Wetness*

My recent visit to an acupuncturist/nutritionist was insightful. Without going into all of the details of what I learned, here's a synopsis:

• Acupuncture needles don't hurt.
• There are five elements that should flow to each other, in circle form, in this order: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. The elements determine our whole physical, psychological, and emotional balance. 
• My body is out of balance. (Exhibit A: breast cancer. Exhibit B: my history of fighting tonsillitis/strep on and off for years - most recently for several years in a row until my tonsillectomy in early 2011. Exhibit C: my saliva is acidic. And there are others.)
• My acupuncturist/nutritionist will work with me to:
  1) increase my WBC count so I can keep on the chemo treatment plan I'm on - without missing/delaying any, if possible
  2) help me recover from chemo after my last treatment, to prepare me for my surgery
  3) work with me throughout chemo, surgery, and post-surgery to change my body pH so it is no longer a "kind" host for cancer cells to thrive

No, I'm not going off the deep end, people! This feels healthy to look into alternative treatments in addition to (not in replace of!) conventional therapies. After all, it's not exactly a secret that cancer is in essence a breakdown in the balance between typically dormant cancer cells in the body and the natural defenses that keep those cancer cells from activating and misbehaving. I want to pay close attention to my mind-body connection and improve (by nourishing and strengthening) my "terrain."

I am keeping an open mind and am willing to follow some tougher dietary guidelines (as soon as I get the OK by my oncologist - that, or will wait until chemo is over to fully implement). At the most, I can learn how to keep cancer at bay in my body. At the least, I have a strong sense of power and hope through this journey and beyond. 

*Wetness: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, wetness is a pathological factor that can flow to every corner and organ of the body and making mis-function of the organs, which causes different diseases.

Ticktock Goes the Clock

The hands on the clock seem to move more slowly when you're waiting for something you're anticipating. This time, it's waiting on Adam to get here.

A picture taken when he visited in mid-June, 2011.
What can I say? We like hamming it up.

I am so looking forward to spending time with him and having some special brother-sister talks together. Some are ones that you wouldn't necessarily want to have (life and death stuff), but it's good to put it out there, cover the hard subjects, and have that behind us. The other conversations I'm looking forward to are just normal, everyday ones - joking around, hamming it up, and hearing of his plans for the future.

This visit will be a little different: Adam will be driving here in his well-packed 4Runner with Jeney, a special woman in his life. She's full of spunk and energy and will no doubt help pass the time quickly on the long drive he's ultimately making from Portland to New York (with intermittent stops - one is here for a few days). Yay!

One of my favorite pictures of Adam & Jeney.
Taken on a hike together in the Northwest.

May you all have safe travels on your way east. I'm looking forward to seeing you both and making some more great memories in-between chemo treatments.

Chemo Trio

Laura went in for another round of AC chemotherapy today and I got to be her guest! It was my first time at one of her chemo sessions and I was excited to be with her. Our morning get to a quick kick-off with Brandon, Laura's cousin who had been visiting and helping with Linda's move, and Joe leaving for the airport after breakfast.

After we finished eating, Linda applied a glob of Lidocaine to the skin over Laura's port to get her numbed up and comfortable. Then Laura took a handful of anti-nausea medications, preparing for the golden healing fluids she was about to receive.

On our way to chemo #3

Once we arrived at the oncologist's office we got a private room and nurse Ellen promptly removed Laura's bandage and wiped off the Lidocaine and before I knew it a rather largish "sucker fish" needle was stuck into Laura's port. She was hooked in and ready to go.

Ellen used two syringes of saline to flush the port. She tried to draw blood after the first flush, but nothing came out, so another saline flush was needed to clear it out. That happens sometimes.

Next 3 vials of blood were rapidly pulled, so Ellen could analyze Laura's white and red blood counts and make sure she was in a good enough condition to go through with today's treatment. Her counts were high (which is good) although she did register slightly anemic, but better than her previous numbers. Ellen said the anemia was to be expected and a side effect from treatment. Since the blood cell counts were good, treatment could now begin in earnest.

