My appetite is good, I worry that the increase in appetite is connected to the cancer, or it may just be stress eating. I been adding calories, but I don’t really track them - just bolusing for the carb increases. There are some increases in carbs and certainly fats, not so much protein.
I actually feel the same today as I did before diagnosis. I expect this to change next week I hope not I hate to vomit. I had food poisoning twice in my life and had to convince myself to just let it go, “Don’t die, ijit let that poison go!”
It goes back to my childhood, with kids throwing up behind me all over the aisles between me and the other desks. “I’m never gonna do that!”
@CarlosLuis Appreciate the update and details. Here’s hoping you’re able to arrange the best approach you can with the Endo and other recommendations!
However…I can’t help but smile a bit at the comment on “one dog and one goat!!” Not to say the dog part is “ordinary,” but there’s got to be a story behind having only the one goat! Inquiring minds want to know! Let’s hear it…
We raised Nubian dairy goats for many years. Whenever there was a birthing problem my wife would be aat the business end and I was at the mama’s head. As time went on my wife was no longer strong enough and I felt I would lose doe and kids more often than not, so we quit breeding. At the start of this year we were down to 2 old ladies. Then Sassy died. I thought that Dotty would be in a state because goats are quite social, but Dotty didn’t much like Sassy and me even less. Here’s a picture of earlier days.
Sorry for the quality, I took a snap of a picture on our fridge.
As to the dog, Rocky, he was dumped as a puppy about 3-4 years ago Memorial weekend. We took him to the vet for shots and to take care of internal and external parasites. He weighed 9 pounds, he is about 65 70 pounds now.
We never had any dogs but Great Pyrenees and Marremas - livestock guardians. Rocky is a shepherd mix and never was with the goats, just a shared fence.
There is nothing more fun than baby goats. You can see that in the picture, I can’t remember who that trapeze artist is, but the black and white mama doe is Maggie.
I go to the Cancer Center tomorrow for an orientation. Maybe I will do an update on what my endo and I discussed, if I get my head together.
11/17/2023 Consult with endo 11/16/2023
We discussed how to manage spiking BG during chemo with th e use of a steroid.He liked my idea of using some Lantus to cover part of the basal.I will have to monitor BG closely to determine how long after receiving the steroid it will cause higher insulin resistance.
We talked about Afrezza. He said that is great, but there are issues with insurance not liking to cover it. I will be checking to see if it is covered. He said it is really good for meal time spikes and corrections because of the speed of action and the short half-life. That tends to prevent stacking issues.
Next was Farxiga, dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor and the possible kidney protection. I mentioned this study on another SGLT2 inhibitor Invokana, canagliflozin in protecting kidney function while on cisplatin. That’s one of the drugs in the chemo cocktail I will be receiving.
He called me on my way home because he was unable to find the study - ha! I am pretty good and finagling search engines to get what I want. I liked them better what you could use Boolean algebra to make them more specific, the use of quotes, plus and minus signs.
This morning I have a kind of orientations at the Cancer Center.
I am really liking this diary. It helps to keep things straight in my poor old head. I hope no one of you have to deal with this, but if you do, I hope my experiences are beneficial.
Tuesday the 21st is the first treatment and for some reason it is going to last 4 long hours.
@CarlosLuis The guy on the left, the aeronautical wonder, is amazing! Where’s he/she heading? Perhaps thought the camera was “stealing the soul?” Sorry about Sassie; I imagine it’s similar for animals we raise, but our pets really become part of our family! The one true regret I have is having given up my dog, Gunther, back in 1983. We were moving to Turkey (military assignment) and you just don’t take dogs to Turkey due the feral cat population (story too long). I asked my in-laws to take Gunther until we returned. They took him, hardest thing I’d done up to then. But, they said they gave him to a local farm…too much for them to handle…always questioned that! He was a Heinz 57 variety small breed mutt, very intelligent, trainable…and I’ll carry guilt forever for having given him up! Because of our travels, we turned into a “cat” family and are currently with Gilbert and Sullivan (previously had Hobbie and Hobbes)! G&S were rescues from the pound, brothers from the same litter of 5.
