Happy New Year!

Ok, so Friday, the day care called us to pick Kai up because he has 102F fever. So we got him and put him to bed, and I realized I have a fever also. On Sat morning, I felt better and went to my acupuncturist in the morning and then went to a friend's house for a "forget the year" party, then went to see Dr. M. I was doing ok but in the evening I started feeling the chill again. Jim stayed home to watch Kai. His fever is much better now. Jim also had a little fever yesterday but he's ok now. Anyway, I couldn't go to church this morning. At one point my fever went up to 39.7C. As I mentioned before, cancer cell is weak against the heat, so I was hoping the fever would go a little higher to take care of them. But I take pain medicine for my bone pain, and it reduces the fever. My fever is down a little now so don't worry! I have to go in for Pet scan and MRI tomorrow - I hope it shows improvement! I'm happy the new year 2008 is coming soon - my healer told me the new year would be a better year for me.
By the way, for my birthday gift, my sweet friend arranged for a cleaning lady to come to our apt. We finally got our apt organized and she came to work on Fri. I felt so happy to see the bathroom so clean! Unfortunately Kai and Jim already messed up the living room - I guess that's the guy thing! Anyway I wish everyone a happy new year 2008!

Under the weather

I went to work this morning as usual, but as the day progressed, I felt worse and had to leave early. When I got home, I went straight to sleep. When I woke up, I finally checked my temp. - 37.6C (I guess about 100F?). I am ok but my bones are more painful than usual. I'm wearing lots of clothes but I still feel a little chill. I just can not wait for spring to come - when the weather is so nice and warm!
By the way, I've been reading this funny book "I'd rather do chemo than clean out the garage" borrowed from the hospital. As my healer said, laughter is healing. So I'm reading funny books to lift my spirit. (Don't worry, I'm not reading "lovely bones" anymore!)
OK, I'm going back to bed. Good night!

Christmas

Oh, I can't believe Christmas is over so quickly! It was very hard for me to go back to work this morning. I worked on Christmas eve, but we went to a friend's house for dinner. They had a really great Christmas tree (actually two trees) and we got a picture of Kai in front of the big tree. (You know us - we have a miniature tree only.)
We spent Christmas at another friend's house as well - so we didn't have to cook at all this Christmas! Kai really enjoyed eating good food at our friends' places. We really had a good time visiting with our friends this Christmas - I hope you all had a good Christmas too!
By the way, how many times have you seen "Christmas Story"? That is a great movie and we usually watch it every Christmas.
Oh, we just watched a movie "Ratatouille" - it was awesome. I highly recommend it!
Good night!

Weekend

Oh this weekend went by so quickly! It is always the case as it gets closer to Christmas.
We went to the Lenox mall on Sat to ride "Pink Pig". We waited in line for a long time, too (like 20 min?). The ride itself was so short but Kai really enjoyed it very much. So we were glad we did it. We went to eat at Korean restaurant afterwards, and Kai really liked eating some of the food (non-spicy ones). This boy can eat everything! We went to a friend's house for a Christmas get together on Sunday, and Kai ate more than I did (ate half of Jim's plate!). But he is not that heavy - we just weighed him. He weighs 21lbs. I guess all the activities are keeping him fit.
Have a wonderful Christmas eve and Christmas, everyone!

Happy Friday

So, I went to see Dr. M yesterday and told him about my bones. He gave me good suggestions about how to keep my bones strong but he also said he can do Reiki. For people who are not familiar, Reiki started in Japan and I just looked it up but it is a method of energy healing. (see what is Reiki on this website) http://www.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html
Dr. M happens to be a Reiki master also - what a great news. He said he will try to get some other Reiki masters to have a session (works better when multiple masters work together). Some friends of ours suggested us to try Reiki before but I wasn't really sure what it was so I hadn't looked into it. But I was having lunch with some friends today, and one friend said her grandfather was also a Reiki master in Japan. Now I'm really excited about trying Reiki.
By the way, I'm really in a high spirit. Dr. M told me I need to exercise - so I even went for a walk in the gym at work today. I can't walk as fast as before but I managed to walk 1.6 miles. The gym at work is really great - I should go there more often.
Jim wants me to mention that my next treatment for my cancer in the lung (not in the bones) is most likely to be a pill called "Tarceva". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarceva
This pill works best on patients like me - Asian woman, never-smoker, and adenocarcinoma (my cancer type) so it seems very promising! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Good night!

Ms. S

I just came back from a dinner with Ms. S (remember her? she is also a cancer patient of Dr. M's). She is such a lively and passionate person and I really enjoy talking to her. She had been on a chemo for about a year(!), and she finished her last one in Oct. So she's doing great and guess where she's taking off to after a new year's? Going to Colorado to ski for two months. (Did I mention she's in her 70's?) We went to a little vegetarian place in Buckhead which I never knew existed. I have to go back there again because their sweet potato fries were so good!
We saw my main oncologist today. I will have MRI and PET scans on Dec 31 and the doctor will finalize which treatment method to use. But for the bone cancer, they recommend "radio isotope" injection which targets the bone cancer (you can only do this once or twice). It sounds very promising. For other cancer (lung or other parts), they talked about a pill called "Tarceva", which is also a targeted therapy (unlike chemo - which destroys healthy cells also). So I won't be doing chemo for a while. (I think the doctor thinks my cancer spread to the bones because I got too weak from the last chemo/radiation combo.) Anyway, the problem I'm having (bone pain - caused by calcium melting into blood) will be taken care of by a drug "Zometa", which is a monthly infusion. So I'm hoping these treatments will help me carry on my normal life, unlike chemo. When I talked with my healer on Monday, she gave me a big hope for recovery (she even specified when). So I'm determined to do whatever it takes and make it through to that date (I'll reveal the date when it comes!). By the way, she told me I need to watch funny movies and laugh a lot because laughter is healing. So you guys, please recommend which funny movies to netflix to! Good night.

Therapist

Hi all - I've been searching for a therapist or counselor who can work with me in line with Dr. Bernie Siegel's work. (I talked about his books before.) So I actually e-mailed their group (Ecap, exceptional cancer patients) yesterday. Amazingly, I received a response from Dr. B directly. I was so touched. He knows a doctor in Rome, GA, so I contacted him hoping he can recommend someone in Atlanta. We'll see how it goes!
I attended a kick off meeting for Ascend tonight (Association for Asian professionals in Accounting and Finance, or something like that!). We now have a chapter in Atlanta, so if you know anybody who may be interested, please encourage them to join (www.naasa.org). It was a fun meeting but I'm exhausted now. Good night!

Bone scan result

Unfortunately they found cancer in my bones - in the spine and in the right ribs. I guess the backache was partly from cancer. I was really sad about it but after talking to my healer last night, I'm more optimistic and hopeful that I can still recover from this.
I had a shoulder pain this weekend and was taking painkiller, but I went to the acupuncture yesterday and had a session with my healer. I just woke up and noticed the pain is almost gone even though I didn't take any medicine before I went to bed. I'm really grateful.
So, I will see my main oncologist on Wed to talk about the next treatment (they told me it will be chemo). I hope we don't have to start it until after the holidays.
Have a nice day everyone!