Ellen first administered some more anti-nausea medication into Laura's drip line. This time she put the drugs into a drip bag, since injecting it into the line last time gave Laura some lasting headaches and the slower speed might help a bit with these side effects.

Up next was Cytoxan, which came in a clear bag and made the drip line cold to the touch. They must have kept this drug in the fridge. Laura said she couldn't feel the cool temperature of the liquid as it went into her port.

The Cytoxan took up most of administration time and Laura took a bathroom break carting her drip system with her. We played scrabble and talked with Ellen and a few other nurses who would pop in on occasion.

While the Cytoxan was still dripping we met with Laura's oncologist. She measured Laura's tumor in 2d space and said that it looks to be getting smaller and all signs are pointing in the right direction; the chemotherapy appears to be doing its thing!

Once the Cytoxan was all gone it was time for Adriamycin, which gets administered by hand into the drip line through a large syringe thingy. It's a colorful red liquid, affectionately named "red devil" by the nurses, a name which Laura wasn't really digging. I thought it looked like cool-aid. This stuff only took about 20 minutes to go into the port. Gulp, gulp!

Adriamycin is boss

Then Laura received her second shot of Zolodex, which keeps her ovaries in a "cocoon mode" in hopes of preserving as many eggs as possible. To administer this shot, Ellen first gave a strong numbing solution injection, which made a little bubble on the skin of Laura's belly. Then Ellen got a crazy big syringe, which had a large gauge needle on it, that delivers a time release capsule/pod of the medicine, and stuck it into the numbed up bubble, deep into Laura's stomach. It was pretty intense because I could see the needle moving around under Laura's stomach - the movie Aliens comes to mind. This part of the procedure was more like something you would normally see at a piercing studio. Good thing that numbing shot did its job because Laura didn't so much as flinch. (I barely did, maybe a little when there was blood at the end!)

That about wrapped up our 4+ hours at the oncologist's office and it was high time for us to head home. We were both pretty tired and had a homemade banana-strawberry protein shake before settling down.

Happy day

Miyako's Cut

Miyako's hair before.

There have been certain buzz cuts I expected to see. Others have surprised me a bit. This particular cut falls into the total surprise category - really! Miyako, unbeknownst to me, made some sort of pact with Adam (my brother) to shave her head. She said this happened early on; I'm guessing soon after my diagnosis.

Anyway, while visiting us this past week, she asked the barber of the house to do his buzz cut number on her. After much delay and a little coaxing, he gave in and became...Sweeny Joshua! (Minus the whole violence part.)

It all began so innocently...
a little buzz here, and a little buzz there...

Look at all that hair!
Are you sure you wanted to do this?

She's still all smiles.
Momo is wondering if she's next.

Miyako, thanks for your great display of solidarity with me. You look beautiful with and without your hair. Somewhat like a Buddhist nun, like we talked about. Welcome to the free A/C club. I think you'll like it throughout the summer.

...and, speaking of Coneheads...

July 17, 2011

Missing 1980’s Personalities Discovered Living in Denver Suburb

Neighbors Caught Totally Unaware; Police Become Involved; Paparazzi May Begin to Impact Residential Area

(MNN / Centennial, CO) – Neighbors were astounded to discover late this evening that former TV and movie screen personalities, The Coneheads, have been living in this quiet, residential Denver suburb for an indetermined length of time.  Occasionally, there have reports of “unusual” events at the southeastern Denver residence, along with a noticeable increase in visitors and traffic at the residence during the past month or so.

**** Note the two photos... the upper photo was taken in Hollywood in the early 80's; the lower photo, a recent clandestine shot taken only a few days ago.  The thirty years between photos is evident – the  Coneheads are aging and their most pronounced features have receded; however, note their smooth and shining spheres! ****

l

Coneheads, Hollywood - circa 1983

Also suspicious has been the greater volume of recent takeoffs and landings of private jets at Centennial Airport, in addition to the higher revenues flowing into local Asian food stores.  Unidentified sources have disclosed a dramatic increase in wig sales at several local retail shops.  Police are now attempting to piece these seemingly unrelated leads together.  

