Cancer, Chemo & My Cat

Cancer…

Cancer. A 6-letter word you never want to hear, but so many people do. Cancer research was put into my life path when my brother’s best friend died of Leukemia at only age 17. I was only 13 or 14, but I told my mom that I was going to cure cancer one day. Now 30+ years later, I might not have “cured” cancer, but I have worked 15+ years in Oncology Research and take heart that I have helped provide extra days,weeks,months, years with loved ones for some of the patients on my clinical studies.

Little did I know that I would end up leaning on all my years of oncology experience for my own search for those extra days,weeks,months and years with my own loved ones.

When I heard the diagnosis (Stage 1 Endometrial and Stage 1-3C Ovarian Cancer), I was physically alone in the doctor’s office. All I could do was seek God. I paused in that moment and prayed and I have kept on praying.

I am blessed as I have had great health before, during and after my cancer diagnosis. As I share my testimony, I frequently receive questions on my cancer and chemo experience, so below you can find my experience and you can follow here for updates or to just ask questions.

Skip to Chemo Cat

Chemo-My Experience

🏥Post hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: I had 6 Cycles (21 Days/Cycle) of Chemotherapy over 5 months as adjuvant therapy (secondary treatment given after primary treatment/surgery to kill any lingering cancer). It was one IV treatment on a Friday every 21 days. I followed Standard of Care of first-line chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel that became the standard chemotherapy combination for ovarian cancer more than 20 years ago.

📚After hearing and knowing horror stories of Chemo, I researched and journaled things that worked and things that did not work for me.

⛔️ This is not to be taken as medical advice and you should always discuss with your doctor, but these are some general things that I followed and also just some things I learned about cancer and chemo in the process. Some things have no reason why I did it, but as a scientist I add them to my notes as the final outcome was good for me.

Important things to know:

I wasn’t sick or in bad health when I was diagnosed.
- I felt a horrible pain a couple times in my stomach and I went immediately to the ER the second time I felt it coming. They did multiple procedures and tests to determine the cause of the pain.
- I had lost quite a bit of weight in a short time period and my hair had become VERY thin!
- I started having to pee more frequently than normal for no apparent reason.
- I would be starving, but only be able to eat minimal amount of my meal.
I was active before being diagnosed and ate reasonably healthy with small amounts of processed foods.
Chemotherapy toxicities build up, so generally the first treatments are easier than the last, so it is important to do things to naturally assist your body in detoxing to improve your side-effects of the chemo.
- I personally had no nausea or bad reactions. My worst side effects were the last 2 treatments and they were brain fogginess and fatigue the week to 2 weeks after treatment.
I continued working most of my treatment period.
- I work remotely and changed to only 30 hours a week
  - Scheduled off on Fridays
- The Last 2 treatments I took off the full next week

