And that's just about all I'm going to say about that. I woke up sick with emotional stress and a belly still full of chicken enchiladas and cupcakes, but knew I had to put on my game face and hit the road for chemo day 2.
Mom did great. Her creatinine held steady at 1.2, so she was able to get the cistplatin again, as well as the gemzar. Her white blood cell count (WBC) was borderline low, so tomorrow she will have to go back to the cancer center to get an injection of Neulasta, which will hopefully offset the low WBC count and prevent infection. Otherwise, things looked good.
Her blood pressure is lower than it has ever been (90s/50s) which is low, but not alarmingly so.
She was warned that cistplatin can lower blood pressure, so between that and the three BP meds she is already on, some adjustments may need to be made. As of now, she is showing no signs
or symptoms that cause alarm (lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, etc).
The other great news is that her fatigue seemed to disappear today. I don't know if it was my stimulating conversation, or just the fact that she bounced back on her own. Either way,
she's been shakin' and movin' since we got home. The nurse taking care of her today said that some people can experience extreme fatigue when weaned off Decadron too quickly. Decadron is a glucocorticosteroid, which can help with nausea, but also has some anti-inflammatory effects as well. Mom had been instructed to take it the three days following treatments to help with discomfort, but this time around she'll wean off it much slower until Saturday to see if the fatigue is more managable. It gave her a bit of a high, basically (cue Jimmy Hendrix guitar solo), and she needs to be eased off of it (cue sappy rehabilitation music, like Kenny G).
She's taking a "20 minuter" (which Gwennie and I both know means "wake me up in two hours") before we head to meet Sally, who will be helping Mom select and purchase a wig.
Susan E. dropped off a delicious dinner, very nausea friendly, just in case. You'll need to post where that bread is from. I don't think there will be any left come dinner! Mom keeps having "just one more tiny slice."
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Okay, here's the secret to the best homemade bread you'll ever make. It comes from the NYTimes and follows an article about the Sullivan Street Bakery; they say a 4 yr old can make a perfect loaf, and I believe that's true. I've baked breads for years, always trying to get that crusty exterior and soft interior full of holes. This recipe is all about time, no bread baking skills needed. I use organic white flour.
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising
3 cups all purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed (I use more white flour)
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hrs, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (go up to 24 hrs)
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.
Trust me, I didn't leave anything out; wrote it just like the NYTimes did in Nov. 2006. Enjoy!
My Uncle Eric SWEARS by this very same recipe. What a small world! Well, it was scrumptious, as was the quinoa, as was the stuffed red peppers we pulled from the freezer from last week's delivery. Mom is eating like a champ!
OMG!! i read that article in the times and have been meaning to make that bread. i am going to whip some up once i kick this nasty cold.
This recipe also makes an absolutely fantastic focaccia if you roll out the dough, poke it with your fingers, paint over some olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt and rosemary! You don't have to bake inside a container - just on a pizza sheet.
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