Stomach ulcers

Glad you made it out onto the beach.  On the water will be better.  And I am very glad you have found relief.  Sleep always helps me to cope.  Good that you can talk to your doctors about this stuff.  I note there are some useless doctors out there after reading some of the blogs on here. 

 I am impatiently waiting for next week when the PICC will come out.  My chemo was adjusted down as I have had "wobbly legs" the past few days.  I have found Taxol quite easy just some numbness in the my hands and feet and then this last week the weak legs.  One more to go though, then a four week break then the rads. 

Funny how you mention doing what makes you happy and healthy. Just this afternoon I  had afternoon tea with a chemosaubie.  We were talking about mind over cancer and how we do what makes us happy no matter how it seems to others.  And how it is so much easier to talk to someone who is travelling or has travelled with cancer.  How you dont want to always share with your friends the "odd" things you may have taken up or are considering.  I know I have started meditating.  Partly to try and get myself back in control when I was diagnosed and now I continue because I feel better when I do and I have found it useful during my treatments.  I have adjusted my diet because it makes me feel better and I have an exercise routine (a very slow one :)) that now includes TaiChi.  All this makes me feel better.   Some people choose faith, some choose holistic remedies, as long as you are safe I don't think there is anything that is odd when you are seeking "wellness" through and after your cancer treatment. 

I was asking my Oncologist "whats next" on chemo day.  What do I do to prepare for post chemo/rads?  His answer was to do what makes me happy.  To  remember that as long as my treatment was is as long as I will take to feel myself.  I was also talking to my my chemo nurse and she said to allow myself a year to get back to "well".  So I am going with this.

Anyway have a lovely weekend. Onwards we go.

Fruit tingles? Who would have thought of that- what a great idea!! I will give them a try. I bought some mentos the other day on one of the service station specials (you know - buy these and take another couple of cents of your fuel price, blah blah) and they actually tasted good, too. I did get to the beach and it was lovely to feel normal again. My team mates have promised another jaunt on an outrigger tomorrow morning so I am excited about that, too. Each day is getting easier and the most significant thing for me is that the PICC line is out so that I can get wet now  :-) The worst thing you can do to me is keep me from the ocean....

Today I feel tremendous because I actually got 7hrs sleep last night! I have had the energy to make some of that juice I promised myself (it was delicious) as well as some home made yoghurt and have done a "cleansing" of my home - and myself - with a sage smudge stick. Sounds a bit hippy, I know but I am happy to try anything to promote good health and happiness in my home  ;-)  I have some naturopathic anti oxidant pills to start taking but I am thinking it best to wait for a month and let the last chemo get right through me before I try to clean my system and balance it back out..... meanwhile I'll just concentrate on eating healthy and finding the energy to start at least walking again. The steroids have definitely given me a bloat and I don't like to look or feel unhealthy. The radiation zaps start in three weeks. I guess that will be a whole new challenge but at least I'll be able to get wet..

How is your first day after chemo going? This is day 8 for me from that last one and I think I have the meds sorted (finally) just right - the addition being Valium for the past two days and it has provided blessed releif from the stomach pain! The doc says not to freak out about using it as I will probably be right to drop it again by next week and meanwhile - pain management and sleep has made a huge difference to my coping skills. Today is definitely a good day  :-)  Hope yours is, too.

Hi Lisa.  I hope you got to the beach today.  I visited the clinic for my second last dose of chemo.  Treated myself to a mango smoothie on the way.

I juice daily too.  Beetroot, celery, carrot and green apple are the base.  I have been starting my day with lemon in water and drink a variety of teas now as coffee has a really funny taste.    Eating  small portions works for me I hope it will for you.  It was recommended by the chemo nurse something every two hours.  I have "little pots of goodness" stashed in the freezer that I make on the good days.  I also have a stash of spinach parcels, frozen muffins, frozen pancakes (fabulous with berries or banana for a different treat or breakfast) and sorbet.  Knowing there is something in the freezer is a bonus on those "flat" days. 

When I started chemo I had arrowroot biscuits, green tea with ginger and apple cider vinegar with honey as my standards.  I even carried biscuits with me when I went out.  Soothing to eat but also a bit of a comfort food I think.  Now I have ginger nuts as well.  Something with a bit of taste.  And fruit tingles.  A friend recommended them to me for mouth health (being mainly bicarb).  One of the chemo nurses said they are great for morning sickness and heartburn too.  Who knew?

I hope you have a good week. Take care

Snap - we are on here at the same time tonight  :-)  I love red paw paws and just happen to have one in the fridge at the moment so I may have that for brekky tomorrow. I also bought myself some fresh beetroot, ginger, carrot and apple to make myself a nice healthy juice this week. I have been overindulging myself in the (naughty) food department and am starting to crave nice, fresh, clean flavours. I managed to stick with it for a couple of hours in the kitchen today and made up a collection of nice vege loaded fritattas to see me through the next couple of days. That knackered me so I have rested ever since... I have figured it out - I need to eat a very small portion of food every couple of hours to keep a lining on my stomach.
I actually enjoy the taste of my slippery Elm bark powder now. I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow morning with enough energy to drive myself to the beach for a coffee on the sand  :-)

Snap - we are on here at the same time tonight  :-)  I love red paw paws and just happen to have one in the fridge at the moment so I may have that for brekky tomorrow. I also bought myself some fresh beetroot, ginger, carrot and apple to make myself a nice healthy juice this week. I have been overindulging myself in the (naughty) food department and am starting to crave nice, fresh, clean flavours. I managed to stick with it for a couple of hours in the kitchen today and made up a collection of nice vege loaded fritattas to see me through the next couple of days. That knackered me so I have rested ever since... I have figured it out - I need to eat a very small portion of food every couple of hours to keep a lining on my stomach.
I actually enjoy the taste of my slippery Elm bark powder now. I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow morning with enough energy to drive myself to the beach for a coffee on the sand  :-)

Thanks for that advice, Annie. Yes I added ZANTAC to my collection of stomach releivers. My GP suggested it may help along with the acid blocker. My oncologist was a bit short with me last Friday (always too busy, I guess) and said anything more than the acid blocker (Pantopramozole) would have a placebo affect and not be really effective because the blocker would do the lot. Wish he could feel my stomach then!  I am now in to day 6 post my LAST CHEMO (yay!) but my stomach problems continue...  I have rediscovered the Slippery Elm bark powder and make myself a warm glass of that with Manuka honey to sip first thing in the morning to provide that lining on my pipes before anything else goes in. It seems to be helping. I am also trying to eat just small amounts of food at very regular intervals - anything to avoid what my stomach is doing right now! I stayed out way too long yesterday and by the time I realised I was exhausted and had waited way too long to eat, I was only halfway through a very long shopping list and drooping against my shopping trolley... what a sad sight I must have looked! Here it is - 3.30am and today has started already. Slippery Elm drink, candles, radio, air con......... and my bcna webpage  ;-)   My husband returns from work on Friday - I hope he learns to appreciate the "time is rubber" theory fairly quickly!

Hi just wanted to say feel free to rant anytime, I dont know how you feel as have not had to have chemo, but feel for you sounds bloody awful, people can be so blunt and dont realize how their words can hurt and scar us also, hope you feel a little better in the morning light xox

Hi just wanted to say feel free to rant anytime, I dont know how you feel as have not had to have chemo, but feel for you sounds bloody awful, people can be so blunt and dont realize how their words can hurt and scar us also, hope you feel a little better in the morning light xox