Late last night, when it appeared that reporters would finally be allowed to interview the just-discovered trio, Denver Police suddenly appeared, blocked all streets, surrounded the house, and arrested and booked one unidentified male who also lives at the same residence. 

Police Chief O’Malley would not disclose the arrested man’s identification, but did comment the police have had the man under surveillance for several months.  It is presently alleged – but unconfirmed – the arrested man, who works as a program developer at a local company, has been practicing as a barber without either a state license or a barber’s chair. 

Coneheads, Colorado style - 2011

And, as incredible as it sounds, the police also strongly hinted the arrested person was recorded last winter operating a snowblower with an expired license... this definitely sounds like a daredevil living right on the edge.  Chief O’Malley said he was delighted to be taking down such an infamous suspect, a man who often wears a colored bandana as a sign of his rebellion.  The Chief continued, “We’ve got to show these under-the-radar operators that we mean business!  No more Mr. Nice Guy, no more dull lawn mower blades, no more broken sprinkler heads, no more disconnected downspouts.  We’re crackin’ down!  Book ‘em Dan-o.”  

The Chief continued, "This is the same caliber of fellow who would irresponsibly, and I will add illegally, tear 'Do Not Remove' signs off pillows, mattresses, and other furniture pieces... this 'perp' likes to push the limits!"  Apparently this hardline Chief means business.

On Sunday morning, the Centennial residence was quiet and for the neighborhood a uneasy sense of normalcy had returned… but neighbors are understandably edgy after last evening’s revelations in this normally serene community.  

Local resident, senior citizen, Wal-Mart greeter par excellence, and noted wine sommelier Mildred Goodbody said “You never really know what’s going on nowadays.  I always check my barber’s license for authenticity, and may I suggest the Cutler Creek 2010 Chardonnay.”  Yo Mama… good observation, Mildred.

Evolution

I hope this blog's audience finds it interesting and informative to see what it looks like to lose hair due to chemotherapy. I've gone through two full treatments so far, and it's begun to happen - rapidly! I'm sure that not everyone loses hair in the same place-order that I have, but it's still something to share. These shots were taken over the span of about a week.

This was taken the first day that actual bald spots began to appear.
Hmm...

The lower back of my head looks like it had been shaved - not so!

My smiling "F*ck cancer!" pose.

Next up: MAJOR hair loss while showering. Surprise, surprise!

This was the result. I wasn't so sure I was liking this...

A few days later...four, yes-FOUR, full hair traps like this.
This was shocking. What on earth would I look like once THIS happened?

This is what I'd look like.

Side view: the very top and upper back are holding on...

...or should I say "hanging in?"

Decided to have a little fun and use a 3M sticky roller to get some of the loose hairs out.

See all the hair?
And we thought the sticky rollers were only good for cat hair!

Enough of this mostly gone, weird patchy buzz cut stuff. Time to take matters into my own hands...again. *Sigh!* Joshua's poor beard trimmer really got a workout:

Oops...look what I did! :)

I'm way more satisfied with everything being the same all the way around my sphere.

Surely Chemo Trio (thanks, Grey!) next Tuesday will take care of my remaining head hair. I am wondering how long my eyebrows and eyelashes will stay; I hope they make it as long as possible, of course! I'll hate to see those go. They help me look a bit less like a conehead. Regardless, my hair follicles will respond however and whenever they want to the chemo. Cheers!

Observing Human Behavior

It's funny what people notice sometimes. A few days ago I happened to notice that four of us, each with a similar piece of watermelon, happened to be eating it in four different ways. The following photos illustrate my observances and how well we enjoyed the cool watermelon on a warm summer day.

Dad: Vertical cuts first. Then left to right in small rectangular pieces. Cuts as he eats.

Miyako: Cut hers from top down, left to right, cutting pieces as she goes in long rectangles. See the pre-cut mark on the next vertical piece? It's ready for her to cut sideways and divide into bite-sized morsels.

 
Joshua: Is this the German way of eating a watermelon? I have no idea. This knife pose was for the picture. There seemed to be only chaos method used in his eating style. The watermelon was hacked.

