Friday, March 28, 2008

add nauseum to the list

Sorry about the lack of posts, but I’ve been pretty busy, slightly nauseous, and fast asleep. Friday I completed my first chemo cycle and was feeling pretty good - until my anti-nausea medication ran out that is.

Easter Sunday saw us out at Jirka’s house in Mokropsy (‘Wet dogs’) for one of his great parties. Even the hail storm couldn’t dampen our spirits or gerry-rigged grill. The eclectic mix of non-traditional foodstuffs and people was almost magic. And the late-night, riverside, blind man’s bluff in the mud was both especially memorable and fairly dangerous. Here’s a picture of Damien, Jon, František (the dog) and Kyle skipping stones and hunting for mushrooms or whatever Czech dogs do on sandy beaches:

So I spent some of Monday morning throwing up a thankfully, by then, empty stomach. It wasn’t anything Gail’s morning sickness pills couldn’t handle though. I’ll get more Kytril tomorrow when I see my oncologist after another round of blood tests at 7AM at Motol.

We went to karaoke at the Blind Eye on Monday, as it will probably be my last opportunity for quite some time. Not that I’ll be too weak to stand or sing, but you need a superhuman immune system not to catch something from that filthy microphone and I’m afraid mine won’t be up to snuff in future. I did “Night Shift” just for kicks, “Your Song” ‘cause it’s actually my song, and a duet with Gail, which will remain nameless, so as not to upset Ann before her wedding this Saturday.

Apologies for the orange scare: Jiffy was right – that picture was, in fact, ‘photoshopped’ and I’m not really orange (which should have been obvious even to the ‘untrained eye’) - I just thought it looked more artsy that way. That thing about Susan Dey, however, is 100% true, as attested to by several former child actors and TV guys on E!

I’m off both the sleeping pills and the cortico-steroids now. I’ve gone from an average of three hours’ sleep a night to ten, which although preferable, is an indication of my chemo fatigue. Other than that, the occasional nausea and what are, hopefully, phantom pains, I’m handling the chemo pretty well I think, but it’s early days yet.

I've got to get up in three hours to get ready for my appointment, but I'll leave you with a picture of my ten-year old, toothless, neurotic cat, Šlupka (‘potato peel’), who is both a great comfort and a royal pain in the ass:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post Mike! - pictures and text. xoxo Camille

The Energy Source said...

Best of luck to you, Mike! You're in my thoughts and prayers . . .

Anonymous said...

Haven't heard from you in a few day - hope you're not feeling too badly.

Two yummy recipes for anti-nausea drink:

1) Shred real ginger and milk (or soy milk) into a pot and heat until it almost boils. Let it sit for a few minutes on low heat. Add honey and drink.

2) Shred real ginger into water, boil, remove fom heat and let cool a bit, add juice from real lemon, add sugar/honey. Pour over ice and drink. If you can't get ice, just put it in the fridge.

These worked really well for me while I was pregnant - especially the second one. I drank that one all summer. Sour sucking candies really help too.

Love and kisses from NYC!

P,R,O

Ingrid said...

Zoey sends her very very best, is cuddled right up next to my computer screen and looked almost energetic for a second there at the dog/beach pics.

Sending you positive vibes through the ether -- hope you're getting 'em! Best, IT.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the call! Two words; SPRING BREAK! Greatings from the friendeymoon. Ann

Anonymous said...

Is this last day of chemo for this cycle?
(Did they put another mediport in your hand? (eeew))

Anyway. I hope that you are not feeling too rotten, also that you have managed to get the Kytril for the nausea, or at least have the prescription handy in case you do.

Anyway, you're a champ. Seeing you reminded me of how strong you are.
And,man, was it great to see you.

Jon Luftig