Chores, Chores, Chores

Well I'm still trying to get my Christmas cards out, but I have been getting so many great e-mails, snail mails and phone calls I barely have time to think! I also took on the running of a large writing contest for published authors sometime before I was diagnosed, and it is keeping me hopping as well, since entries are open for another couple of weeks. I think it's doing me good though, to stay focused and productive, especially since I haven't worked since the surgery. it keeps me from moping around and feeling sorry for myself, especially when Scott is at work.

I'm not sure if it's the shot yesterday or the chemo the day before (or the combo), but I have had a couple rounds of nausea (more like vertigo, really) yesterday evening and today. They don't last long and my "emergency" nausea medication the Dr. prescribed seems to do the trick pretty quickly, they just tend to come on pretty quickly, so I will want to keep that monitored when back out and about.

I also, in the spirit of improved diet, have decided, one shelf at a time, to organize my pantry, and am finding things that I need to eat and things that no one should eat! It's helping me see where we stand and I'm finding some ideas (quinoa, barley, etc.) right on my shelves that will work for the new "back to basics" ingredients plan I want to try and stick with. I plan on avoiding all processed foods, High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and ingredients I cannot pronounce, transfats, etc. I've been doing a pretty good job of adding loads of fresh fruit, since when I get queasy it's my "go to" thing, fruit juices (need to be careful there, but good for quick energy when slumping) and greens, but I have to concentrate on adding proteins as well, which have not appealed to me quite so much lately. Meat has pretty much lost it's lustre, with the exception of some fish, and beans are good but require a bit of prep, so I will have to pay attention to proteins to help my body reboot from treatment.

Also because of changed tastes in my mouth due to chemo some things I "know" the flavor of are not the same at all anymore, so I need to do some experimenting with herbs and spices to find things to cut through the metallic kind of taste even water seems to deliver. It's not horrible, I don;t think of it all the time or anything, but it is there and to stay on the right track I will need to address flavors and what works more deliberately. Well, back to the pantry, those shelves aren't cleaning themselves....