Cycle 7: Days 1 - 7

By this time next week cycle seven will merely be a memory and I will be just one cycle away from completing this stage of the journey.

Last Wednesday Dr. Risbud informed me that not only were my white and red blood cells high enough for the infusion but that in fact they had climbed to “normal”. Additionally Dr. Risbud said that depending upon how I am feeling I can end isolation earlier for cycles seven and eight – more good news for me.

The overall flu like feeling was less with this cycle although the leg aches started earlier and were more intense however, like childbirth the memory of the toughest day has begun to fade. My mouth seems to be more irritated this time; I am likely to be contributing to this by continuing to eat food with a tomato base. All things considered, I will take Taxol and Herceptin over an infusion of Adriamycin and Cytoxin any day.

My oldest grandson Jackson has kept close track on the state of my hair. He regularly asks to feel my head and gives me a status report which usually has been, “still not growing”. This Monday after completing his examination of my head he said, “I’m proud of you grandma your hair is growing”. The hair on the top of my head is the longest and now feels soft and fuzzy. As for color, well the first thought that comes to my mind is wow I have a lot of gray and the second thought is ugh, that’s a mousy looking brown!

Randy is on his annual hunting trip in Northern California; he was able to go with peace of mind because my brother is here with me this week. I hope he and his hunting buddy Stan each get a deer this week and anyone who loves Randy’s deer jerky also hopes he gets one.

Here at home it’s all about food this week; I had banana nut bread fresh from the oven yesterday when my brother arrived. If you have read my brother’s comment about our mother’s banana nut bread on the With Love, From Jan blog you will know how fond he is of it. Last night we went to April and Bret’s for enchiladas and today our childhood favorite Me-n-Ed’s pizza is for lunch. I have located Holland America’s bread pudding and I am going to give it a try this afternoon; hopefully it will turn out just as good. Tonight it is cedar planked pork loin; tomorrow is beef brisket slow cooked for hours on the barbeque, and on, and on.

That’s it for now, I will write again in a few days – in between cooking and eating! Thanks for checking in on me today and may your week be filled with as much love and good food as ours is going to be.

Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.