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Today put me solidly over the halfway point for chemo (and nearing the halfway for the second round).  My chemo companion was my sister-in-law (and former roommate and dear friend) Katie:

My counts were slightly improved:
Platelets: 92 thou/mcL 
Abs # neut:  2.4 thou/mcL
WBC: 3.6 thou/mcL
Hemoglobin 9.9 gm/dL

Though I gained 2 more pounds in 2 weeks.  Sigh.

I asked a lot of questions (remembered to write them down this time) and got a recommendation for the nosebleeds (saline nasal spray), permission to have an occasional alcoholic beverage (Hello, biergarten, bloody marys & cucumber vodka drinks!), and reassurance that my struggle to find words and multi-task are chemo-related and not brain mets (so I should be challenging my brain to keep it healthy).  I also complained a bit about how I hated feeling so yucky after chemo due to the Benadryl, so Dr. Shah dropped my pre-med Benadryl dose from 25 mg to 10 mg.  She also dropped the steroids from my pre-meds entirely.  I still get the Pepcid (which I found out is another histamine blocker--I'd assumed it was an anti-nausea med), too.

So my request this week is for iPhone apps that you would recommend to keep my brain active.  I've been playing Candy Crush simply for the fact that it's mind-numbing, but Dr. Shah said that, in addition to continuing to work, I should be doing things that really make me work my brain and draw connections.

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Some quick fun stuff I did this last week:

Cara has been home for a week now.  It's been so nice to just have her around and she's been so helpful with everything around the house, including:

cooking
Since Cara will be living in an apartment next year, she's learning a lot of cooking, including helping me (my own sous chef) and cooking on her own.  One of the fun things we made was homemade pierogi.  


gardening
I've always been afraid to plant before Memorial Day weekend, so Saturday we planted a lot of things: tomatoes, a tomatillo, peppers, herbs, sugar snap peas, radishes, beets, and horseradish!

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knitting
I finished Hitchhiker--which ended up with only 40 notches, so I'm not sure it can still be called "Hitchhiker"

I also finally decided what to make with my beautiful Noro gift.  I'm making a knit tee.  It's knit entirely in the round (bottom up) so I think the Noro will blend and stripe nicely.

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Finally, we had a great time on Sunday with our friends Joe and Kristi.  We went out for Mexican food at La Fuente and then saw The Book of Mormon.  The whole night was so much fun, but the musical was even better than I expected!  I highly recommend it--even though I can't stop singing the completely inappropriate songs from it.

Helpful tips from friends, readings, and personal experience

I thought it would be nice to have one post with all the helpful tips I've picked up along the way.  I'll keep editing it and maybe (if I can figure out how) keep it pinned to the top of the blog.  In compiling the initial info, I went back and read all the comments on all the Facebook posts since I made my diagnosis public.  Wow!  The tears came back...  I have not a doubt in my mind that my recovery has gone so well because of all the people who have my back--worldwide!  I'm glad I decided to go public, as the love, support, and helpful tips :) have definitely helped.

(if any of you have additional suggestions, or ones I missed the first time through, please let me know and I'll add them)

So here they are, roughly categorized:

General:

For night sweats, instead of cotton, wear lycra (less cold); keep spritz bottle of water, alcohol and lavender essential oil to cool self and sheets; refined sugar increases night sweats; try lysine supplements

For nausea: ginger tea, mints/mint gum; eat small meals throughout day; eat before you get hungry--even just a bite here and there; if you wake up nauseous, eat dry food before getting out of bed (try ginger snaps!) and try to eat a high-protein snack before bed; rest; get some fresh air; avoid strong odors; drink fluids between meals, not with meals; 

For fatigue: pace yourself; rest when you start to feel tired or notice signs of fatigue; delegate, delegate, delegate!  do what you can to manage stress, as it contributes to fatigue; exercise, even if just taking a walk

Yoga is a great way to recover and exercise post-surgery; many hospitals have programs specific to cancer patients/survivors

Pre-surgery:

Measure your arm circumference to have as a baseline for lymphedema afterwards

Cook some of your favorite meals to have in the freezer

Buy your favorite beverages so it's easier to hydrate when you get home

Get shirts that button/snap/zip up the front (can't raise arms after surgery)

Get soft, front-close sports bras (I actually couldn't find any, but they would have been nice) OR loose camisoles with built-in shelf bras; the compression bra they give you in the hospital is horribly uncomfortable

Have lots of pillows of different sizes and shapes to help get comfortable after surgery

Post-surgery:

Lots of ideas for what to do with the drains, and people like different things:  camisole with pockets to hold drains; Hoodie with pockets for drains; fanny pack for drains; wear an old men's tie and pin them to that; (I had so many drains that I couldn't fit them in pockets and had to pin them to my camisole but it was more comfortable when I pinned them higher, looping the tubing through the BIG safety pins

Do post-surgery stretching exercises in shower, with warm water loosening things up.

Use forced touching/pressure to deal with hypersensitivity post-surgery

Bellaruth Naprastak has some nice post surgery recovery guided imagery audios

Much easier to sleep/get comfy in a recliner the first week or so

Stay on top of constipation prevention (easier to prevent than fix):  Stool softener, milk of magnesia, Miralax (try in warm cider)

Percocet can cause itchiness; use benadryl to counteract it

Find a way to spend some time reclined with the lymph-node impacted arm above your head each day to prevent swelling/pooling of lymph

Pre-chemo:

Purchase an eyebrow pencil while you still have eyebrows so you can match the color, because they will thin as they fall out

Sucking on ice chips or popsicles during chemo can help with nausea and mouth sores; if no mouth sores, suck on sour candies;

Use aquaphor lotion throughout

Things to bring:  Cozy blanket, Bottle of water, Snacks, Tissues, Mints for when they flush the port, Gum, Magazine, book, journal, ipad for watching Netflix, movies, music, etc., Earphones, Socks

Wear something comfy and easy for them the access the port

Chemo is constipating.  Prevent it: stool softeners starting 2 days before; bran muffins; drink lots of water

Post-chemo:

If unable to eat solid food, drink Ensure

Ask if you can have IV fluids given ~2 days after chemo (even along with the Neulasta shot)

Watch youtube videos to learn how to tie/wear scarves

If you get mouth sores, the pharmacy can make a "Magic Mouthwash" to help

No matter how tired you are, some exercise will give you energy

Several people have said that Claritin helps with the bone pain after Neulasta shots

Pre-radiation:

Purchase (or find someone who makes) lotion that is gentle, alcohol- and scent-free

Post-radiation:

Aquaphor lotion and aquaphor lip therapy work well