Ramble On » Chemotherapy http://www.dcooley.com Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:14:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 New Chemotherapy Blog http://www.dcooley.com/new-chemotherapy-blog/ http://www.dcooley.com/new-chemotherapy-blog/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:40:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/new-chemotherapy-blog/

I have always wanted to write about my cancer and chemotherapy experiences and now I will. Yes, it seems like a real depressing subject, but, I think it something I need to do it.

However, I really do not want to clutter up this blog and take it down that road, so I have started a completely new blog.

Feel free to stop and let me know what ya think.

EDIT: I have now incorporated the above referenced Chemotherapy blog into my main blogging here. The category Chemotherapy should give you a list of all Chemotherapy related posts I have.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/new-chemotherapy-blog/feed/ 1 Chemo Brain http://www.dcooley.com/chemo-brain/ http://www.dcooley.com/chemo-brain/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:23:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/chemo-brain/

Now they call it Chemo Brain. There are pages upon pages of data on this dysfunction.

When I did chemotherapy in 1992 the term was not used, at least not that I heard.

It fits, and I believe it to be a real side effect factor to be considered and dealt with. Almost as soon as I started my chemotherapy this was one of the first side effects I noticed. It was like living in a fog.

I have always wondered if my short term memory is worse than it would have naturally been if I had not taken chemotherapy?

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/chemo-brain/feed/ 1 Singulair http://www.dcooley.com/singulair/ http://www.dcooley.com/singulair/#comments Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:21:14 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/singulair.html

It is being reported in the News that the FDA is investigating Singulair and the reports of mood changes, suicidal behavior in people taking Singulair.

Why did this get my attention?

Well, if you have listened to any of the drug commercials these days. It is absolutely ridiculous. Most of them sound like the side effects are worse than the condition you are taking them for. A couple even mention the risk of cancer.

Now, why would you take Singulair, which is an asthma medication, if the side effects sounded worse than the asthma?

I realize some medicines have side effects that are bad, but are still worth the risk for the condition we are taking them for. I have done Chemotherapy, I truly understand. It just seems that there should be a line somewhere that we can draw to stop some of this.

Reminds of my rant just a couple months ago about my wife’s Asthma Inhaler

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/singulair/feed/ 1 How many types of Cancer are there? http://www.dcooley.com/how-many-types-of-cancer-are-there/ http://www.dcooley.com/how-many-types-of-cancer-are-there/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 21:22:45 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/how-many-types-of-cancer-are-there/

I was doing a little research into Cancer, again. I guess once you have been through Chemotherapy it stays with you. The concerns of cancer coming back are always with me. It’s not really a worry as much as a realization that it is highly probable.

I have written some about my Chemotherapy at my blog Chemotherapy Experiences and I was just curious as to how many types of Cancers there are. Well, according to The National Cancer Institute there are 206 they have listed.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/how-many-types-of-cancer-are-there/feed/ 0 Speed Linking 09-05-2006 http://www.dcooley.com/speed-linking-09-05-2006/ http://www.dcooley.com/speed-linking-09-05-2006/#comments Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:05:31 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/speed-linking-09-05-2006/

Steve Irwin – This is a real tragedy, but not unexpected. Steve pushed the envelope and his infectious personality will be sorely missed. We sure hate to bid farewell to The Crocodile Hunter.

Andre Agassi – Thanks for all the years and entertainment watching you play ! In 1992 Andre won the Wimbledon Open, I watched every single match that was TV that year. No, I am not the biggest Tennis fan, but I was laid up in the hospital while recovering from a Heart Attack in the middle of doing Chemotherapy, and it was the best choice on the tube. Oh yes, it was a great year !

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/speed-linking-09-05-2006/feed/ 0 My Chemotherapy Wardrobe http://www.dcooley.com/my-chemotherapy-wardrobe/ http://www.dcooley.com/my-chemotherapy-wardrobe/#comments Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:18:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/my-chemotherapy-wardrobe/

Now here was a plus. While doing chemo I found my wardrobe the one thing that I liked. It was real simple.Sweat Pants, T-shirts and a bandana. Easy to mix and match.The only problem I ran into was in a few public places. Once while walking through a mall I was harassed by the security guards and told I had to remove the bandana because it represented the colors of some gang. It was frustrating and funny at the same time.

Here I was, seriously bloated, very, very white, 30 years old without a hair on my body. And they wanted to harass me about a bandana. What made it even more weird, the guys I ran into that probably were in a gang, were the ones that seem to have sympathy for me and did not give me a hard time.

I tried to find some designer bandanas, however, back then they just were not available in my area. This was something I thought might make me feel better and allow me to wear something with a message of some sort on it.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/my-chemotherapy-wardrobe/feed/ 0 Clear the Chemo Taste http://www.dcooley.com/clear-the-chemo-taste/ http://www.dcooley.com/clear-the-chemo-taste/#comments Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:59:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/clear-the-chemo-taste/

I am sure each patient and each Chemotherapy is different, but I had a terrible time with how it affected my taste buds.

Everything had a metallic taste to it. Things that I loved I could not tolerate with this added flavor.Finding something to drink became an increasingly difficult task. I loved sodas but could not drink them during chemo. I tried Gatorade (which was ok) but I was looking for something that actually tasted good and was refreshing.