Laura: Vertical slices all the way from right to left first. Then sideways slices. Then individual bite-sized pieces. And yeah, I posed for the picture.

Wave Number Two

Laura is now on the second cycle of the Chemo-Coaster, and each cycle has it’s ups and downs. The “downs” start soon after a chemo injection and consists of dealing with the effects of and the reactions to the injected cancer fighting mixture. Usually, about four days after a chemo treatment, a cycle bottom is passed. That is when Laura’s trajectory changes its direction to up and she begins to gain strength, rests better, can accommodate long walks and exercise, enjoys food… the best of times during this 16-week chemo regimen.

As has been the practice near the end of each day, Laura assigns the day a numerical rating somewhere between “0” and “10.” At the bottom of the last cycle, Laura decided to assign a rating of 7 to the day. Since that date, the numerical rating given to each day has been increasing, and yesterday was awarded “8, borderline 9.”

This mornng is a beautiful start to the day, the temperature is cool, the skies are blue and clear, and last night’s rain is lending its characteristic fresh smell. There will be additional showers later today, but best of all, today might possibly be a 9… and the direction is up.

Coinciding with Laura's improved position on the Chemo-Coaster, Linda will be relocating to Centennial this weekend, with the able assistance of her son, Adam, and her nephew, Brandon. On Saturday, these two fellows will put on their long distance driver hats and navigate a 26-foot, fully loaded moving truck from Norman to Centennial. By the way, that trip will be 13+ hours and 700+ miles in the searing 105°+ temperatures, with the home stretch of 450 miles aimed directly toward the summer sun. Ahhh… the sights and sounds of western Kansas on a Saturday in July... watch your speed (and the Smokeys) on the Yellow Brick Road westbound!  He-haw!!! 

Having family near will give extra uplift and special buoyancy to this cycle.

Yesterday was a Weak Day

Get it? - A weak day? Weekday? Get it?! Ar, ar, ar...I'm so punny!

Yesterday I felt like I got smacked upside the head with a dose of reality. It was harsh. I set out in the morning to do a DVD workout that I had done just about 2 weeks ago with great success. This particular DVD is low impact, decent cardio+strength+push-ups+sit-ups. A good all-around workout and something I know I can do.

Long story short, I had to take a 5-10 minute breather right before the strength training portion began to slow down my heart and gain the stamina to finish the workout. I haven't ever had to stop the DVD before. Well, ok...maybe I had before - for a phone call!

I just couldn't compute why I felt so zapped of strength and stamina. Guess my second chemo treatment's effects are somewhat still lingering.  :(  It's one thing to hear about the "cumulative effects" and another to live them through. Don't take this as me faltering in my objective: I am committed.

The final analysis: I just didn't like what I experienced yesterday. Not at all. And it seemed to effect the rest of my day - physically and mentally. It was a weak day.

Larry's Cut

A few days ago, I received a Facebook alert that I had been tagged in a photo. Larry Vaughn (Rachel's dad, see previous blog post The Vaughn & Jones Family Cuts) tagged a buzz cut photo of himself to show support for me. What a pleasant surprise!

Larry and his wife, Mickey have known me since I was in elementary school. That didn't seem like such a long time ago until I typed that sentence! They are great folks with big hearts. For instance, when Joshua and I were both laid off from our jobs, Mickey helped us develop a budget for us to live on through the "rough patch." Larry also offered Joshua an important lesson in electrical work! Aaah, the memories. :)

I appreciate your support, Larry. Both through your hair cut and your emails/comments. 

And Mickey: thank you for the inspirational words that I often view in our den:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

No More Bad Hair Days

Dagnabbit - I'm losin' my hair.

Well, ok. Maybe the title of this post isn't 100% accurate. I still do have hair, and I'm sure a few bad hair days will find their way to me before it's all gone.

The big(ish) news of the day is that my hair loss has begun. In the late morning of July 5, before my second treatment, I noticed that I was losing a lot of hair. Not on my head, though. Talk about weird! That totally caught me off guard. And so, not being one to cower at the thought of losing hair, I shaved most of what I had left and thought "There. I beat it." Sort-of. No pictures of that buzz cut. (You can hold the applause.)

