A Quiet Week

It's been a quiet week on the health front - but that's better than loud, right?

I was in and out of the office this week and working from home otherwise. It feels good to have structure back into my day - and raise my intelligence level back up from the reality daytime TV gutter in which its been wallowing for the past while. It was proven this week that interaction with real, live adults cannot be replicated by pre-recorded TV, no matter how often I talk back to Judge whomever. I don't know how many times I have told Flavor Flav and Ray J that they won't find true love with women named "Like Dat" and "Hot Cocoa," and yet they never listen. I am also sure that I can determine the cause of death of a homicide victim if the cause is blunt force trauma and/or asphyxiation (resulting in the tell-tale petechial hemorrhaging in the eyeballs). Thank you, CSI Las Vegas, Miami, and New York... and all the Law & Orders, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Bones, and First 48. I never thought that I, too, could become so paranoid.

Funny story about the crime shows... When I went into the ER a few weeks ago, this team of young doctors came in to check me out. They were asking about my symptoms and what had been going on for the past week, so I was telling him about my post-chemo weirdness and mentioned my conversation a few days earlier with the nurse.

"... and she said that as my rash wasn't elevated or annoying that it was probably petechiae from my blood vessels..." (or something like that).
"Hm." pause. "Do you have advanced medical training of any kind?"
"Me? No. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you threw out "petechiae" like it was nothing..."
"Oh... I watch CSI." (Duh.)

He snorted and the doctors found it hilarious. Apparently I'm the only one who gets their medical terminology from TV? Or maybe I was the only one dumb enough to admit it...?

On a completely unrelated note, I want to thank the developers of my new favorite food group - Jello. I keep waiting to get tired of the colorful not-really-food option in my fridge, but I don't. Oh sure, some Jello flavors are better than others, hence my six boxes of Peach and Berry Blue that are now on hand at all times.

Did you know... that there is a quick-set method for Jello which involved ice cubes?

Did you know... that if your Jello freezes in the fridge, it breaks down and gets watery?

Did you know... that Jello makes seasonal flavors such as Pina Colada and Margarita?

Did you know... that you can use Vodka in place of water for... wait... of course you know that.

On yet another change of topic - I go in for my third (!!) chemo treatment on Friday, Dec. 18th, which will officially put me at half-way done. I can't believe it is going so quickly. Every day I wake up and wonder if today is the day when I will notice another change. I pay attention to my energy level, to my nose sniffle, to how food tastes and whether or not it makes me queasy enough to warrant an anti-nausea pill.

I've found that so far it's really just a crap shoot - one day I feel great and think how ridiculous it is that I am staying away from germs and really have this "cancer" thing. Another day, like Friday, I pay for "maybe overdo-ing it a bit" and don't have the energy to keep my eyes open at 7 o'clock at night. Some days I can eat anything and everything in sight, while other days the very thought of food makes me cringe and Jello is the only thing that sits well in my stomach. It's strange.

I will try to update this a bit more often, as I think of random thoughts all the time, then forget them within a few days... I had at least five good ones for this entry, but can't for the life of me remember them now. I'll get back to you on that...

Carrie