Weekend

We just came back from a funeral of a lady (Allene Davis) who lived in Jim's neighborhood when he was growing up. She was very close to Jim's mother, and Jim was close to her children. She was a lively lady and will be missed by so may people who came to the funeral. Other than that, we didn't do much this weekend - the weather suddenly turned cold and we didn't feel like going out much. Last night, we went by a friend's house - she is moving out of the country soon and gave us lots of toys for Kai. Kai was so happy when he saw her big dog and kept slapping her (he does it to Tango, our cat also - Tango hisses back at him.) but the dog was so good, didn't even make a sound. My backache is back (and no - it didn't get cured by a church service this time) and I'm taking Tylenol, which helps a lot. I think maybe this cold weather has something to do with it - it is better when I am standing in a hot shower. Hope you all had a nice weekend - good night!

Thursday

I saw Dr. M yesterday. I was feeling nauseous on and off for the last week or so, and I was feeling nausea when I saw him. But Dr. M cured it! He said the nausea is caused because my liver isn't working well and massaged those points. So after the session, I felt so good and was able to eat well last night and was able to sleep better as well. I was massaging one of the points today so I'm feeling fine. I attended an accounting seminar hosted by P*C today and yes it was very interesting but I fell asleep a little - they fed us pretty good.
By the way - Jim's wallet was stolen and we found out some of his cards had been used. Of course the credit companies will take care of the charges but it seems the thief has been shopping for Christmas gifts for herself (guessing from the store she shopped)! Anyway, I hope it doesn't happen to you - just calling these credit card companies is a major pain. Good night!

Bone scan done!

Ok, so I finished the bone scan today. It was a long process, because they give you a radioactive shot, then, you have to wait like 2 hrs before they can actually scan you. I didn't want to drive, so I went to the library in the cancer institute at the hospital to rest. They have a very comfortable chair and have lots of books you can borrow. Anyway, I've been meaning to borrow this book called "Lovely Bones" from my library but I've never done it. But I found it today at this library. This library is much better because they let you borrow books as long as you need (not like a regular library!). So it wasn't a bad wait. The scan itself probably took like an hour total - but I fell asleep. This machine wasn't noisy like other machines, so I was really comfortable. There were lots of Christmas decorations at the hospital and it looked really nice and festive. I heard some ladies sing Jingle Bells (probably volunteers). Isn't it funny it is so hot this week? We have an AC on - and it is December!
I'm going to see Dr. M now. Have a nice evening!

Monday

So, the weekend ended very quickly as usual! On Sat, I still had fever and decided not to go to my company's Christmas party. Too bad! On Sunday, my fever went away and I was able to attend church. Our church had the Christmas concert, so we went with Jim's mom. The church has great choir groups (adults, students, and kids) as well as orchestra, and the concert was really wonderful! We enjoyed it so much. When we were leaving the church, I realized that my terrible backache was almost gone. So I think God cured it - what do you think? But I'm very careful with picking Kai up now. I let Jim do it as much as possible.
At work, we had "white elephant" gift exchange. I heard this referred as "Chinese gift exchange" but people get to pick from open gifts as well as from unopened pile. I first picked a toss pillow with somebody's face on it (it was a special order)! I was sure no one would want it, but luckily his boss picked it from me. At one point, I had an Einstein doll (which is like a GI Joe doll with Einstein head). Amazingly, somebody else took it from me. Anyway, I ended up with a digital photo key chain, which is pretty cool. Have you seen an episode from the Office where they do this gift exchange? Anyway, this was a lot of fun!
I had a session with my healer tonight. She is amazing! Even when I'm feeling pretty bad, she always lifts my spirit up. After I talk to her, I am able to go to bed in a positive mood - which is very important. I hope this week goes better than the last week. Good night!

Weekend

The hospital called and postponed my bone scan to next Wed (they are short of some radioactive material used for the scan). I won't get the result until the Monday, 17th. Too bad. But I am pretty sure my cancer is not in the bones. It feels more internal. Dr. M said there are some receptors in that area, so it is possible that is the cause of pain. Anyway, I have been feeling a little bit under the weather these days. I went to Dr. L (acupuncturist) and she pointed out that I have a fever. Turns out I had a 38.7c fever (it is gone now). You know cancer is very weak against fever, so if you get like 42c fever, your cancer cells die. So there is a heat therapy (I found in Japanese website) where they heat the cancer area to raise the temprature so that cancer cells die. So I hoped my fever would go higher but it didn't.
My back is a little better after seeing Dr. M and Dr. L, but I still have pain. I try not to pick Kai up but it is unavoidable! Maybe we need a little steps so he can climb up to the crib himself!
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Wednesday

I'm feeling better today. I was having a very bad lower backache as well as muscle sore, but it is a better today. Jim told me to do half sit-ups to help with the backache and I tried last night - I guess it helped! I think it was from carrying Kai around - he's getting really heavy. By the way I noticed my voice came back a little. It comes and goes, so when I have to talk on the phone, I just hope my voice is there. When my voice happens to be back, I can even sing a song. You know I love singing.
I had lunch with a friend who had a little baby girl. The baby was just so cute! Compared to this baby girl, Kai is like a little man! It is amazing to see how quickly they grow.
By the way, our carpet was steam cleaned today - so it feels really clean and nice. I don't think we'd vacuumed here for a while...
It's been really cold this week. Stay warm and healthy! Good night.

New Doctor

Today I went in to see a new radiation oncologist. My previous doctor (who was really great and gave me anti nausea acupuncture!) had moved to head the department at another university out of state. Anyway, my voice hadn't been so well and also I have been having a little pain in the left libs. The doctor took a look at my vocal cord and noticed that the left side is paralyzed. So they decided to do a bone scan to see if my cancer spread into the bone or not. The scan is this Friday but I won't know the result until next week. I try not to worry but it depressed me a little. But I've been watching "House" on TV just now and he said "your mind controls your body." He was talking about "mass hysteria" when people get sick (or make themselves sick) by watching other sick person. I will be keeping up the high spirit so my body won't be affected by negative feelings.
By the way I heard that a tea spoon of honey works better than a cough syrup. It is actually easy to try so I'm trying it today. I tried the soup recommended by Dr. L last week which seemed to work on me but I'd rather avoid cooking if I can!

Weekend

We went to the zoo this weekend with our friend and her son. The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful day. This time, Kai was awake enough to see some animals (but he missed gorillas again!). But we had lots of fun, riding a train (per Jim's request), watching a baby panda and her mom together, etc. We also went to our friends house for dinner. It was so good to get together - I hadn't been to their house for a few months. By the way, my voice hasn't been well for a while. I don't know if it is because of cancer, some side effects from the treatment, or cold. But I spoke to my healer tonight and she worked on it while we were on the phone, and she is also going to work on it some more. I have a total faith in her so it should clear up soon!
We went to a church again on Sunday. Every time I listen to the preacher, I learn something new. Jim was surprised at how little I knew about the Bible also. So I'm starting to read a little before I go to sleep.
Today, I stayed home to watch Kai, because the owner of the day care passed away suddenly (heart attack). I haven't met him but Jim's met him - he was probably in the early 50's. It really made me think - you never know what's going to happen the next minute of your life, so you'd better enjoy it while you can.
By the way, I have been watching "Rescue me" DVDs (gift from my friend!). For people who hasn't watched this show, it is about a NY firefighter who sees ghosts as well as Jesus (in recent episodes I watched). Lots of crazy things happen and it is a very entertaining show. To me it is so interesting to see his encounter with Jesus. In one episode, because this firefighter doesn't believe in him, Jesus says to him, if I make it (saving a child) happen, will it make him believe in God? Anyway, this show is totally outrageous, funny and also touching, and I just love it. If you haven't seen this series, I recommend you to netflix it.

