Day 67 - Boxing Day - Boxing in on My Health

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! I hope this finds you well & recuperating from your stuffed tummies of yesterday… Enjoy a turkey bun for me!



Today was fairly quiet. I find these sea days a bit boring. I keep saying I’ll get up early, but I never do. The rocking of the ship is too hypnotic & I can’t seem to get my butt outta bed much before 11 or 12 or 3. Yes, today I slept until 3. I can’t remember the last time I did that. It wasn’t even the kind of sleep where you wake up & realize you’ve been sleeping for far too long. I slept hard the whole way through. Now, before you freak out, remember, I’ve still got this cold. I must say I’m over having the cold, but the cold is still here.



I’ve had whopper headaches pretty much everyday & round about 1500 for the past 4 days (excluding today) I would start to get achy, feel feverish & the head would pound. I’m still coughing & my nose gets blown frequently. Nice, I know. Some nights I’ve been in bed by 2000! Now that’s rare for me!



Originally I was excited to have a cold, as I mentioned earlier, it’s my first one in about 4 years. That means my immune system is working, right? Well, I thought that was a good thing. Unfortunately since I’ve come onboard, my neck has grown considerably. That sucks. When I arrived I could put my ear to my shoulder, something I haven’t been able to do in a LONG time. I was excited! It was getting smaller!



But then something happened. Was it the dive? Some random chemical they use on the ship? The meat & dairy I’ve been eating? I called Dr. Castillo & he said it was most likely due to the cold. My body was using it’s defenses to fight off the cold, taking away some of the defenses it was using to fight off the cancer. Crap! NOT what I wanted to hear.



I have been stubborn & haven’t taken anything for my cold. I’ll just tough it out & let it run its course. Now I wished I would have taken something that first Moorea & nipped this baby in the bud! Hindsight 20/20. In anycase, I think the worst is over with.



I’m pretty worried about my neck. It sucks. It’s huge & now there are some bumps happening on the other side too. I’m beginning to forget what a normal neck looks & feels like. What did I look like before all this? I keep praying to God & asking him to take care of all ‘this’ for me. Next year, all I want for Christmas is to be Cancer Free. It’s time. I want to be done with this!



Which brings me to my next step. Dr. Castillo sent me home with a generic type of Chemo. Cyclophosphamide – if you want to google it. It’s a scary drug, but I’m on a low dose. At least, I thought I was. I was supposed to come home with 25 mg tablets, starting out with 3x/day. They didn’t have them, so I was sent home with 50 mg tablets, that are enteric coated. Have you ever tried to cut a ‘candy coated’ pill in half? Yeah, doesn’t work so hot. So, now, under Dr. Castillo’s command, I will take 50 mg 2x/day for one week, then 50 mg 1x/day for 2 weeks. I am so stinking scared to take these bloody pills, along with another month of Prednisone. I looked up the drug. It’s derived from Nitrogen Mustard (!). It’s a known carcinogen (!). It’s known to cause bladder cancer & breast cancer (!). It’s been used as an insect chemisterilant (!). It’s also been used to chemically shear sheep (!!!!!).



I am trying to calm my nerves by reassuring myself that I am still on a low(er) dose, I’m taking other supplements to strengthen my system & if it will shrink the tumors, then it’s worth it. Supposedly I won’t lose my hair, but these days, I am struggling to style it, so if I do, well, it will just mean it’s time to but some funky hats! :o) I’ll drink my body weight in water to flush the drug out & keep my bladder happy. As for my boobs, well, honestly, there isn’t a whole lot there for cancer to find a home!!! :o)



I haven’t started it yet, as I wanted to get rid of this cold. The drug (Genoxal) is an immuno-suppressant, meaning I would be more susceptible to colds & bugs floating around. The ship is full of bugs right now, so I’ll hold out a little longer. Say a prayer that the progression of these dang-blasted tumors comes to a screeching halt & they go right back to the condemned place they came from!!!



So that’s the skinny on the fat chick. :o) Still hovering at 150 lbs & I’ve noticed the Prednisone has brought with it a mild case of Hirsutism. What’s that you say? A woman’s worst nightmare. It’s an increase in facial & body hair. Yes, my hairline is descending to meet my eyebrows, my chin is getting a lot more whiskers & my cheeks are finding sideburns. I won’t continue with the rest of my body, but it’s not any better! Just when I thought becoming a porkchop was bad enough, I start to look like a piece of fruit that’s been in my Mother’s fridge for FAR too long. Handy. I always wanted to join the circus, but I thought I would have worked with the tigers or lions, not been the bearded lady. What’s a girl to do? Let’s hope it reverses itself when I’m done the meds. I have a sinking suspicion… Maybe I could replace Tiger Woods & become the new spokesperson for Gillette! Ha ha!



On that note… Have a wonderful evening & I’ll be back soon with news on Easter Island!!

Love,
Maria & Jaco
xxxxx

Self Portrait - note the smile for the camera

Jaco being stubborn & not smiling for the camera - what a ham!

A passenger sitting at a table nearby noticed me trying to take Jaco's photo came over & offered to take our photo. Look at his handsome smile now!!! :o)