My poor wife was trying desperately to find the magic drink, she would bring home all kinds of things to try. And then by chance we found it.

Minute Maid Fruit Punch !!

Even to this day when I need something different and refreshing I will pick up a carton. It was the only drink I found that helped during my chemo. And I would hope the same result for you. Give it a try.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/clear-the-chemo-taste/feed/ 0 Chemotherapy and Humor http://www.dcooley.com/chemotherapy-and-humor/ http://www.dcooley.com/chemotherapy-and-humor/#comments Thu, 06 Jul 2006 00:48:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/chemotherapy-and-humor/

I am going to use 2 words that certainly will not appear to go together.Chemotherapy and Humor.Why? Because I found out very quickly that you had to have one to survive the other. If you can manage to keep a little sense of humor a big part of the Chemotherapy experience will be a lot easier to take.

Hair, yes, hair! Everyday of my life I woke up, looked in the mirror and gave no thought to what I would look like without my hair. I was a 70′s child. You know the kid, blue jeans with holes in the knees, t-shirt, sneakers and a head full (and I do mean full) of hair. It was beautiful. Long, blond and curly.

What was I going to do now ?

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/chemotherapy-and-humor/feed/ 0 Cancer Resources http://www.dcooley.com/cancer-resources/ http://www.dcooley.com/cancer-resources/#comments Fri, 23 Jun 2006 01:26:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/cancer-resources/

I started chemotherapy the first week of the new year in 1992.

On some scales it seems like yesterday, and on others it seems like an eternity ago.The first thing that is probably drastically different for anyone today is the available resources.

In 1992 there was no Internet. I was given all the literature from my oncologist on the subject and was left to my own despair to search out any information. The only resource that had anything was the local library, and that in itself was massively outdated.

I will warn anyone facing chemo or anything major to be careful on how and what they research. It is very easy to get off track and let the data take you further down than you might be without any knowledge.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/cancer-resources/feed/ 0 The start of my Chemotherapy Blog http://www.dcooley.com/the-start-of-my-chemotherapy-blog/ http://www.dcooley.com/the-start-of-my-chemotherapy-blog/#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:42:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/the-start-of-my-chemotherapy-blog/

Whenever I tell someone I am a Cancer survivor the conversation almost always turns to Chemo Therapy and how it affected me.I wish Blogs had been around when I was in the middle of my Chemo so I could have kept a log of the daily events.

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/the-start-of-my-chemotherapy-blog/feed/ 1 Numbers http://www.dcooley.com/numbers/ http://www.dcooley.com/numbers/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:59:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/numbers/

The television show Numbers is one of my favorites. I guess that really shows my geek side. Although they push the envelope a little, numbers and math are definetly a major part of life.

I have been reflecting on numbers for this year, and how my age is starting to show.

31 – Years since I lost the vision in my right eye. I guess since it was at an early age is the reason it does not seem as critical as other things, although I am reminded everytime I open my eyes.

14 – Years since I did chemotherapy. And it amazes me how it has stayed with me. There are a few scars to remind me, but, things that happened during chemotherapy and that entire year are just lodged in my soul. Along with the tastes, scents and sounds that still haunt me just a little.

10 – Years since my mother passed away, in some ways it seems like she was here just yesterday, and at other times it seems like 20 years ago. And I miss her all the time.

4 – Years since my open heart surgery. Now that one is still with me daily. It took me 2 years just to get over the effects of the surgery. And there are some really big scars.

19 – Years I have been happily married to my lovely wife. And if you look at some of the previous numbers you can see that I needed the help to keep going. There is not a better woman, or person on this planet.

14 & 18 – Years my kids have graced my life. Oh sometimes they make me want to scream, but, for the most part they are good kids. And I can not imagine how empty my life would have been without them.

Yep, I am getting old. Where’s my cane…..

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]]> http://www.dcooley.com/numbers/feed/ 0 I talk to crackers http://www.dcooley.com/i-talk-to-crackers/ http://www.dcooley.com/i-talk-to-crackers/#comments Sun, 02 Apr 2006 17:11:00 +0000 David http://www.dcooley.com/i-talk-to-crackers/

No, I am not making a racist statement, I really talk to crackers. You know, crackers, the kind you eat.

My taste buds must be warped. I like to blame it on the chemotherapy I did 14 years ago. After Chemo my taste for some things was changed. Beer taste terrible, unless it is a dark beer, I hardly use mustard preferring mayonnaise on most sandwiches, and I clearly remember not liking mayonnaise most of my life.

Now comes the crackers… Cheez It brand started making different flavors of their crackers. I quickly became addicted to the BBQ flavor crackers. Perfect for a Nascar race or good movie. And then….

They were gone. Just like that. Oh they kept all the other flavors that I don’t like. Now everytime we go grocery shopping I just have to stop, check the stock and then make my comments to the boxes on the shelf. And then I pickup a box of another brand and brazenly wave it in front of the Cheez It brand boxes lined up on the shelf.

So there I am, standing in the store, taunting boxes of crackers. My wife keeps warning me that store management is going to call security on me. But, it’s all I have left of a tasteful memory.

Cheez-It ® Baked Snack Crackers

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