Happy Friday

I had an acupuncture this morning before going to work. For my cough, my acupuncturist (Dr. L) gave me a recipe to fix it, so I got the ingredients after work and just made this soup. You use sweet rice, leek (white part only), ginger, and rice vinegar. But you can not add any seasonings, so it tastes pretty bad, and actually you only eat rice part and don't even eat leek and ginger. Sweet rice gets pretty sticky, so my soup became more like a porridge. Maybe I should have added more water! When you have a bad cough from cold next time, please try this recipe.
Also, now I have to eat food that are good for my spleen (because spleen supports lung function). According to Dr. L, yellow colored food (like squash or pumpkin) is very good. Also, lemon juice with honey, Daikon radish, and pears. I have to avoid cold food and processed food, sugar, greasy food, eggs, milk, shellfish, fish, and cheese. Now, it is getting more and more challenging to plan my meals.
By the way, we are going to the zoo again with my friend & her son (a few weeks older than Kai). This time I hope Kai is awake enough to see all the major animals.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Good night.

Already thursday!

I can not believe how quickly this week has gone by. For some reason I thought today was still Wednesday. I only realized today was Thursday when I came home and watched the TV guide channel.
I went to a super Wal-Mart tonight for much needed shopping. I hadn't been to a super Wal-mart for a while and hadn't realized how big this store was. Just walking in the store was a good exercise. I bought some weights there since Dr. M recommended me to start working with weights to build my strength back. After I got home, I cooked some Japanese food and by the time I finished cooking I was just so exhausted. I'm trying to eat the food recommended by Dr. M, so it is really difficult for me to eat out or do take-outs these days (except for occasional Chinese food). But cooking is such a pain!! If I didn't have cancer, I'd be eating pizza every week. You know me - I'm not a picky eater as long as I don't have to cook.
I slept very good last night (I think my foot bath worked). I'm going to bed now - good night!

Wednesday

I went to see Dr. M today. I have been so tired for the last few days so it was so good to get a good massage. I always feel refreshed afterwards. Anyway, Dr. M told me to soak my feet in hot water before I go to bed so I can sleep better. I'm going to start tonight! He always teach me something about my body (where the pressure points are, what's to eat, etc.), so it is very educational also.
By the way, my on-line friend who also has lung cancer and was running the Japanese lung cancer community website had been in a hospital for the last 5 weeks or so. I had been thinking about her a lot and finally today I learned that she will be out of the hospital in a few days. I'm so happy to hear the news! The community lost one person last month already and I had been really worried about her. In any case, I am so happy and grateful she is doing better. By the way, I received a call from the church today (I filled out the new comer's card last time). I told her about my cancer and she prayed for me over the phone, and she's putting me in a prayer list. I'm very impressed with this church - we'll be going back this Sunday also. Good night!

Monday!

Monday after the long weekend isn't a happy day to go back to work on. But I first had a dentist appointment. My doctor is a very nice person who was worried about me and was in touch with Jim about my condition. So it was very good to see him to show him I'm doing much better. By the way I realized we soon need to bring Kai in for a dental appointment. A baby book recommended the first dental appointment around 12 months. He is still teething so we'll wait until this round of teething is over.
I also had a session with my healer tonight. I'm feeling very good and I think I will be able to sleep better tonight. Good night!

Thanksgiving

We had a busy Thanksgiving weekend. Luckily I had a four day weekend to fit everything in. We went to our family friends house for a great Thanksgiving dinner (we brought Kai and Jim's mom too). Our friends from MN were visiting, so it was great to see them. They also have two kids, so it was very fun and lively night! On Friday, I had an acupuncture session in the morning, then, we all went to Yellow River Game Ranch (near Stone Mtn) with the kids. You can feed and pet the animals and it was really fun - although if you are going to go, I recommend you go in spring or fall. Then, at night, our friend took Jim & me to an ice hockey game (Thrashers). Although we didn't win, we had a great time! I like ice hockey better than baseball or football, because the game is very fast and they make it very entertaining. If you haven't been to a game lately, I highly recommend it!
Saturday, I finally got out to shop but I was done after 30 min since I was too tired to look anymore. This morning, we got up early and went to Mt. Paran Church of God. I've been wanting to go to a church for a while and we found out that Mt. Paran has a nursery, so we finally went today. (Jim's mom used to go there when she was active.) They have a beautiful building with a great nursery. If you have kids and want to go to a church, I highly recommend this place. Mt. Paran is a unique church because they are very lively and do lots of music and they are really good music. So before the sermon begins, you feel like you are in a concert. During the sermon, if your kid needs you, they flash a number (each kid is assigned a number) on a screen so you can get to the nursery. I really like this system. Also, compared to some of the local church services (which I've been watching on TV lately), their sermon is more lively and more uplifting, I thought. Anyway, I had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving also!

Dr. M

I just came back from a session with Dr. M. I was asking him about what kind of food I need to avoid - and he told me milk, cheese and ice creams. I don't like milk that much so that is ok but avoiding cheese is difficult, because it's in everything! I don't eat ice creams that much either, so it would be ok. In the meat department, I have to avoid beef and pork. He recommended I eat lamb chop and baffalo once a week, and organic chicken twice a week, and fish once a week (except for cat fish and tillapia). I'm going to try hard to stick to his recommendation. In the Japanese cancer surviver book, many of the survivers do not eat meat or dairy food, so his advice makes sense.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy shopping!!

Doing better

I had a session with my healer last night. She is so wonderful - every time I talk to her I feel more positive. I truly believe God has sent her to heal me.
I want to share a story with you all. I told you I have been reading "The Secret". The secret is the law of attraction. So if you want to attract something, you just ask for it (there are ways to ask, explained in the book.). Our apt. had a problem with hot shower (no pressure at all) for a while. It has been a week, because the maintenance has to special order some part and they still have been waiting for the part. Anyway, I don't know how, but this morning, our hot shower suddenly came back (I was wishing for a good shower this morning). Now, you can call this a coincidence or you can call it as a result of my attraction!
I also had an acupuncture this morning. I have to tell you it hurts at some points (but at some points, I don't even feel it). Dr. L said it will not hurt when my body fully recovers. I think the acupuncture I had last Friday really helped me. Today I actually ate some pot roast (until today, I was eating soup and soft food) at lunch and I couldn't believe it didn't hurt that much.
By the way, Kai was sick today so Jim stayed home to watch him. He's doing better - I put lots of babyrub on him and put him to bed.

The Secret

I hadn't talked about all the cost associated with my treatments, but the hospital and doctor bills are coming in. I am so grateful I have a good health insurance but if you are unlucky and don't have one, one tiny surgery or treatment could bankrupt you. I don't know why the original charges by the hospital are so much more than the negotiated amount with the insurance company. Even with a health insurance, there are co-insurance amount and non-network charges that you have to pay out of pocket, which are pretty expensive. I'm so lucky that I had an insight(!) to get an Aflac cancer insurance about 5 years ago. I am not a sales person from Aflac but if you don't have it, please consider getting this insurance because it is so totally saving me. One thing about this insurance (both health and Aflac) is that they never cover alternative treatment such as Holistic doctor or acupuncturist as cancer treatment, too bad. I think they are totally essential for my well-being.
By the way I discovered that Jim was hoarding all these bills for the last few weeks. He said he meant to organize them and deal with them (half the time the bills are wrong so you have to call them to fix the problem), but one of such bills was totally past due and they had sent a final notice to threaten that they are sending it to a collection agency. You can imagine how upset I was when I found about these bills. Luckily, I called in time to take care of the problem. Now, I have been reading a book titled "The Secret". I saw a movie "the Secret" recently (have you seen it?), and it was so good that I borrowed the book from the library. Anyway, the book tells me that if you put your energy into a negative, you will attract more of it (the opposite is true also). So my new thing is minimize the talk about my health/illness (unless it is a good news!) and talk more about good things. I have another session with my Healer tonight and will see an acupuncturist tomorrow. I'm feeling really good and so looking forward to my talk with the Healer. Good night!

