Friday, May 15, 2009

7 Quick Takes (lymphoma edition)

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Jen at Conversion Diary has been generously hosting a "7 Quick Takes Friday" for several months now. As part of downsizing at my employer, my workweek has been reduced to Monday through Thursday, so I find myself with some extra time on my hands. This is my go at seven quick takes.

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Ovusoft message boardsI am addicted to message boards, ever since I discovered the (now-defunct) Estronet community nine years ago. I've moved from board to board as the internet communities and my life has changed. My most recent shift came in December, when I was diagnosed with cancer: I moved from the Long Hair Boards to the no hair boards.

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Red bandanaIn the winter, when I most missed having hair: when lying down on my back, and the back of my head touched a cold pillow. I can't see my head (out of sight, out of mind) and putting on a bandana or scarf has comfortably replaced fixing my hair as part of my daily routine. But that cold touch on the back of my head got me every time.

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While my head hair fell out after my first chemotherapy cycle, other facial hair waited until the weather got warmer. Now that cold pillows are no longer a concern:
  • Not having eyelashes makes putting contacts in more of a challenge.
  • I now need tissue for even the tiniest of sniffles. Not having nosehair, even the smallest amount of mucus runs straight out.

--- 5 ---

My husband baked cookies last week - and almost burned them. They're pretty hard, and he has apologized to me several times. The apologies were unwarranted, though: they turned out to be the perfect cookies for this week. Chemotherapy damages taste buds, and I have an aversion to sweetness. The cookies have had just enough of their sugar denatured that I can actually enjoy them. Anything that tastes good is precious to me right now, so hooray for almost-burnt cookies!

--- 6 ---

Humor has been a big help in keeping my spirits up. Following my first cycle of treatment, I was just feeling blah. My treatment regimen includes a high dose of steroids, and after I stop them I have a several day energy crash. "I don't feel good," I complain to my husband. He looks really concerned. "I've been thinking," he says. "Maybe you don't feel good because you have cancer." I laughed, as much as I could manage with my low energy. After that I felt a little better.

--- 7 ---

I am tired of eating Metamucil's fiber wafers. My daily dose of sugary, cinnamony, crunchy cookie goodness keeps my abdomen from causing me trouble, but it just gets hard to take eating the same thing day after day after day for four months now. I still have another few months of chemotherapy-damaged intestines, though, so Metamucil will get some more of my business.

I hope everyone is having a good Friday!

1 comment:

Jen said...

Thanks for sharing your list. Hope you have a great Friday, too.