What I did…

HYDRATE, HYDRATE,HYDRATE
- Drinking Water Before, During and After Chemo is essential to flush the toxins through your organs.
- Put berries, cucumbers, lemon in water to change it up
- Teas (especially Green teas) are great for flushing your body
- Celery juice, cranberry juice
Night Before
- It was winter for me, so I ate Goulash, Beef Stew or Beans & Cornbread the day before treatments. Something hardy with protein and some carbohydrates or maybe it was just comfort food that reminded me of home.
- I would eat 4-6 Oreos and a BIG glass of Milk before bed. No reason, just did it!😉😇
- Chemo-PreMeds: Steroids for preventing allergic reactions and Anti-Nausea medication
Morning/Day of Treatment (took about 5 .5 hours)
- My Appointments were from 7am to 2 pm. The actual treatment period was about 5.5 hours.
  - Depending on how you tolerate the chemo it can go faster or slower
    - They will increase or decrease infusion rate on the chemo
  - The first visit was the longest as they have to ensure you don’t have any reactions, so the infusion rate is slow and you stay a bit longer post chemo
- I drank black coffee (usually 2-3 small european cups) before treatment while they prepared and then while having treatment. With each coffee, I would also drink a small water between. Coffee can dehydrate you, so best to replace as I drank the coffee.
- Pastries for breakfast. Yes, I didn’t think this was a good idea, but the lovely nurses always had a breakfast of pastries while I prepped for the chemo.
- You will have some medications given to you before the chemo for nausea and allergic reaction. These made me sleepy usually, so I often napped through my treatment.
- Lunch would be a soup and sandwich or pasta.
- The worst part of Chemo was the IV.
  - They rotated locations in my hands for the IV port as the chemo will damage your veins where it is inserted. They would rotate from right hand to left hand. I even had it on my outer wrist at the thumb at one point.
  - Ensure that where they put the port still makes it accessible to go to the restroom or toilet without causing you pain.
- At home I would go to bed and watch some Netflix and sleep a few hours.
- Then I would try to go for a walk.
  - My 3rd treatment was on New Year’s Eve and I went to a park and watched Fireworks at midnight with friends and even had Champagne!
- Dinner was usually the leftovers of the night before (stew)
After treatment
- Coffee (BLACK)
  - In moderation coffee is a natural liver detoxifier and also has antioxidants.
  - I always have equal amounts of glasses of water to coffee cups to ensure not dehydrated.
- Get up daily(when ready) and try to go for a walk.
  - It is important to rest and NOT overdo it, BUT letting yourself think you need to stay in bed ALSO can cause your body not to pump the toxins through your system. Even if just a stroll around your room or house.
- Eating
  - I would have a lot of snacks(noted below) and would eat small portions for meals throughout the day when hungry.
  - My body was already working overtime to fight the cancer and the chemo, so I tried to stay away from anything that would add burden to that work. Eating smaller nutrient filled meals made me feel like I was feeding my body energy, but not giving it the work all at once to process all the wastes. My body needed to be prioritizing flushing the chemo!
- Food that helped me hydrate, flush toxins or sustained me..
  - I stayed away from foods that were harder to digest, so not a lot of fats, processed sugars, starches or complex carbohydrates.
  - Eggs-I am an omelette eater and would eat one if possible the day after treatment and most mornings. Smoked ham, Peppers, onions, and cheese are my preferences!
  - Thinly sliced smoked/dried Meat
    - I would prepare my snacks before treatment and cut into thin slices and try to snack a couple times a day.
    - The saltiness and smokiness of prosciutto or dried sausages would help cover the metallic taste in my mouth from the chemo while also making me thirsty.
    - Nuts also would work (I don’t like nuts though!)
  - Fresh cut Vegetables and Fruits
    - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Celery , Tomatoes
    - Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries
  - HomeMade Ranch Dressing for the cut raw vegetables!
    - Equal parts Mayo and Plain Greek Yogurt
    - Parsley, Dill, Garlic to taste
    - This helped also change up the metallic taste.
- Alcohol
  - I do enjoy a beer or two. However, alcohol is just another toxin that your body has to process and it also dehydrates you.
  - I did choose specific events that I would have drinks(My Red Raiders had made a Bowl game & against the Pirate!), but again I always had water with beers and in moderation.
  - And my last 2 months I didn’t drink any alcohol.
- Hair Loss
  - Started losing CLUMPS of hair 10 days after the first treatment.
  - I cut off what was left of my Ginger locks myself one morning. It made the hair loss not so bad!
  - And all my hair was gone in 1 month.
  - I learned to really enjoy/embrace my baldness!
    - I was blessed with some friends with fun wigs and even found one to almost match my own hair.
      - I felt a bit like a rockstar with perfect hair every day!
      - And showering was just soap!
  - 1 month after my final chemo is when my hair started growing back.
    - The hair that grew back on my head was thick, almost a mahogany color and super CURLY!! Different than my Ginger hair.
  - 1 Year after treatment I had a mop of hair!
- Mental Warfare
  - Your friends and family
    - I was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t tell many people directly at first. I let my mom and a couple friends provide updates and provide me messages from all my loved ones around the world. It helps to know so many are supporting you without having to talk about it over and over.
      - Find your people. I even had a group of strangers I only knew through Puko’s Social Media that were supporting me. You are not alone.
    - Let them help you. Let them encourage you. Let them care for you.
      - Then you pay it forward. Find someone you can encourage too! This is a motivation all in its own.
  - Positive thoughts, visual reminders, Music and Prayer
    - Thinking of the Chemo working and destroying all the little hidden cancer cells that might be left after surgery was constantly flowing in my head. Like the CSI effects, I could see the medicine hunting around all the hidden places in my body killing off the Cancer. Reminder that the Chemo is my friend!
    - When I would feel weak, I would think about children suffering through the same treatments and focus on that faith and strength that they had and I knew I could power through too.
    - I kept my Christmas tree up all year as a visual reminder of the Joy of every month. I would change the decor and this gave me happiness and something to celebrate and focus on each month. 😉🙏🏻🎄
    - Right Foot First Every Day! Every day since I was a Freshman in HighSchool I have put on my Right sock/shoe and every time I put them on throughout the day. It is now a habit, but I do this to remember to put that right foot first today and I can push through. A visual reminder for a Positive Mental Attitude. (PMA)
    - I started listening to only positive and upbeat songs each morning for about 1 hour and it changed the whole mood of my day.
    - And every morning I dove deep into studying God’s Word.

My Cat- The Prayer Partner and Super Hero!

Going through cancer is tough. Going through cancer in a foreign country has even more challenges. For me communicating with my loved ones in Texas became a point of focus as I didn’t want them worried about me since we were physically apart.

The loved ones of those diagnosed take on a lot (emotionally, financially, physically) and in my personal situation my diagnosis year had already been heartbreaking for our family with the loss of my mother-in-law only a month earlier and then as the new year started more of my loved ones were handling their own struggles and losses. For all these people that loved me I felt I had to be strong and show them I was OK.

So it was my cat, Puko, that was my confidant.

As I navigated the ups and downs of chemotherapy, Puko was there to comfort me with his soft purrs and unwavering presence. But he did much more than that – he motivated me to get up and feed him, and to take him on outdoor adventures. With his fearless spirit and natural curiosity, Puko kept reminding me of the beauty and wonder of life, even in the darkest moments.

Each morning I would gather myself for my time with God. Puko would climb up on my books,journals, or Bible and I would pray and he would purr. This is how he became my prayer partner and a Super Hero to me in my struggles. He became Chemo Cat!

Chemo Cat showcases his superpowers by being a comforting and encouraging presence during the toughest moments of cancer treatment. With his unshakeable faith in Christ and his “never give up” attitude, he reminds everyone that cancer messed with the wrong cat.

Chemo Cat is a beacon of hope, reminding those struggling with cancer that they are not alone. He provides comfort with his playful antics and unwavering love. He encourages patients to keep going, to fight harder, and to believe that they too can overcome cancer.