Safeway Redeemed

Last night Erika the checkout guy (yes, he's a guy named Erika) told me I look fabulous which was really nice because I know I look like a cancer patient, especially now my eyelashes are falling out.

Minor Observations

The magazines in the oncologist's office are, for the most part, good and current (OK, I did find a Sunset from December 07 the other day.) Presumably this is because people spend a lot of time there. Sometimes there are donuts and cookies. I'm guessing these are provided by grateful patients. I should probably take some tasty thank-you treats with me when I go in for the final session (which is, by the way, October 29th should anyone want to throw me a big party some time soon thereafter.)

Chemo VII: Uneventful

I considered inventing some side effects to impress Dr. Urba but he takes all input very seriously so that would have been, most probably, inappropriate. Nothing much has changed: weight stable, blood pressure average, red blood cell count within reach of normal etc etc. I do get very itchy hands at times during the cycle but that's to be expected (apparently.)

And the first pre-meds I receive in the infusion room include a big bag of Benadryl so I'm basically knocked out for the whole process. If something interesting happened I missed it.

The next and final treatment might be more compelling. Then, hopefully, I'll get a better understanding of what happens next (port removal and radiation.)

Chemotherapy: Upsides

1. System-wide annihilation of cancer cells.
2. License to eat whatever you want whenever you want (example: ice cream sandwiches for breakfast.)
3. No bad hair days (but there is the occasional bad turban day.)
4. Never having to shave one's legs.
5. Bathroom time greatly reduced (top benefit for husband, especially.)

Downsides: too many and too gross to mention here.

Overheard in the checkout line at Safeway

Clerk: "Would you like to round up your total with the difference going to finding a cure for breast cancer?"
Man: "I've got enough problems without having to worry about women."

Nice.

Diversions IV

::Evoe - This is the new bistro/cafe/tasting room in Pastaworks on Hawthorne. I've lunched there three times now (twice on consecutive days.) Casual dining with exquisite food offering - salads, charcuterie, soups, sandwiches and, importantly fried items. The grilled cheese sandwich is to die for. Plus you get to watch the chef in action. Good theater.
::Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares - I'm not sure I like Gordon Ramsey but I've become obsessed with this show in which he visits failing restaurants and attempts to turn them around in an unfeasibly short period of time. It has made me rather suspicious of restaurant kitchens, hence my current preference for the open options (see above.)
::Brideshead Revisited - Nowhere near as good as the 1981 TV series with Jeremy Irons, this film version of Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel bills itself as a "poignant story of forbidden love." I had thought it was about the disappearing tradition of aristocracy and the outworking of God's grace in people's lives. Maybe that doesn't sell films.
::The Duchess - I was really excited to see this film version of the book Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire which kick started my ongoing interest in 18th century aristocracy. And I do think that high praise should go to Ralph Fienne's portrait of the duke. Best performance, however, must go to Keira Knightley's eyebrows which truly dominate the action. Seriously. Never seen anything like it.

Chemo VI: Groundbreaking

As I neared the end of the Taxol infusion and realized that it had only taken 1.5 hours, Nurse Laurie told me some interesting news: since my last treatment some research has been published demonstrating no difference in patients who had received Taxol over three hours or one hour. The research was, apparently, spearheaded by my very own Dr. Urba. So I am one of the first patients to receive the treatment in this newly-approved "fast" time. Naturally I was relieved to get out of the clinic earlier, but I was a bit unnerved when Laurie exclaimed "I can't wait to see how this turns out for you!" So now I'm anxiously awaiting a new slew of side effects (see September 9 posting: Paranoia.)

In other news my mouth has cleared up and my red blood cell count is on the increase so I'm back to being only slightly anemic. Taxol is, as they thought it might, taking much less of a toll on my system.