No Side Effects
I haven’t eaten a fruit or a vegetable for over a year. I mean none. No salad, no broccoli, no mangoes, no roasted vegetables. I’m serious!
Except the time I ate a tomato and got an enormous stomachache.:) I could easily digest proteins such as steak, chicken, fish or tofu but not a tomato! I even consulted with a nutritionist to help me with this nutritional predicament. It did not work. I still had stomach pain.
Can you imagine not being able to eat nutritious cancer-fighting-foods to be able to stay on a drug that fights cancer? The deep irony is not lost on me and I’m sure it is not lost on you, either.🤪🥦
My food sensitivities were a result of the chemo I was on. The chemo was doing a great job of fighting my cancer–until it wasn’t. I don't know if you know this, but often cancer drugs stop working overtime. And that is exactly what happened to me. That’s why I tried to find a clinical trial (and basically failed getting into one).
Luckily, my oncologist proposed this new drug, which I started three weeks ago. The name of the new drug is Truqap. It's in a pill form–so now, I don't have to go and sit and get chemo every three weeks. I just need to remember to take my pills.
You’d think I’d be overjoyed to not have to go to the infusion center down at Mission Bay–and believe me, some part of me is relieved. I’m sure Steve is, too. But the other part of me has to admit I was taken really good care of there.
You might be thinking, “Jessica, take the win!”
And I am–in the form of food. I've eaten a salad almost every day. Broccoli is my friend, and I can eat berries for dessert. I have NO stomach pain and NO nausea. I feel completely normal and I’m eating the way that I’ve always liked to eat. I am ECSTATIC about this.
And I do NOT have brain fog. Well, no more brain fog than any of you have:)
This new drug I am on is truly a game changer. But I have no idea yet if it is fighting my cancer. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, I’m so happy to feel like myself. I just need to remember to take my pills!
Jessica
PS Don’t worry! I'm completely obsessed with taking my pills on time. I have an alarm set on my phone and a little pouch that I bring with me everywhere, so I don’t forget. And while I was a very good nurse, I am an even better patient.