Wow! Great Pyrenees are a big dog, great for herd protection I understand. Not familiar with Marremas, will have to look those up. I worked with quite a number of military working dogs in my career, Shepard’s and Belgian Malanois’. Many stories of handlers training them, an escape artist that climbed 8’ fences, etc.!
@CarlosLuis During my wife’s experiences she started what she called her “Chemo Brain Book”! It was a good cathartic thing for her, plus a great organized way of “remembering” dates, treatments, and consults. She logged every visit and treatment, specific comments by docs, how she felt, reactions to meds, etc. A friend of her’s (also went thru it) told her to get a spiral bound 5x7 or so, thicker than she thought needed; good thing as she’s graduated to a second volume after her third diagnosis (melanoma on arm, melanoma on eye lid (not related to the first), and uterine) (what can I say, she’s blond, fair, and grew up in SoCal!).
Anyway, its paid dividends in answering follow-on docs questions about dates/events/actions. She takes it/them to any follow-up appts. I’m the Sherpa!
Sounds like you’ve got a good doc that calls you to discuss things and it’s a partner relationship! I haven’t used Afrezza, but have heard great things for those that can get the insurance coverage for it…mostly from Jeremy Pettus of TCOYD fame, who lauds Afrezza for handling corrections quickly and efficiently!
It used to be $100 per box cash pay, and may still be. A box has 90 doses. I use the “12 unit” size, which actually has an insulin-lowering effect of a little less than 8 units of injected humalog. That’s a good correction dose for me.
But IM humalog still has a long duration. Besides the quick start of action, a major feature of afrezza is that a dose is basically all done in an hour and 15 minutes. That solves the “going low 4 hours later” issue with a conventional rage bolus.
I thought I would try replacing a bit more than 50% of my pump basal with Lantus this morning. It has been rather weird. Approaching lunch my BG was dropping close to hypo. I ate without bolusing, watching the numbers. Almost 2 hours after lunch I bolused and BG just slowly rose. 6 hours later with Tandem doing some auto corrects I switched back to my regular basal rate.
I am going to do the same Lantus dose at the same time tomorrow.
The other thing I did was to proactively shave the part of my head that is not bald and dumped the mustache. I’ve had a mustache since 1970, oh well. I just trimmed the eyebrows. I mean, enough is enough.
I don’t remember this from years before, but my upper lip is a line, doesn’t look like a lip at all. That emoticon is a good likeness but the brows and stache should be white,
I’m sorry this is something you’re going through. Sending healing thoughts your way. I appreciate your journal and also think it may be cathartic for in many ways!
I appreciate having Afeeza as an option, especially at night (but only use the 4 unit doses).
My endo said that his patients that can get Afrezza use the 4 u dose.
Thanks for your concern. Tuesday is the big day- 1st chemo session 4 to 5 hours oh boy, it’s gonna be fun.
Sounds like your stacking in insulin. The Lantus dose will take 2-3 days to fully kick in because of the insulin action time. Therfore, with the basal from the pump at 100% is still impacting bg for 5hours and as the long acting kicks in it may impact bg unpredicted.
@CarlosLuis Nothing like being proactive with your hair!! Are you adventurous enough to share pic(s) as well? Sorry about the ‘stache! Haven’t experienced it myself (just enough facial hair to be irritating), but I know from others it can significantly change appearances (I worked as a civ cop in the late 70’s early 80s, a bastion of ‘stache’s to be sure!).
Chemo can cause reduction in certain blood cells. Here is a good article on that. When I had chemo, they would do a blood test first and decide if safe to do treatment.
I hope not 
I hate to vomit. I had food poisoning twice in my life and had to convince myself to just let it go, “Don’t die, ijit let that poison go!”
That emoticon is a good likeness but the brows and stache should be white,