Hair Loss Thursday is over - thank heaven. Today, I no longer have that one last eyelash on my right eye. My remaining eyebrows are barely discernible. But - today is a new day and it's Hair Regrowth Friday!!!
Have you ever tried to watch grass grow, flowers bloom, or wait for a customer service person to take your call when you're in the queue? If you have done any of those things, you can understand my impatience with Hair Regrowth Friday. I know it's happening. I knew I wouldn't actually see any difference. I really want to see a difference. I just have to remind myself that hair is more than skin deep. I can take consolation from the idea that the hair is growing...it just has to start out of sight under my skin. So...I will have this genderless look for awhile longer.
Well, this is a less-than-productive topic, but I don't want to let Hair Regrowth Friday pass by without recognition.
On to Nausea.
My first chemo treatment was highly educational. The chemo nurse suggested that I bring lunch to my chemo treatment because of the length of the treatment. I did some research and learned that foods eaten during chemo treatments can later cause the patient to become nauseous. For this reason, it is suggested that patients should never eat a favorite food during treatment. I chose to bring a turkey sandwich because I didn't care if I developed an aversion to turkey. I was about as ready as I could be.
Anxiety. Stress. Terror. The feeling of being trapped in my own body. These are feelings I experienced after being diagnosed. They became much more intense after I found out I would be undergoing chemotherapy. Did I mention that I'm a needle phobic? Yeah, that really added to the anxiety factor. My anxiety level was so high I was nauseous nearly all the time.
The day before chemo, I was nearly of my mind. It was pretty rough. My friend, Mary, showed up at my door with a care package that contained gluten free oatmeal peanut butter cookies. Though I appreciated the gesture, I was so nervous I couldn't even think about eating them. I put a few in my lunch container for the following day.
Chemo day. It dawned bright and sunny. I was dark and gloomy. I had all the prescribed meds. I was supposed to take one of three Emend pills prescribed for each day of treatment. We were on our way. I was so nervous I considered asking my husband to pull over so I could throw up. I took the Emend. Within ten minutes the nausea abated. Amazing. I felt very anxious but not nauseous. The pill must be magic!
I did eat my lunch during the treatment. I won't bore you with the chemo details and I'll skip right to the drive home. I was nauseous. I took a Phenergan pill. I was still nauseous. I tried to think of something else...anything else. Still nauseous. I found one of my oatmeal peanut butter cookies and nervously munched on it. I was less nauseous. Weird....a cookie that could be considered an anti-nausea cookie? I ate more of the cookie. Less nausea. A miracle!
I kept those cookies by my bed. I stashed some near my recliner. I carried them from room to room. My friend had provided
the perfect anti-nausea solution! It was also a great excuse to eat cookies.
My friend made cookies for me prior to every chemo treatment. I started sharing my cookies with the other ladies in the chemo room. Those cookies eased nausea for everyone who tried them. I began to be known as the cookie lady. I was asked for the recipe. The cookies were a total hit.
Oh, and how did my chemo lunch go? I can still eat turkey without a problem. I can't eat bread anymore. That's right - it was the bread that got me. I can't even picture bread in my mind without feeling nauseous! Who would have guessed? I stopped bringing lunch to chemo beginning with the second day of the treatment. I loaded up on the cookies and kept my nausea at bay. Today, I don't eat bread and I hold a resentment toward turkey for coming out of this unscathed.
For those of you who want a pleasant anti-nausea solution, try the recipe below. My friend was generous enough to share her recipe.
Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies - Great Anti-Nausea Aide
Ingredients:
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 egg
1/4 C butter
1/2 C peanut butter
2 C Oats
Mix sugars, baking soda, butter, egg and peanut butter. Fold in Oats. Put on parchment paper on baking pan by rounded teaspoons."X" with wet fork. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350.
---not gluten free unless you use GF oats and can eat GF oats--
So, here you have it - cookie consumption validated for it's medicinal qualities!
Have you ever tried to watch grass grow, flowers bloom, or wait for a customer service person to take your call when you're in the queue? If you have done any of those things, you can understand my impatience with Hair Regrowth Friday. I know it's happening. I knew I wouldn't actually see any difference. I really want to see a difference. I just have to remind myself that hair is more than skin deep. I can take consolation from the idea that the hair is growing...it just has to start out of sight under my skin. So...I will have this genderless look for awhile longer.
Well, this is a less-than-productive topic, but I don't want to let Hair Regrowth Friday pass by without recognition.
On to Nausea.
My first chemo treatment was highly educational. The chemo nurse suggested that I bring lunch to my chemo treatment because of the length of the treatment. I did some research and learned that foods eaten during chemo treatments can later cause the patient to become nauseous. For this reason, it is suggested that patients should never eat a favorite food during treatment. I chose to bring a turkey sandwich because I didn't care if I developed an aversion to turkey. I was about as ready as I could be.
Anxiety. Stress. Terror. The feeling of being trapped in my own body. These are feelings I experienced after being diagnosed. They became much more intense after I found out I would be undergoing chemotherapy. Did I mention that I'm a needle phobic? Yeah, that really added to the anxiety factor. My anxiety level was so high I was nauseous nearly all the time.
The day before chemo, I was nearly of my mind. It was pretty rough. My friend, Mary, showed up at my door with a care package that contained gluten free oatmeal peanut butter cookies. Though I appreciated the gesture, I was so nervous I couldn't even think about eating them. I put a few in my lunch container for the following day.
Chemo day. It dawned bright and sunny. I was dark and gloomy. I had all the prescribed meds. I was supposed to take one of three Emend pills prescribed for each day of treatment. We were on our way. I was so nervous I considered asking my husband to pull over so I could throw up. I took the Emend. Within ten minutes the nausea abated. Amazing. I felt very anxious but not nauseous. The pill must be magic!
I did eat my lunch during the treatment. I won't bore you with the chemo details and I'll skip right to the drive home. I was nauseous. I took a Phenergan pill. I was still nauseous. I tried to think of something else...anything else. Still nauseous. I found one of my oatmeal peanut butter cookies and nervously munched on it. I was less nauseous. Weird....a cookie that could be considered an anti-nausea cookie? I ate more of the cookie. Less nausea. A miracle!
I kept those cookies by my bed. I stashed some near my recliner. I carried them from room to room. My friend had provided
the perfect anti-nausea solution! It was also a great excuse to eat cookies.My friend made cookies for me prior to every chemo treatment. I started sharing my cookies with the other ladies in the chemo room. Those cookies eased nausea for everyone who tried them. I began to be known as the cookie lady. I was asked for the recipe. The cookies were a total hit.
Oh, and how did my chemo lunch go? I can still eat turkey without a problem. I can't eat bread anymore. That's right - it was the bread that got me. I can't even picture bread in my mind without feeling nauseous! Who would have guessed? I stopped bringing lunch to chemo beginning with the second day of the treatment. I loaded up on the cookies and kept my nausea at bay. Today, I don't eat bread and I hold a resentment toward turkey for coming out of this unscathed.
For those of you who want a pleasant anti-nausea solution, try the recipe below. My friend was generous enough to share her recipe.
Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies - Great Anti-Nausea Aide
Ingredients:
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 egg
1/4 C butter
1/2 C peanut butter
2 C Oats
Mix sugars, baking soda, butter, egg and peanut butter. Fold in Oats. Put on parchment paper on baking pan by rounded teaspoons."X" with wet fork. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350.
---not gluten free unless you use GF oats and can eat GF oats--
So, here you have it - cookie consumption validated for it's medicinal qualities!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment