Today Cathy told me, "Next chemo treatment tell me to remember Tuesday."  She told me that because today was the first day she felt good.  Yesterday Cathy had an appointment with Andy, the oncology nurse practitioner.  Her blood counts were all low, but not unexpectedly low.  Here is a before treatment and after treatment assessment of some values:


White blood cells   5.1 K/uL before   2.3 K/uL after
Hematocrit   41.4% before   35.7% after
Granulocytes   3.5 K/uL before   2.3 K/uL after
Platelets   207 K/uL before   108 K/uL after


After the appointment she got an IV bag of fluids.  That bag, along with a dose of Imodium, hydrated Cathy and halted her diarrhea.  She felt good today!  Today Cathy was able to eat an egg, toast, yogurt, crackers, apple juice, and lots of Chicken Mineral Magic Broth.  I made this broth for her with a chicken carcass, carrots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, celery, kombu, garlic, leeks, peppercorns, juniper berries, allspice, bay leaves, and parsley.  It was a recipe from the Cancer-Fighting Kitchen book and she said it was magic, making her feel full and nourished.


I think for the next treatment, if we can get the good bacteria back in her gut, prepare her body properly, and prepare better with stuff we know agrees with her digestion and tastebuds, then maybe we can knock one day off the feeling bad part.  Maybe then she won't want to remember Tuesday, but she'll say, "Just one week" or "Tell me to remember Monday."