobin.

WOW, have they dropped. 

When I saw my doctor last week, she was concerned enough to say that I might need a blood transfusion, if my dietary efforts aren't enough. She told me to really focus on upping iron-rich foods, again.

SO, on the way home from that appointment, I picked up some of the liquid iron supplement that I used to take when I was having really heavy periods, and was anemic.

I've been taking that every day since, and have also been focused on making meals that are high in iron.  

I ditched my menu plan for part of last week, and changed things up.  

I made a Brazilian style black bean soup with added spinach and lime juice, and OH MY GOODNESS was it delicious.  There is still a lot of it in the freezer, so I can have it for lunches.

Then, last night, I made a favorite Greek casserole, but with butterbeans (instead of chicken), rice, spinach, onion, lemon, and feta.  YUM!!!

Butterbeans are higher in iron than chicken.

I am also snacking on pumpkin seeds, and have had oatmeal with dried apricots for breakfast.  Both of those (pumpkin seeds and dried apricots) are good sources of iron, and there's a little in whole grain oats, too.

Prior to this focus, I HAD noticed that I was pretty pale, and that I was getting light headed when I stood up, and could hear my pulse in my head when everything was quiet.

Those can both be caused by anemia, but also dehydration.  

I try REALLY HARD to stay super hydrated, but I don't always succeed.  SO, I have re-focused on that as well, since the doctor mentioned it again, too.

The result is that I DO feel a bit better already.  I didn't get light headed yesterday upon standing, and I didn't notice the pulse sound last night, and yes, I was listening for it, because it had become disruptive to my sleep.

In the mirror this morning, I do not look as ghostly pale, either.

I will need to keep this up as long as I am on this chemo, and hopefully, will be able to stabilize my hemoglobin levels.

If not, there will be a transfusion.

In other news, it rained twice this past week!  Not very MUCH, but some is better than none!

It was 106F yesterday, before the storm, and will be 102F today, with high humidity, thanks to the rain.... YUCK.   

This is the latest into September that this area has EVER had this much intense heat, and there are still several days of it in the forecast ahead.  

However, they ARE saying that there will be a cold front on Autumn Equinox, as if the weather is paying attention, and realizes that it's time to get over it being a blast furnace down here.

I will believe it when I feel it, as I have said before.

Despite the heat, though, I am determined to grill chicken for dinner.  Tomorrow, there will be red meat and greens! 

Back to the chemo chair this coming week to start round #3.  Wish me luck with everything, and have a great week! 

(addendum:  my blog readership is back down to single digits.... I wish I knew why there were 20-30 something views, all of a sudden, last month, and now... almost none.  Weird.)

Improvement

 The lowered dose of the chemo seems to have helped tremendously.  I have not had one bout of diarrhea (or abdominal cramping) yet!

Treatment appointment went fine, neulasta appointment went fine, Pepcid and Clairtin are keeping the neulasta side effects at a low roar.  I'm tired, but totally was able to do all of my chores yesterday, and not need a nap!  Neulasta gives me a headache and chills, but the bone pain isn't a factor, which is great.

It's been SO much better than the first round.

I've had a lot of insomnia, though, which I have always gone through from time to time, so it may just be my "usual."

My only concern about the lowered chemo dose is that it's no longer working, as happened when we lowered the dose of the chemo pill I was on previously.

All we can do is wait for my scan, which is scheduled for Oct. 2nd.

I see my oncologist for a check in this coming Wednesday, and I can ask her if there is a concern that it may not be enough chemo to be effective.

Anyway. 

Dave got the second part of his long-delayed dental cleaning done this past week, and has now purchased a "Water Pik" to use every night.  

Since he refuses to floss, this is the next best thing, and I am SO GLAD he is finally taking care of his teeth and gums!

Since we are unable to travel, due to my treatment regime, we are spending some of the money we saved up on some home improvements.

We had a non-slip coating applied to the front porch and back stoop, to reduce fall risk.  That happened this past week.

Next up will be insulating the floor, under the house - in the crawl space.

We will also be getting our duct work replaced.... but THAT is going on the home equity line of credit, as it is a much bigger expense in all, but will fold easily into the monthly payment we are already making (that was the expense for the window replacement project).

There is mold and moisture in the old duct work, and that is probably why we are always congested, and have itchy eyes.

The intense heat continues, and keeps us trapped indoors most of the time.  I am very grateful for our outings to the gym, and to do errands.

I also go outside every morning, first thing, and water the flower bed (which has very few flowers in it  this year, and which really shows lack of attention...but there's no way we've been able to keep up with tending it during this brutal summer), and refill the watering stations for birds and bugs.

The forecast shows that we might get another day or two of upper 90s at the end of the week, but that is seriously all the "relief" we can hope for right now.  Hopefully, the forecast will change as the week goes along.

We have no plans for Labor Day, as no one invited us to anything (as per usual), and, besides, my immune system is compromised anyway, so we would had to have said no.  

That is also why we didn't take the initiative to invite anyone over here, either. 
Not that any of our few friends would actually have come. 

We don't really have friends around here who we do stuff like that with anymore.  They've either moved away, or become estranged.

So, if you have plans, please have fun, and be safe!  

We got our traditional package of hot dogs, and chips and dip, but will be boiling the hot dogs, since it's too hot to use the grill outside.

Have a great week!