Acupuncture

I went to see Dr. L, my new acupuncturist yesterday. I told her about my esophagus pain and my tiredness. She is treating me to increase fluid (saliva, etc.) to help with the esophagus burn as well as to boost my immune system and improve energy. She took my pulse and told me my liver is working very hard (so my liver is not in good condition), so that is the reason why I can't sleep well (Dr. M also told me about this before). But she said considering everything I went through, I am still doing pretty good. Anyway I noticed this morning my esophagus is much better (like 50% better than the last few days)! I don't know if it is solely because of the acupuncture or what but I'm happy. Today, I had some sandwich without a pain medicine. If I can just get my appetite back I should be ok! It's been like a month since I ate a normal meal so I have to get used to eating normal amount of food.
By the way I am drinking Kefir (strawberry flavor) and it taste pretty good. Actually tastes better than I remember. I gave some to Kai and he liked it, too.
Kai has a little fever today - so he's little bit cranky. But he still has an appetite so he should be better soon.

Cold!

It was so cold today - I didn't realize it was so cold until I got to the Day Care to drop Kai off. It was so warm in our apt and in the garage so I didn't put a jacket on Kai. I hope he didn't play outside today. (I forgot to put shoes on him yesterday - so today is a little improvement!)
By the way I got my acupuncturist appointment tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to seeing Dr. L, the acupuncturist, since I heard such a good thing from Ms. S. My condition is improving every week but I haven't been able to get over the esophagus pain (slowly improving), coughs and the tiredness. I hear it is a common problem for people after chemo/radiation treatment to be exhausted and have muscle cramps/joint pain for a while (bone marrow gets depleted by treatment). So I am physically doing much better and able to eat/drink more but I am also just exhausted - especially in the afternoons and evenings. I'm hoping Dr. L will be able to help me with that!
Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week already? It seems that this year the fall just flew by.
Keep warm everyone and Good night!

More about health

I don't know if I talked about this before but one thing Dr. M told me to do and I do it every day is skin brushing. You can use a regular hair brush or you can purchase a special skin brush but you directly brush your skin three times each towards your heart. You can start from the tip of your foot and hand, and move in closer to the heart. This is to boost your immune system. We have a similar thing in Japan where we use a dry cloth to rub your skin. We usually do it in winter not to catch cold, so I think skin brushing works in a similar way.
Also, I received an article from Jim's aunt about the power of Vitamin D. Instead of taking the regular recommended daily dose, you take like 3 times the daily dose, and it can help prevent cancer among other things (and in some cases, it helps to eliminate cancer). So I increased my Vitamin D intake also. The only problem is D is kind of strong so I have to have a full stomach before taking it (or it makes me nauseous).
By the way, remember I got a speeding ticket last month? Well, it was from the City of Atlanta, and now the city has a very good website where you can see how many points you are going to lose on your ticket. I checked mine and it was 0 points, so I went ahead and paid the fine on-line (which is also a very good feature). I hope all counties/cities get this system!

New Day Care

Kai is doing well at the new Day Care. He seems to be happy so far. This place is new, so everything is clean and bright. It is also so convenient because it is by Jim's office. We like it very much but the only thing I don't like about it is Kai is very thirsty when he gets home. Jim's going to talk to them about that.
I went to see Dr. M today. I feel refreshed! I told him about the antibiotics and he told me that it destroys the viruses but it also destroys good guys (probiotics) in your intestines, which you need to keep healthy. So now I have to restore my good germs by drinking kefir (not sure about the spell. kind of like yogurt - which I used to eat in Japan also) and eating fermented vegetables. By the way when I met Ms. S last week, she told me that she goes to this acupuncturist introduced by Dr. M, and she highly recommended her. I asked him to introduce me also, so I'm going to try to get an appointment soon.
Hope everyone had a nice day - good night!

Long weekend

Sunday morning, Jim had 103F+ temp. He took some Ibprophine and vitamins and slept for a long time. Kai was doing better but he also had a mild fever which went away by night. So we didn't take Kai to a new Day Care. Jim's fever came down by late afternoon, so he was able to go to work - he's doing OK today. So Kai started a new day care today - I'm going to pick him up soon. This place is a 24 hour day care (but you can only go for 11 consecutive hours/day). So it is a very good place for people who work night shifts. Plus, you can decide your schedule so you are less likely to be charged a late fee.
Today was my day off, so when I woke up, I had so much I wanted to accomplish. I completed only about 50% of what I wanted to do - but I was so tired by early afternoon that I decided not to push myself. But I'm doing a lot better compared to a week ago. I'm hoping by next weekend I will not have any more pain when I eat - we'll see.
By the way I spoke to my mother this weekend, and she told me more about the Japanese miracle drink (remember?). She has been using it in a bath and she says her skin is really nice and smooth. (My mother had suffered from a skin disease since she was a child.) so it cured her. Also, my father used it for his athlete's foot and it's cured also. I hope it will help grow my hair back soon!

Saturday

We went to Jim's friend's wedding today - Jim's Mom decided not to go so we decided to go to just the ceremony and took Kai with us. It was a nice ceremony and Kai was doing pretty good until about 10 min. before the end of the ceremony (it was close to an hour). So Jim had to take him out and missed the kiss.
Anyway as I had predicted no surprise on my birthday from Jim. But I'm giving him a break because he's been just too busy with work these days. Also, Kai brought home a cold from a day care and Jim caught it pretty bad. In addition, he is having a little health problem which he usually gets when his body gets weak. He just needs to rest as well - but he's so busy that he has to go back to work tomorrow.
By the way, a good news! We found a new day care for Kai near Jim's office - they also operate on the weekend for additional fee. So we are thinking of trying it out tomorrow to get him used to the place. I hope he likes it.
Thank you so much for everyone who wished me happy birthday and for everyone who is thinking of me and praying for me. I feel so blessed every day! Good night!

Happy Friday & Weekend!

I went to work this morning and found out we have Monday off for Veterans Day! Great!! I knew something was up when 2/3 of the parking spaces were empty. By the way if you are not one of the lucky people to be off on Monday, sorry!! My birthday is tomorrow by the way - so I think I deserve a long weekend. I don't have any plan - I am still on a half liquid diet (mostly eating soup) because of my esophagus pain. It is much better than before, though.
I just put Kai to bed (8pm - yes!!). He only had less than one hour nap at the Day Care today and was so tired. I hope he sleeps well tonight.
By the way I now started reading "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. I have to read it for work - we are going to attend some team building training and I'd better finish reading by then. I also had to take an on-line psychology test for this purpose. I'm interested in knowing how it went, because I think because of my current situation, my "life view" had dramatically changed since the last time I had taken one of these (when I originally joined the company just about 5 months ago).
I wish everyone a nice happy weekend. Good night!