Then a couple of days later, while in the shower, I noticed that there was quite a lot of head hair on my hands after shampooing and conditioning. It's begun! So far, the hair loss has been "nice" to me - it's not coming out in clumps, leaving splotchy bald spots or anything. Seems to be more of an all-over hair thinning type of operation going on.

The bad: How will I look completely bald? Probably a tad funny. No insulation up top. Back to a 12-year old body in some places - that's trippy.

The good: No more "grandma" hairs growing on my face - yahoo! Also, the thought of not having to shave my armpits is really awesome. And legs, too, for that matter.

Funny, I've already grown used to my buzz cut and quite like it. I'll miss my hair, that's for sure. But I'll try to temper the feeling(s) I have of loss with an exuberant welcome of head accessories! I am so thankful that my mom and I recently went to Hana Designs Wig Studio. (Great assistance in their store and wonderful atmosphere to feel "safe" in while looking at head toppers of all sorts.) I had a feeling hair loss was right around the corner and opted to go look at alternatives before I actually needed them. It just made more sense to me to be prepared, rather than wishing I would have gone looking before the bald version of myself became a reality. We found several great alternatives: one cozy and lightweight beanie-like hat, one scarf, and one head wrap thing. I'll be sure to post pictures of me using them as I begin to wear them. The beanie-like hat has already come in useful at the movie theater, a restaurant, and at the doctor's office. I also found a wig that I liked and looked pretty good in, but have not purchased it yet. I'm holding out on that one. :) But at least I'm prepared!

The Vaughn & Jones Family Cuts

Holy smokes! CHECK IT OUT! Our friends Rachel and Brad, and their two kiddos (Calvin and Lucas) all got buzzed this July 4th weekend in West Seattle.

It was a family affair and looks like it went well. I especially like that Rachel was brave with a very short 'do. Thanks for the long-distance support, guys! Feeling the love...

Lookin' good, Rach. Be careful of neck burns. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...  :)  YAY for short-haired girl power!!

Laura's Helping Hands

If you are local and interested in giving us a hand Laura's Helping Hands web site community is now up an running and has some volunteer activities available - weekday dinners!

The link to sign-up is at the top of this blog - you can't miss it.

By clicking the Laura's Helping Hands link, you will be taken to a page where you can create a volunteer account. Once your account is activated (please be patient it might take a day or two) check out the "Calendar" section to see what activities are available on which days.

We really appreciate the help and support from everyone!

Aaron's Cut

Aaron is one of my cousins. He's working over in Afghanistan right now. This must have made for a fun diversion during the work day over there.

Aaron before.

Not bad, right? Normal looking guy...blonde, muscular, the signature black t-shirt. Yep, he's cool.

Aaron with his Pro MMA hairdo.

Now why didn't I think of that? It probably wouldn't have looked as cool anyway. Neat, I can't tell if you have just 3 hair rows or 5. Maybe those are just your sunglasses just above the ears? Hmm... You know, it really would have balanced things out well had you shaved your beard to match. You'd look like face with hair sun rays all around.

Aaron after.

Now that's what I call good photo journaling. Good job! Aaron, be sure to wear sunscreen. Or a hat. Or turban. No, ok...maybe not a turban, but...you know. Nice way to go bald with FLAIR, Aaron! Have you done this before? 

The Second Attack

Laura's completion of the first two weeks of chemotherapy was marked by good physical energy, a hearty appetite, and a positive attitude that amazes us all. By 2:00 pm today, she was geared up for the second attack on her cancer. The four hour infusion session seemed shorter thanks to educational and compassionate conversations with the oncologist's medical staff (they are all super and seem to really enjoy their work in helping heal BC patients). They enjoy Laura's sense of humor (who wouldn't?) and are going to try to schedule some treatment sessions at the same time as other young BC survivors - which just might result in another support network. The oncologist observed that Laura's right breast BC area was visibly reduced -- music to our ears! This means the treatment is effective; the chemo treatment plan will remain the same, with surgery following.

