Chemotherapy Diary - Cycle #4: Day 2

Today was difficult.  Mum was very tired and it was evident that the chemotherapy from this cycle was hitting her hard, especially given she was still recovering from a 9 hour surgery just 8 weeks ago. We woke at our normal time as my mum does not like to sleep in and it's good for her to have a sense of routine which seems to bring her some form of comfort.  To be honest, I have to say that I'm a stickler for a routine just as much as she is!  I wanted to make sure she had a hearty and nutritious breakfast so made her porridge with organic oats and almond milk and mixed in a weetabix protein in there.  Protein is good to repair the muscles from wear and tear.  She had much less energy from the day before and as I asked her how she was feeling, she said that she felt that she didn't have much energy to talk.  There is being tired from a long day, there is exhaustion from having multiple long days and then there is fatigue which is when chemotherapy takes every last piece of energy from you and all you want to do is just sit on the sofa and look into space. So we had a very quiet day with lots of rest.  What my sisters, my mum and I have learnt from chemotherapy is the comfort from sitting in silence with each other, no talking, no electronic devices, just sitting in each other's company and that's what we did a lot of today.

I make sure to cook healthy food packed full of nutrients on the days after treatment.  So I made some mackerel congee for lunch.  The recipe is available on my blog but I switched up pork for mackerel as mackerel is an oily fish which is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.  My mum also makes sure to drink plenty of fluids to ensure she keeps hydrated.  Day #2 consists of a lot of post chemotherapy medication such as further steroids and anti sickness medication which all in all keeps us very busy.

After doing some housework, I had to do some administration such as arranging flu jabs, subsequent blood tests, preparing for work next week and finally, some work on the blog aka some fun!  I've had to reduce my working hours during my mum's treatment so now work 3 days a week.  But next week, the organisation I work for are sending me on a training course in London for 2 days. Knowing my mum's condition, I'm quite anxious about going to London for 2 days on days 6 & 7 of her chemotherapy cycle but I've already postponed this numerous times and my work are adamant that I attend this before the end of the month so to London I go!  This means my sisters will be staying with my mum at home next week so I had to make the spare room up.

For dinner, I made some carrot and potato soup for which the recipe is also available on my blog, rice and spinach.  Spinach restores energy, increases vitality and improves the quality of the blood. Spinach is rich in iron and iron plays a central role in the function of red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body.  Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid aswell as being a good source of magnesium (which my mum's blood is commonly lacking in) and vitamin B2.

It was hard to watch my mum struggle today and that is why I plead with you to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.




I'm extremely excited to be able to say that I've been nominated and shortlisted for Carer blogger of the year within the Health Unlocked 2017 Health Blogger Awards.  I'd appreciate it if you could vote for my blog here.





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