Antibiotics

OK - I went to see a doctor and got antibiotics today. Hopefully it will do the trick and cure all my little problems!
I just managed to put Kai to bed (around 8:30pm). It suddenly got cold this week so we have our heat set on 73F because Kai's room gets really cold (maybe 10 degrees colder than other rooms?). I put him in a sleep sack (it's like a wearable blanket for babies) so I hope he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night tonight!!
By the way I learned that you should not wear watch on left (from Ms. S, Dr. M's patient I met on Monday) because your energy comes in from left and goes out on right, although it is best not to wear watch at all. So I now wear my watch on right. If you are interested please try. I really liked Ms. S, and I'm looking forward to meeting her again after she comes back from her long trip.
I have to do my breathing exercise and do my healing meditation now. Good night!

Middle of the week -

Good morning - I'm at home getting ready to leave to see a doctor. It seems now that the worst is over, several little ailments I had came back - such as coughs, fever, pink eyes, etc. So I'm seeing a regular doctor today to take care of those little problems. I guess when your immune system is down, every little ailments you usually can deal with start to attack you. I am still ok - just need some time for my immune system to come back.
By the way Kai woke up around 3am this morning - I changed him and played with him for an hour before he finally got tired enough to go to bed. I guess he was cold! I finally turned the heat on yesterday. I hear it's going to be another cold night. I hope everyone is keeping warm and staying healthy!

weekend

Hi - sorry I haven't updated for a while. Just been too busy. We went to Atlanta zoo on Sat for my company's outing. We had fun but Kai only got to visit a petting zoo - he slept through the major animals such as panda, elephant, zebra, etc! He finally woke up when we moved him to a car seat when we leave. We'll have to go again. Jim's work has been really busy so we have been busy juggling work schedule with taking care of Kai.
This evening, I met a lady who also has cancer (Dr. M's patient). He gave us each other's contact info so we could meet. She is in her 70's with a cancer which came back after a year, and still doing very well and active. She had her last chemo last Wed, but she has been able to tolerate it very well. She actually picked me up tonight on her way to pick up her grandson from soccer practice. Anyway, it was wonderful to meet her. Also I talked with my healer tonight and that's why I'm in a good mood. She told me I just need to rest and be positive, and the worst is over, and my cancer is all gone. I really have a faith in her and every time I talk to her I get positive. I actually can not wait to get my next scan in January so I can prove that my cancer is gone from my body.
By the way - my esophagus pain is almost gone, I think (I hope!). I was wearing the pain controlling patch but I was feeling too nauseous that I took it off this afternoon. I think I'll be ok without a patch - we'll see how it goes.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend and have a nice week!

Back to work

I'm doing better now - thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers! I had tried the double dosage on the patches on Tue but it just made me too sick, so now I'm back to one patch. But I think my esophagus is actually getting better. The pain isn't as bad as before!
By the way our friends babysat Kai for the last two days because Jim's work was busy. Thank you so much Watsons - we really appreciate it! But we missed him also - it was really weird not having him at night.
Today was my first day back to work - I was a little worried but it was fine. I think it is better to go to work - I haven't been anywhere but hospitals these days and it was good to drive myself.
By the way, the Healer I mentioned before was really incredible. I had a session on Monday night and will have another next Monday. She healed five terminal cancer patients in the past and all of them were cured of cancer (except one patient died from blood clot and not from cancer). She said if it is not my time, she can heal me and she thinks it is not my time yet. So I'm very encouraged that she can heal me and everything will work out!

Healer

Sorry I haven't updated the blog for a while. When I'm having pain it is difficult to think about doing anything. Sorry I missed the awesome Halloween party this Sat - Jim brought Kai and they had a good time. Next year we'll have to get a costume for Kai.
Today I spoke to a doctor and they doubled a dosage on one of my medication. I hope it works!!
By the way tonight is my first session with a healer. Jim's uncle recommended her as an exceptional healer and I spoke to her last Friday, and she agreed to work with me. I'm so grateful. She's in California so we will do it over the phone. She thinks I'm going to beat this and I totally believe in her. By the way she's doing this for free - but I will send her a donation when I get a result. See how good it is she is willing to work with me? I've been praying this weekend and was thanking God for sending her to my life.

Doctors

I met with an oncologist today and he told me that they don't do CT scan until 2-3 months after the treatment is over, because even after the treatment is over, it still keeps working inside your body. So we scheduled for a CT scan for January 2. I am anxious to know how effective the treatment was, but Jim thinks it is good to get time to rest.
My esophagus pain is being controlled by very strong drugs - one is a Fentanyl patch I wear (slow release), another one is a magic mouth wash I take right before I eat (to numb the esophagus), and another is a liquid percoset solution. I think they are very strong because I got a flu shot today but I didn't even feel the needle. Still, my pain must be really strong too, because I still feel pain when I eat. How strange.
By the way, my oncologist is totally against my trying supplements or Chinese herbal medicine until I get checked out in Jan. I really want to try this Chinese herbal medicine because I read it cures cancer (this one was recommended by Jim's uncle). But I have to wait. Still, I can work on my meditation technique so it will help.

Almost over

Hi all - sorry I haven't updated the blog for a while. I have been struggling with side effects from chemo and radiation. I had chemo last Wed, and I had nausea/vomiting for a few days, then, finally the side effect from radiation hit me - excruciating pain in my esophagus. The pain was so severe that when I took a sip of water, it felt like it was burning me. So I had been too sick this weekend to eat. Now I'm on three different pain medication which is helping with the pain control but the pain is still there when I eat or drink. The doctor said after I finish the radiation treatment, it should clear up in a few weeks. This weekend, I was just laying in my bed and praying for the pain to leave me. I am so looking forward to the treatment to be over! Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers - really appreciate it.

Chemo tomorrow

It had been a tough week but I'm feeling better today. I was was able to go for a little walk this morning. I went to see Dr. M today. He showed me new techniques to strengthen my immune system, which I can also try at home. One easy thing to try at home (if anybody is interested) is to warm your stomach, behind the knees, and your feet. It actually works - while he was giving me treatment today, I started feeling better already.
I'm reading another book called "Love, Medicine & Miracles" by Dr. Bernie Siegel. It is also a very good book for anybody with health problems. When I read these books I feel hope and it really helps to keep me going.
Tomorrow is my last chemo day. I may not be able to write for a few days but please don't worry and keep me in your prayers. I believe in the power of prayers. Thank you so much everyone.

Computer is back!

So our friend was able to fix our computer - thank you so much Les! It's working just fine now. It was a tough few days from chemo but I'm beginning to feel better. I really appreciate everyone's help and for your prayers.
Now, my last chemo is this Wed - I'm so looking forward for it to be over!
I am reading a book written by Dr. Carl Simonton, called "Healing Journey" now. He also wrote "Getting Well Again" which I just finished reading. He is a radiation oncologist who believes in mind, body, and sprit aspect of healing from cancer. The book is very inspirational and I'm trying the meditation technique presented in the book. It is not a new book so you should be able to find it at a local library if anyone is interested. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who has health issues.
Thank you everyone and you all have a wonderful week!

Chemo day 4

Sorry haven't updated the blog for a few days. Our home computer got some virus and couldn't use the computer. Today was the 4th day of chemo. It is going as scheduled and I'm coping with nausea. But this time I got an acupuncture for anti-nausea, so it seems to be helping and I don't feel as bad as the last time I had chemo. Our friends are baby sitting Kai this weekend so Jim can accompany me to chemo. Thank you so much!
Thanks everyone for thinking about us and praying for us. Really appreciate it.

Tuesday!