Hopefully, this second treatment will proceed similar to the first, and after a few days of fatigue with no other significant side effects, Laura will return to her strong normal state. Please continue your thoughts, prayers, and comments on the blog. Laura loves and appreciates hearing from her "peeps" ! Stay tuned...

A view of Laura's port in action (from her POV)

Getting Ready for #2!

Thought I'd post a little ditty (I use that term loosely) before heading into the oncologist's office for treatment number two. I'm looking forward to this one - I've started having some pangs of pain like I was having when all this started and that's making me think: it's time to knock those cells DOWN again!! I'm ready.

This past week has been fantastic. I've felt 100% normal. Completed a hard cardio workout with mom one day, went on a 6+mile walk another, various other activities...it's all good.

My goal between this treatment and my next, if I recover like I'm expecting, is to at least jog 1 mile or go swimming. Time to bump it up a little! But I'll wade slowly through the fatigue first.

Enjoy the sound byte. :)

Ken's Cut

Hi all! The good-lookin' guy below is my stepbrother Ken. He's joining the club, looks like. Thanks for your support, Ken! The cut looks good on you. Hope you're not too chilly on your next trip to Hell-Stinky with the lack of insulation!!

Juli's Cut

My neighbor Juli deserves a round of applause! So far, she's the first female to buzz her hair like mine.

Juli kept her bangs since they were not long enough
to make the 8" donation minimum length requirement.

She had a fantastic idea: to donate the hair she cut off. She chose to support the Pantene Beautiful Lengths cause. Pantene creates wigs from natural hair and distributes them to select American Cancer Society wig banks. Ladies, there are numerous other hair donation possibilities if you're interested in doing something similar. 

Twinsies!

Juli, thank you for your courage to buzz your hair. And thank you for telling everyone that asks you "Why'd you cut your hair?" about my story and to check their breasts regularly!

Le Port "Pocket" is Le Healing!

Happy Saturday, all. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe 4th of July weekend. Get up and go out!

The picture below is one I took on a walk the day my port was inserted (June 17). It was a beautiful, sunny day in Colorado and the Highline Canal Trail was just the right place to walk for miles and let my mind wander.

The Highline Canal Trail - 66.56 miles in total!
Picture taken near DeKoevend Park.

Since then, my port "pocket" has been healing. This past week, the medical tape over the skin pocket came loose. That provided a perfect opportunity to take some pictures and show you all what a port pocket looks like for those that are wondering. But first: a picture of what a my port looks like:

Picture courtesy of: www.bardaccess.com.

Here's what it looked like this week:

See? It'll be a small, 1 inch scar.

It doesn't stick out much, either!

  

The port is a titanium device that is silicone filled and has a polyurethane catheter. Just in case you want to know how it works with my biology, here's a little diagram that can explain it easier than I can with a paragraph of text. I think it's a neat bit of technology and really is a great device to have to help distribute the chemotherapy systemically.

Illustration courtesy of my PowerPort pamphlet.

Eddie's Cut

Eddie: thank you! Still looking just as handsomely shaved as you did in 1960. Here's some background, folks: Eddie is my father-in-law. He's a guy with great group spirit; check out his story:

"This picture was taken on July 14, 1960 at Fort Derussy in Waikiki, Hawaii. It was the day I was inducted in the military. The only other time my hair was this short was at birth and the day of my injunction."

"Now it’s June 29, 2011. Almost 51 years later, same weird look, just a little bit older, like the guy from Elm Street. How is it that when you lost your hair you look beautiful, the Demi Moore look as your aunt Sandy said? You can see that Sushi is there to support you as well with her bright pink scarf. I had to have her included in the photo to enhance my looks. What a dawg."

I do NOT agree that you look like any type of guy from Elm Street, Eddie! I think it's a throwback look. Perhaps it'll look a bit better with a Hawaiian shirt and a lei? You and Sushi look great and it's awesome you're sporting pink. My new - somewhat forced - favorite color. (Please don't go overboard on the pink thing, folks.) Thanks again for showing your support!