Saved by a Starlight Mint

Great news. All went well during my cancer restaging/measurement last week at MD Anderson. Even with skipping a dose of Avastin (chemo), I had a minuscule amount of tumor shrinkage and no additional spreading. Onward with another 9 weeks on the drug study.

And yes, it was a Starlight Mint that saved me from the perils and embarrassment of iodine nausea and vomiting.

Each CT scan requires that I drink a substantial amount of mixed berry flavored barium. It's a chalky white, milk of magnesia-like drink that I sip slowly for 1.5 hours so it will light up my gastrointestinal system like a football field when it contrasts with the rush of iodine being pushed through my system by IV. Each time the iodine is pushed through the IV a tidal wave of nausea hits me like a mac truck. (Think New Years Eve drunk. You have to keep one foot on the floor while you are in bed so you'll stop spinning.) I get dizzy, my mouth and nose both wreak of metal.

I've tried different things so I'll stop gagging (and occassionally spewing) while in the CT tube. First I tried smelling alcohol during the scan. Next I tried a wet towel around my neck. At last, one very smart IV RN gave me three Starlight Mints and told me to keep one in my mouth and I wouldn't get sick. I gave one to Julie because she deserved one for dealing with my neurosis during restaging scans. I popped one into my mouth before the scan and it worked. I say saved. The radiologist kept reminding me not to accidentally inhale the damn thing while I held my breath during the scan. Me choking on a mint would mess up her scans. I'm going to give that big needle using IV RN a hug next time I see her.

My Dad went with me for the results discussion on Friday and patiently waited with me for my chemo appointment. It was a long day, but he managed to find a quiet spot with a good chair for at least two naps. I finally heard one of my favorite words from a very professional RN. She said "oops" very quietly while she was trying to put the first chemo IV in my arm...it was awesome. No really, it was terribly funny because you never expect them to actually say it.

happy healing,
jan

PS. The third Starlight Mint went to the chest x-ray guy because I put them in the front pocket of my scrubs and it messed up two of my chest x-rays. I thought it was the least I could do. I suspect he may not have eaten the mint since it was radioactive at that point.

Back in the Saddle-Blogpost

Back in the Avastin (intravenous chemo) saddle again. I received my 17th dose on Friday. Feels a little like starting over again after skipping a dose, but it's good to feel the awesome healing sting. I also received a flu shot. Nothing special about that except that I now feel impervious to those contagious folks who still come into work anyway, but still vulnerable to H1N1 until Dr. F decides it's a good thing for me. Thank goodness he's big on research.

Good times with Elise on the drive to Houston and back except when the chocolate on her granola bar looked funky. It's the little things that bug us not the big-ass ones. One would expect a brand spanking new chocolate covered granola bar to have grade A chocolate, but maybe our expectations are too high for an Exxon station.

Here are my two favorite quotes for the week in doctor visits. And yes they are absolutely taken out of context:

"Can you turn and face the other direction, I'm right-handed."

"Jan, we don't actually get extra points for killing you. After we've spent all this time and research getting the tumor small enough for resection, there are no extra points for killing you during the surgery."

Peaceful healing,

jan