Ok, so today was my last day before the chemo starts. Just thinking about it starts to make me feel sick but I know I have to get through this. Jim says since I know what to expect it won't be as bad as last time. I'm hoping the acupuncture and the anti-nausea pressure points will do the trick. By the way, today we switched Kai's food to the day care food - instead of his formula and baby food. We don't really like the menu but Kai started refusing some baby food so we have no choice. The day care teachers say he ate very well today - but we noticed Kai started shaking his head (like a rock'n roll star). According to the baby book, this is baby's way of coping with changes or teething. So I guess it is because of the food change today. Anyway Kai was full of energy tonight - we finally put him to bed like 9:40pm! Good night.

Columbus Day

I had a day off for Columbus Day! But the day care was open, so I had a day to myself. I did some shopping done and had lunch at Hashiguchi with friends. I am able to eat more like before so I'm gaining back some weight! I've never thought I'll be happy gaining weight - funny. I met the radiologist today and looks like I'm doing just fine - my cough is getting much better and my esophagus pain hasn't been that bad. By the way we tried the church in our neighborhood on Sunday, but Kai was getting too loud, so Jim had to leave with Kai. I wonder what people do with babies during the service? We may have to find a bigger church where there are more babies.

Athens!

We just came back from Athens. (Sorry Helen I promise we'll go together next time!) It was a beautiful day - we went to a lake on campus where we used to go when we were at UGA (We went there on our first real date.) It was Kai's first time to be on grass - he had lots of fun! We also ate at Taco Stand - I used to eat there 5 days a week! It was amazing to see some things never change - Taco Stand on Prince Ave is still the same. We also went to Tate Center - it hasn't changed, but they are building a big addition now, a part of UGA's "master plan".
If you haven't been to Athens for a while, I recommend you to take a day trip. It is a great town - lots to do! By the way, we also stopped at Hodgson's for ice cream. Where else can you get an ice cream for 75 cents?? (Used to be 25 cents when we were there.)
Ok I'm tired now - good night!

Eastern Doctor

I went to see Dr. M again today - alone. Now Jim is very angry that I bought more supplements from Dr. M. He thinks Dr. M is a quack. Anyway, so he said if I'm going to keep taking these supplements and keep seeing Dr. M, he is not going to support me with my treatment. I am sad that it has to be this way but I know I want to keep seeing Dr. M, at least for now. At this point I want to try everything I feel is going to help me, and I don't want to regret not trying something. So I made a choice to keep seeing Dr. M. I hope in time Jim will see my way. Anyway, Dr. M said he was hesitant to help me with more cancer treatment if Jim is not going to be supportive, but he still helped me today so I'm grateful. Today, Dr. M did some chiropractics and showed me some more pressure points to help my immune system. I feel pretty good - I'm going to sleep fine tonight.

Pumpkin Oil

Hi all - just wanted to let you all know I am getting a pumpkin oil from a friend already (thanks Rose!) so please don't worry about finding it. I appreciate all your offers! Thanks!

Kai's BD today!

Kai turned one today! We are going to celebrate his birthday after my treatment is over. But we took some pictures today just in case. I had thought Jim took him to a day care today but he didn't. Jim says, Kai had a fever, but I think Jim just wanted to stay at home in bed and not go out. Jim didn't come home till 5am last night - he says he was calling friends in Taiwan from his office.
By the way, yesterday we went to see Dr. M again. He was introducing other kinds of supplements that would help me but Jim argued with him that supplements were not good. So instead of talking about the treatment they argued about supplements. Jim's point is, I should concentrate more on nutrients from food and not from supplements, but Dr. M's point is you can't eat enough food to get nutrients equivalent of supplements. I tend to agree with Dr. M - especially since I still haven't been able to eat as much as I used to. Jim also says the company who makes supplements are getting ingredients from China but based on their website, looks like everything is organically grown in the U.S. At this point I am willing to try anything Dr. M suggests because he already helped me feel much better. Dr. M also suggested using Pumpkin Oil, Coconut Oil, and Hemp Oil. I was able to get Coconut oil and Hemp oil at natural store but couldn't find pumpkin oil. Anyway I got another appointment with Dr. M and I will not be bringing Jim this time.

Good night

I'm just tired. Jim had to work tonight so I did the baby duty tonight. Kai is such a good boy but I used up my energy to keep up with him. He finally went to bed at 9:30. Now I have to go to bed. Good night!

Speeding?

I just came back from work - my second day went just fine. I'm a little tired as expected but because I was tired last night, I slept pretty good - until Jim's alarm woke me up! But I have been able to sleep well these days - I feel good when I wake up.
I got a speeding ticket on the way to work from the hospital! The police man said I was doing 42 at 25 zone. How come it is only 25? I have no idea! Too bad.
I have been losing hair now - especially when I wash my hair in the morning. So Jim suggested I don't wash hair everyday - maybe a few times a week. I don't know if that is going to slow down the hair loss but I'll try.
By the way - I mentioned before that I now have a new position - that means my old position is open. If you know anybody who may be interested, please have them contact me. Thanks!

Back to work

Today was my first day back to work! I felt really good going into the office - just like my usual day before this all started. But I got a little tired at the end of the day - hope I can keep my energy level up until my next chemo. By the way I learned that the pain I was experiencing when I eat or drink is because of the damage to my esophagus. I was afraid my cancer was spreading or something but my doctor said it is a common side effect from radiation treatment. He just recommended me to take some pain medication when it gets too bad. I'm going to see my Eastern doctor on Wed, so I hope he has some suggestion other than the pain medication. Anyway, I saw a resident whom I saw before I started my treatment. He said my voice sounds much better and I look much better than before. I noticed my voice came back about a week ago. Now I have cough (another side effect from radiation), so sometimes I can not talk that well, but when my throat is clear my voice sounds better. I think the radiation treatment is working!

Busy weekend

We were busy this weekend - lots of friends visited us this weekend. I really enjoyed seeing everyone! Kai spent Sunday at our friends house again. This time, he didn't cry - great! He had a great time at their house - came home really happy and smiling. But he was so full of energy - he finally just went to bed (10pm!). It is hard to believe he will be one this week. But we decided to celebrate his birthday after I finish my treatment. We won't tell him and he won't even notice it!

Where did the cold come from??

Kai's cold was pretty bad yesterday (he puked on Jim) so Jim took Kai to a doctor this morning. As the doctor recommended we gave him decongestant - I hope it works. It turns out like 6 other babies at the day care have the same thing - so Kai got it there first, then passed it to Jim (he's ok now). I also got a mild bronchitis, which is a side effect from radiation treatment. I just have a mild fever and cough and it is not too bad. I started taking cough syrup - hope it works. By the way I finally got ok to return to work (this is a long story so will not talk about that now) and went in to see my boss today. I had't talked much about work here so far but they have been so supportive and allowed me to work on a little project from home for the last two weeks. Now that I am well and can return to work, I was actually offered a new position with a little more responsibilities but with more flexibility and less time pressure. So I accepted this new position! I'm really happy about it. I also saw a HR person who has been so helpful. I learned that his mother was also recently diagnosed with breast cancer and he understands what I have been going through. I'm so grateful and feel so lucky I have the support from my work - especially since I've only worked there for a month and a half!

