Be Your own best advocate…
Pushy is good!

Reflecting on the process so far, I can without a doubt tell you that you need to be pushy when it comes to your health.  I know this from experience. So, here is another of my now familiar lists;  

1. My original doctor scheduled me for tests months out from when I went to him. It was only by taking myself to an emergency room with a CT scanner, (thank you Blue Cross of Florida), that I was able to get a quick diagnosis.
2.   Several times when trying to get prescriptions filled, we had to get on the phone with the insurance company to get drugs approved or just pay for it ourselves.
3. My PT scan was almost canceled because insurance had not approved the procedure yet. We were able to get representatives from Blue Cross and from the cancer center together on the phone , but it wasn’t until I agreed to pay for the pet scan out of my own pocket regardless of reimbursement that we were able to keep the appointment. And by the way, the procedure was approved by the time we left the building.
4. Get a proven team behind you.  I needed a team of doctors to fight this cancer with me. Thanks to my good friend Tom and Dr Becky, we were able to get referrals quickly but the truth is that you’ll need your village to help speed things up. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. 
5. If you think that something is not feeling right or working for you, speak up! As I write this, I am getting fluids.  I am not getting chemo because I still feel puny.  At my suggestion, the clinic is going to test my blood to see what my white count is.  Speak up! 
6. Keep an advocate close by.  When in the hospital and heavily sedated, you need a watchdog to make sure everyone is on the same page.  We learned this the hard way when I was briefly hospitalized for a possible obstruction.   I had three different Doctors in my room over three days and  none of them seemed to understand my medical situation. It was a very unpleasant experience and ended with my being served a chicken salad sandwich and grapes, neither of which I should eat!
7. Know your shit.  Literally.  Your poop will tell you a lot about your health. Pay attention to figure out which foods agree with you and which do not.  In my case, I had to completely change my diet.  

Hans and I with Tom and Dr. Becky along with the kitten I rescued for them from under a trailer. Meko  now lives quite the life of luxury.

A Look in the Mirror

There are some days when I look in the mirror and scarcely recognize myself. Other days, I  look and my mother and grandmother stare back at me. Often, I look in that same mirror and I’m overwhelmed by the emotions that are swirling around me and I blubber and cry.  Here’s a helpful hint. Don’t watch yourself cry. The internet had coined an expression about a ugly crying face and I think I’ve got it down to a science.

Anyway, what I wanted to talk about was last night. Having had what we thought was good advice from the doctor, “eat anything you want,”

I proceeded to do just that. By the time evening rolled around my digestive system had regressed to pre-chemo status. That is to say

I could hear and feel food and drink trapping and releasing in my stomach. It was too late to take medical marijuana because I’m finding it’s disturbing my sleep and taking me to dark places so I just had to ride it out with some Tylenol. Lesson learned… Baby steps. I think we’re back to a liquid diet plus as we experiment to see what my stomach will and will not tolerate.