It's been a pretty quiet couple of days, which has given me a terrific opportunity to continue my practice towards becoming the Queen of Napping. The fatigue has really hit me hard this treatment and it seems like I'm just moving from nap to nap to bedtime. And making sure that I eat something in between occasionally. Lack of appetite the first couple of days after chemo has been something I've had to watch carefully. I don't actually feel hungry much, though I do recognize that my body needs food. So I'm typically just eating when I know it is the proper time to eat, and trying to make sure that happens at least twice each day. By the fourth post-chemo day my appetite is just about back to normal. And I ate a very full dinner this evening without feeling at all nauseous or overstuffed.
Many of you have heard me say that I have found the only true no-exercise-diet-plan out there. Systematic poisoning has to be a bitch to market however. I know some of those 'miracle' pills out there can be pretty hazardous, but chemo is taking it to a whole other level. Since cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, I've dabbled enough in nutrition to know how to keep everything pretty balanced. I've been keeping within a tight three pound 'bounce' from week to week. Down a little on chemo weeks, but then back up again on the off-week. It's kind of nice on off-weeks to really eat about anything I want. Everything in moderation though, so it's mostly stuffing myself with extra grains, a bit of cheese on everything, and never saying no to dessert.
I've made it through four treatments, almost two full months now. And I feel like I've settled into the rhythm of this stage. Every week is a little different though, so it is still a day-by-day process. But there is some consistency, and every day past 'chemo Tuesdays' is a day I feel a little better. So, here's to the upswing! Think I'll celebrate with some sleeping.
My mom has said for years that she's waiting for chemo to be marketed as a weight loss drug. (since she questions the ethics of such companies-she points to botox as an excellent example.)
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad to hear you've been keeping your weight up, and that your anti-nausea drugs seem to be more or less doing their jobs. We used to resort to MSG flakes and such. I still think it is pretty amazing that you can go to the store and buy a little canister of the stuff.