Eastern Doctor 3

I went to see Dr. M again yesterday. Actually I bought some supplements from him yesterday - Jim says I should not take them but I'm going to take them and yes, I will bring them to my oncologist to make sure they are not counter effective or anything. Dr. M taught me a breathing exercise which will help with my lungs. He took my health history (in very detail) and next time he will do some acupressure massage. Because Dr. M already made such a difference on my condition I have a faith in him. I actually slept until 6am this morning, which is a record since my treatment started.
I also read this Japanese cancer survivor book last night. It is about 12 people who the oncologists said they can not do anything, but they cured cancer by themselves. The lesson I learned from this book is that if you believe you can beat cancer, you will beat it. So I totally believe I can beat cancer with the treatment I'm going through now as well as help from Dr. M and the miracle drink!

Eastern Doctor 2

I just came back from my radiation treatment. I was so happy I slept well last night using the pressure point technique I learned from Dr. M, I was telling the radiation therapist about it. She then told me that my radiation doctor (Dr. J) does acupuncture to some of his patients to help with nausea. So I ended up talking to Dr. J and he is going to give me an acupuncture a day after my next chemo. He is a regular American doctor so I had no idea he could do this. He said he is too busy that he doesn't offer this service to many people. I feel so lucky!! By the way Jim's fever is down (37.3C) this morning and he's doing just fine. Thank God! But now Kai has a runny nose - hope it doesn't develop into a full blown flu.

Life is tough

Ok - so now that I'm feeling better, Jim is sick. He has a high fever (38.5C - I don't know what is in F?). He just did too much over the last two weeks. So I had to take Kai to daycare, go grocery shopping and do dishes today. Life is tough, isn't it?? I don't know if you guys know about Mr. Zomahoun (he is from Benin, Africa and is like a celebrity in Japan) - he always says Life is tough. He went to a university in China, then came to Japan to earn a PhD. He later started a school in Benin. I have his book in Japanese (Zomahoun no Hon) if anybody wants to borrow it - it's really good.
By the way if anybody knows of a good helper - who can go shopping, clean, do dishes, laundry, and cook Japanese food, please let us know. We'll need help when the next round of chemo comes around. Jim is asleep now - hope he feels better after a good sleep.
Now, more about Dr. M. He gave me tips on coping with nausea (pressure points and food). He also recommended food that would help my lungs: bamboo shoots, Japanese Daikon Radish, Lotus Seeds and Water Chestnuts, Lilies (root). Chriseda and Kim - if you are going to cook for me again could you try using some of these ingredients? I hope you can find these ingredients from farmer's market - but please avoid buying product of China. After hearing recent news about dangerous Chinese food product I'm trying to avoid Chinese produce for now. I bought some water chestnuts yesterday but I have no idea to cook it. I would have to experiment. I'm going to see Dr. M again tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Eastern Doctor

Ok - I went to see this Eastern doctor recommended by a friend - let's call him Dr. M. I don't know how to explain it but I'm feeling 100% better. First of all, I hadn't slept well for days. I can only sleep like 3 hrs at a time and usually wake up 2-3am and could not fall back to sleep until 6am or so. But Dr. M showed some pressure points which help the liver function. The reason I wasn't sleeping well was because my liver is not doing well. So after I massaged my pressure points last night, I slept well for 4 and half hrs straight. It is a record. I woke up feeling so well and hungry! I had rice and miso soup for breakfast. I haven't felt this well since the treatment started. I even drove myself to the hospital this morning. Ok I have to go now but I'll write more about this doctor later today. Thanks!!

Doctor

I went for a radiation this morning and also met with my radiation doctor. He just wanted to make sure I'm not suffering from any side effects from radiation. Luckily I have no side effects from radiation so far. I'm grateful. By the way I'm going to see the Eastern doctor this afternoon - I'm hoping to learn how to meditate, etc. from this doctor so it will help me mentally. I'm feeling better than yesterday also. I hope I can just stop the dry heaves -then I'm golden. By the way I found one more thing I like to eat - Asian pears. Even when I am a little sick I can eat them. I ate two of them yesterday - they are juicy and sweet and I love them.

Weekend

I didn't even touch a computer this weekend. I just wanted to rest. I'm glad the weekend is over - I was really sick from nausea and acid stomach. I'm finally feeling better today. Our friends babysat Kai Sunday and it really helped. Jim was able to clean up and do a lots of chores. Thank you V&R!
I figured out I'm allergic to one of the anti-nausea medicine. My rashes had gone really bad after I took this drug. Hopefully the next medicine they are going to give me won't be too bad. My friend suggested an eastern doctor who can help with nausea from chemo. I've asked Jim to make an appointment for me - I really hope this doctor can help - the drugs are not working 100% and I need to recover quickly before the next rounds of chemo.

Coudn't sleep

I couldn't sleep at all last night after my 3 hour evening nap! I was fighting nausea half the night - eating crackers and Papaya. I feel a little better this morning but can not eat meals anymore. I'm on Papaya diet again - thank God Papaya is in season. I hope everyone have a nice weekend - I should be better after the weekend!

Day 8

I had my second dose of cisplatin today - finished around 3:30pm. I'm ok but just exhausted. I can not drive myself anymore so Jim has to drive me around. I'm taking very strong anti-nausea drugs which make me really drowsy. By the way Jim just had my car detailed so it is sparkling clean! I haven't seen my car so clean in years. I'm going to rest now - hope you are all doing well!

Allergy

I'm doing ok - went for my morning appointment with the doctor. They think my rashes are allergic reaction to anti-nausea medicine. So we are going to try new medicine tomorrow. Hope it works - my rashes are now spread everywhere, but I can deal with it.
Thank you very much for Kim and Les to bring us home-cooked food last night. CH - thank you so much for cooking my favorite dish! Kim - Jim will likely finish the banana bread by himself - he just can not stop himself.

Day 6 - Oprah

I just did radiation today - no chemo. I feel much better than yesterday - I was actually able to eat lunch today. I felt better so I went to get a very short haircut. I was told that my chemo drug causes hair loss and usually starts in week 2. So I went ahead and got it cut short. By the way I was watching Oprah about autism. It is very scary to think if your child is diagnosed with autism. But according to this show, there is a hope for recovery. Really great news. The guest was Jenny McCarthy, whose son has autism and in recovery. I hope Kai never gets autism but if it happens, there's hope for recovery. It is a great story.

Day 5

Finally I finished the first round of Etoposide. Now I'll have two days free from Chemo - yeah! I'm still coping with nausea but I feel better than yesterday. I hope I can eat more during these two days to take the next Cisplatin on Thursday. I have another mild side effect of rashes now. The nurse said try the ointment and the benadryl. She said it is because my immune system is weakened this happened. I better start getting my immune system back on!
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and offers - I really appreciate it so much!

Day 3 & Day 4

Just came back from Day 4 of Chemo. One more day and I have 2 days off without Chemo!Yesterday, we went to a friend's house to celebrate her son's birthday. I had a really good time visiting them.
Sorry I'm not feeling too good because of nausea now. Just like I'm having a morning sickness. Jim cooked salmon last night but the smell made me too sick to eat. But I could eat a lot of Papaya - I don't know why but it doesn't make me sick.
Thank you all for thinking about me and praying for me to stay strong through the treatment.

Day 2

I had radiation and short chemo this morning - only took about 3 hrs or so. But I couldn't sleep much last night - according to the nurse it is common because of the medicine. I had my first nausea symptom this morning but I took the pill and it went away. I noticed certain smell makes me very nauseous - I have to watch out for those food smells. I am doing OK overall but don't have appetite anymore. As you all know I'm usually always hungry but now I try to eat as much as I can but my usually great appetite is missing, very strange!

