Dinner: tomato & egg stir fry and fishball watercress soup

Mom gets home soon. Made dinner and hopes she'll eat it. She's developed an aversion to eating meat so I made up the following dishes, accompanied with quinoa, a rice substitute. My cooking skills are very "meh." Maybe it's because I'm not a picky eater. However, my mother's taste buds are a little bit more refined.

Fishball watercress soup is very simple to make: watercress, ginger, and fishballs. It's sorta like a Chinese person's "chicken soup" -soothing and comforting. Next on the menu is tomato and egg stir fry. I added the eggs after so it didn't turn out as pretty as the picture below. Should have used this recipe before taking a stab at it myself.

Update:  Mom came home from work and was extremely tired. Had to rest before eating and after she ate, went straight to bed. She said the dishes turned out ok, but her lack of appetite makes it difficult for her to enjoy food. Sometimes this is very disheartening to see her so tired and I hope she feels better soon. Spent some time giving her a nice foot rub.

tomato and egg stir fry

fishball and watercress soup

The value of neuroprotective strategies

Chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity: the value of neuroprotective strategies

Above is a link to a free article from the Netherlands Journal of Medicine through PubMed regarding the efficacy of various strategies to combat nerve pain. While there definitely needs to be a bigger study regarding the value of these supplements, calcium/magnesium infusion, amifostine, gluthatione, glutamine, acetyl-L-carnitine and erythropoietin have been shown to help.

My mom has been taking 10 grams of l-glutamine for seven days starting on the first day of treatment (though in trials, patients have taken 30 grams/day). Since the effects are cumulative and she's only had one treatment, there are no dramatic side effects so far and I'm thankful for that. Just fatigue and loss of appetite.

Juicing Red Cabbage

Ready to juice carrots, cabbage, beet, asparagus, apple, celery

Not long after my mom was diagnosed, we started juicing. There's so much literature on the benefits of it, but we're also careful to not overdue it because of the sugar content. Of course some people only juice vegetables and drink green juice, which is an option, but just not for us. We drink a large glass of the concoction once a day and that's enough for us.

We use a masticating juicer which churns/ chews the ingredients leading to much less pulp. While the pulp is dry, the prep time is at least 20 minutes. That's because we pretty much have to chop everything into bite-size pieces. Through trial and error, we've found what fruit and vegetable combination worked best for us in terms of the health benefits and taste. The main juice ingredients are carrots, an apple, half a beet, celery, and asparagus. Most recently, we added red cabbage because it serves as a digestive aid. The amino acid called glutamine that is prominent in cabbage has a cleansing effect on the entire digestive system.

Cabbage juice has been known to heal peptic ulcers, but if you've ever tried cabbage juice alone- well, it's kinda yucky tasting, bitter with an unpleasant after taste. As a result, I've added either tomato or blueberries to counter it and the yucky cabbage is concealed. We also add kale or spinach when it strikes out fancy...and kale like cabbage is certainly not my favorite vegetable.

Has it made a difference in my mom? I really can't say though I'd like to think it has. In any case, perhaps it gives us a sense of control, a way of being proactive in the face of something deemed uncontrollable. In addition, there are very good benefits to these ingredients:

• Celery: vitamins B1, B6, B2 and C within the stem
• Beet: vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6 and C, as well as folic acid, potassium, calcium, iron and fiber.
• Asparagus: lots of vitamins including vitamin C, iron and calcium.
• Carrot: beta-carotene, Vitamin A, and Potassium
• Apple: helps with memory
• Kale: vitamin K, A, C, and Calcium
• Blueberries: Vitamin K, Manganese, Vitamin C, Calcium
• Tomato: lycopene, Calcium, potassium and Vitamins A and C
• Link to Benefits of Juicing Red Cabbage

 

The Day After Taxotere

Mom was able to go to work today- the day after treatment, without any noticeable symptoms. She was told to take Decadron, a steroid, for 3 straight days starting with the day before chemo. So today is her last day on Decadron. I hope she'll hold up tomorrow.

Third times the charm?

It's 1:34am. In 12 hours, my mom will be in the infusion room getting Taxotere aka Docetaxel for the first time. This will be her third chemo regimen. She's already has Folfox and Cisplatin/Irinotecan. For days, I've researched the possible side effects and reactions this drug may cause. I've learned that 200-300 mg tablets of Vitamin B6 help to combat nerve pain. L-Glutamine powder (two spoonfuls) also helps reduce fatigue and joint pain. Curcumin, PSK mushroom supplements have also had favorable results when used in conjunction with the drug, according to medical journals. Aside from fatigue and joint pain, hair loss is common, but I don't think that can be helped. People have also recommended submerging your fingertips in ice to combat fingernail loss, as well as sucking on ice to prevent mouth sores. These side effects seem very unpleasant, but it'll be worth it if it works. Keeping fingers crossed and hoping Baby Jesus will be on my side.

Mother's Day! Ahh!!

I love my mom so so much and would like the world to know. She is truly amazing and doesn't even have to try.

omg omg Oh MY G-D - couldn't have said it any better

In early April, my mom had her second CT scan. We learned the the tumor in the neck was no longer detectable - in fact, it simply said, "Normal CT of neck." From the top of my lungs, I screamed in disbelief and pure joy. I had hurried home when the report was picked up. As I entered the house, with every step, the weight on my shoulders became heavier and heavier. As I read it, I became so nervous. Then- the wonderful news. We thought my mom would now be eligible for surgery, but our oncologist said that instead, we would have to "watch and wait." For more than a month, my mother has been off treatment of any kind. We still juice regularly and take supplements. We have also started taking turmeric. My mom has also gone back to work. Truth be told, you wouldn't know she has cancer aside from the loss of her hair. My mom's a strong women and I am thankful for having her as my mother. The next CT scan is in mid-June. We're looking at going on a cruise before then. Praying for smooth sailing (and shrinkage/ disappearance of my mom's cancer).