First Day of Treatment

I finished my first day of treatment. Piece of cake! But I was at the hospital at 8am and finally finished everything after 4pm. I had radiation and took both of the chemo drugs, as well as anti-nausea medicine and lots of saline. One of the chemo drug, called Cisplatin, is Platinum based (yes, Platinum, so it should be very expensive drug) and I hear it works very aggressively. Although I was scared of these drugs, I was happy that my treatment finally started and I don't have to worry about my cancer spreading somewhere. Anyway, I am feeling fine, just a little tired from being at the hospital all day and I'm super hungry! I cooked miso soup tonight so will enjoy my dinner now. Thank you all for thinking about me and praying for me today. Thanks to you, I have a really good feeling the treatment will work out. Good night!

Chemo

I just came back from the doctor and they explained how the chemo works. I had thought it would be much easier but it is a complicated procedure. I am on two kinds of drugs (Cisplatin and Etoposide) and I have to do Cisplatin weekly and Etoposide 5 days in a row, rest for 3 weeks, then 5 more days to finish. So the total schedule takes 36 days. I have to take both drugs tomorrow (start at 8am), and it would take 5-6 hours total! Well, I will have lot of time for reading or watching TV now. They also have a snack cart which makes rounds and you can get free snacks!! The pharmacist went over all the side effects - the doctors already prescribed 3 kinds of anti-nausea medicine. The good news is, this is very short schedule (she said some people have like 90 day - 6 months treatment). I'm so looking forward to this treatment to be over - even before it starts! But most importantly, I hope these drugs work and kill my cancer!! Please keep your fingers crossed. Thank you and good night!

TV shows

I was going to write mostly about my cancer treatment on the blog but I decided to talk about other things - it is boring if it is just about cancer, isn't it?
Anyway, I hear laughter has a positive effect on your health. And I love to laugh. Our son makes me laugh every day - he is so funny! But here are some of the TV shows I love to watch - they are very entertaining and guaranteed to make you laugh:

Flipping Out (Bravo) - unfortunately they just finished the season. But if you haven't seen it catch the reruns! It is a reality TV show about a flipper in CA.
Monk (USA) - Monk is a brilliant detective who also has OCD. I love this show on Friday night.
Rescue Me (FX) - this is a crazy show about fire fighters in NY. Sometimes I can not believe what goes on the show - but it is highly entertaining.

Lung cancer info

I'm going to list some of the books we read about cancer and found helpful:
"The Best News About Radiation Therapy" by Carol L. Kornmehl
"Lung Cancer: Myth, Facts, Choices - and Hope" by Claudia I. Henschke, Peggy McCarthy with Sarah Wernick
"After Cancer Treatment: Heal Faster, Better, Stronger" by Julie K. Silver
"It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" by Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong's book was very inspirational. I also read an on-line book written by Richard Bloch (he is the "R" in H&R Block) who survived lung cancer and lived 25 years after he was told he had 3 months to live by a doctor : http://www.blochcancer.org/hope/hope1.htm
By the way - we did exchange cards yesterday for our anniversary. My husband also had a surprise for me which I may share with you later.

Miracle drink?

I'm doing good this morning - already went for a walk!
After I told my parents about my cancer, they searched for cancer cure in Japan. They found about this drink which they heard cures cancer. My mother's friend's son was able to cure his lymphoma because of this drink (that's what they told me-). So they recently sent me a box full of it. The main ingredients are- 5 different kinds of vinegar and fruit juice, etc. I don't know if it really works but I am drinking it. I noticed that when I do a search about lung cancer, I don't find many good stories in English. But when in Japanese I seem to find better stories (long term lung cancer survival stories). I don't know if it is because Japanese people with lung cancer like to talk about their stories on the web more or they actually live longer. In any case these stories encourage me a lot.

Good weekend - 2

Sorry - I had thought today was our anniversary but actually it is tomorrow. I didn't realize it until I made the last posting and the date showed Sept 9. Anyway I guess now my husband has time to pick up a card.

Good weekend

Today was our 12th anniversary but we were too busy to do anything special this weekend. My husband didn't even remember it until I mentioned it! But we went to friends' house for dinner on Saturday. Had a great time! Today I went out for a lunch with friends. I really had fun this weekend - this was the last weekend before the treatment and I think I totally enjoyed it. Good night!

Correction!

Sorry - I said the radiation treatment is done 5 times a day but I meant 5 times a week! Thanks for pointing it out to me, CH!

Happy Friday

I just want to say thank you very much to everyone who is thinking about me and praying for me. I feel so blessed to have lots of friends and family who care about me.
Oh, per Y-san's request I put a picture on this site. Do you like it??
For Japanese people, I want to introduce this website http://www.yururi.net/
It is made by Japanese people with lung cancer and I recently joined their group. You can find my posting by my pink heart icon. By the way I was asked by some of you about my prognosis. Statistically it is not very good at this stage. But the typical patients with lung cancer are much older. I'm one of the youngest patients with this disease and I believe my generally good health will help me pull through!
Have a nice weekend everyone. I hope it won't be too hot.

More on Treatment - side effects

I am reading about side effects from chemo and radiation. Most people experience fatigue and hair loss. Other side effects include: sore throat, nausea/vomiting, pain, anemia, rash/painful skin, constipation/diarrhea. Few lucky people do not experience side effects at all or very little. I hope I'm going to be one of the lucky ones. But I think I'll probably experience hair loss - when I went back to work after maternity leave this year, I lost lots of hair. I thought I was going bald. It only stopped after the busy season was over. So it will probably happen again. I don't know if I'll get a wig - maybe I can wear a hat or scarf instead. I don't really mind the hair loss because the hair grows back after the treatment is over. I hope my nausea won't be too bad - I was able to survive the morning sickness last year which also lasted about 6 weeks. They say exercises helps to reduce your side effects, so I've been exercising regularly again and I feel very good.

Treatment - radiation

Ok - so about the treatment. After seeing many different doctors, I decided to be treated by doctors at E hospital. They have a cancer institute in a new building, and I really like the nice library they have where you can borrow books from. Anyway, the current plan is to start radiation and chemo on Sept 13, for 6-7 weeks. Radiation will be done 5 times a day. I just went to get "simulation" done for radiation - they marked my body with blue sharpie and I have to keep these marks until the treatment is over. I have not met with an oncologist about the chemo yet but according to the radiologist, chemotherapy doesn't need any preparation while radiation needs a few days of preparation, so it is better to schedule radiation ahead of time. Radiation would only take like 15 min. - so it will not be too bad. I was excited to learn that they validate valet parking when you are going through radiation treatment!

Intro

Hello - this is my first posting! I'm going to write as often as I can about my cancer treatment on this blog. I was diagnosed with lung cancer on Aug 14, 2007. It is non-small cell cancer, and my stage was recently confirmed as IIIb (it goes from I to IV). It started with a symptom of hoarseness in the end of July. I didn't have any other symptoms such as persistent cough or spitting blood. So when I found out, I was in shock - I have never dreamed of having a lung cancer. I just had a cyst removed from my left breast in July - which turned out to be benign. So I thought I was in good health. After the diagnosis, I had MRI, PET scan, and mediastinoscopy which confirmed my stage as IIIb. My husband and I read a lot about lung cancer in the last few weeks. I'm in a good place now that I know more about this disease and am ready to fight. My treatment will be starting next week, hopefully. Unfortunately it is inoperable at this stage, so my treatment will be chemotherapy and radiation. That's it for now - more to come.