A little more about taking care of the caregiver...I just tried this wonderful hydrating, plumping face mask from a company called Valentia. You have to try it!  See the link below for purchase info!

I received my Valentia Plumping Hydration mask at a discount for evaluation and review. This mask is so wonderful and refreshing. It smell so good too. I take my little "me time" or 30 minutes a week, snuggle down on my little chaise with a book and let the mask do it's work. It's something like a good cool gel that I put on and start to feel a cool, pleasant tingling sensation. After the time is up, way too soon, I remove it with a damp cloth and rinse my face, then go about my usual face care routine. It leaves my face feeling soft and rejuvenated, and yes, just a little plumped up. My skin practically glows for a few days after using it.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Plumping-Hydration-Mask-Valentia/dp/B014PJSYRM/
#ValentiaUltraPlumpingHydrationMask

Matcha Green Tea

Been drinking a lot of coffee lately...a LOT.  Chad's last chemo cycle was horrendous - the first day he was there for 14 hours straight. YES 14 long, long, long hours.  The next two days were shorter but I"m at the end of my exhaustion rope.  When you have the most important person in your world going through a cure that's almost as bad as the disease, who has time for the stupid holidays, I mean REALLY!?

Anyway, as I said, I've been drinking tons of coffee and I'm so sick of it.  I received a complimentary sample of this stuff called Matcha, which is essentially a REALLY concentrated green tea powder.  You've heard all the hype about green tea, has antioxidants, so good for you.  But tea is just...tea.  It doesn't have that robust oomph like coffee does. Matcha is so different, and a little goes a long way.  My favorite way to use it right now is iced with vanilla almond milk.  I use the "lightly sweetened" type.  It's amazingly refreshing and like I said, a nice change from coffee.

Since Chad's appetite wanes quite a bit during chemo cycles, he's been drinking a lot of vanilla protein shakes (gotta get that protein People!) and putting a little bit of Matcha in there sort of shakes things up for him, and offers a nice change of pace.  Given that Matcha enhances focus and memory, I'm hoping it will cut through that "chemo brain" he gets at times, where he just gets a little foggy and he finds it so frustrating.  Not to mention, the increase in energy Matcha provides, which seems to cut through that malaise he experiences after a chemo cycle.

According to Matcha Organics ( #matchaorganics )

Some of the benefits of drinking this green tea powder are:

Enhanced Focus & Memory

Fat Blocker & Calorie Burner

Stimulates Metabolism

Jitter-Free Organic Energy

High in L-Theanine

If you're interested in trying it, here's where I got mine:
http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidants/dp/B00OJMI0CK

It may seem expensive, but a little goes a long way!  I use about a teaspoon in an 8 oz glass with the almond milk.  Also, when you purchase it, it comes with a recipe books with a ton more ideas for using it.  I plan to keep using it, and since Chad seems to love it, I plan to add it to his long list of supplements for easing his side effects.

dark circles under MY eyes? Pfffft!

Remember this from 10 days ago?

"Taking care of myself part 2"

"So I was offered an opportunity to try another product for these ridiculous dark circles under my eyes.  If you're a caregiver for someone with cancer, then you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?  The product is called Valentia's True Glow Eye Cream - "A Corrective Eye Treatment with Vitamin C, Astaxanthin and Organic Oil." This blog is all about "natural" and look at those ingredients, right? I only started using it about a week ago, and since I have a tendency to NOT pay too close attention when trying something supposedly life altering (like the miracle cream that will make ALL of my wrinkles disappear!! I wish) for at least a couple of weeks. That way, you really see the change, if it's there, as opposed to seeing yourself day in and day out, when the change is less noticeable.
 I've made a point to ignore, for the most part, how the undereye circles look, but I DID take a Before picture. In another week or so, I'll check the results closely, take an After pic and share it with you here. Hopefully I'll look 29 again, or more realistically, a lot less tired!
I think we can all use a little "me" pampering, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take really good care of our loved ones with cancer, both physically and emotionally."

Well check THIS out!

Same camera, Same lighting, Not sure if it's the same eye?  But anyways, LOOK AT THE CHANGE!! It's quite truly UH-MAY-ZING!! I wish they sold this stuff in 5 gallon tubs, because I would bathe in it.  After only 2 weeks, I am totally shocked.  Yesterday, Christmas Day, I got so many compliments. Not the obvious "Wow what did you do?" But just honest-to-goodness "Gretchen! You look so good!"  "You must be getting some rest." Uhhh, no. But let 'em think so! If you want to try this for yourself, here's where I got it.

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014DH4FTC  #ValentiaTrueEyeGlowCream

Taking care of myself part 2

So I was offered an opportunity to try another product for these ridiculous dark circles under my eyes.  If you're a caregiver for someone with cancer, then you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?  The product is called Valentia's True Glow Eye Cream - "A Corrective Eye Treatment with Vitamin C, Astaxanthin and Organic Oil." I only started using it about a week ago, and since I have a tendency to NOT pay too close attention when trying something supposedly life altering (like the miracle cream that will make ALL of my wrinkles disappear!! I wish) for at least a couple of weeks. That way, you really see the change, if it's there, as opposed to seeing yourself day in and day out, when the change is less noticeable.
 I've made a point to ignore, for the most part, how the undereye circles look, but I DID take a Before picture. In another week or so, I'll check the results closely, take an After pic and share it with you here. Hopefully I'll look 29 again, or more realistically, a lot less tired!
I think we can all use a little "me" pampering, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take really good care of our loved ones with cancer, both physically and emotionally.

all this stress and I'm looking it!

When the love of your life and best friend is seriously ill, the stress takes a toll.  I'm feeling and looking older, but am doing my best to take care of myself as well as my Honey.  I have realized that at some point I may have to do a lot more hands-on care-taking, so I'm making a concerted effort to eat much better and have started weight training again. My Honey is a big guy at 6'3" and if I ever need to help him physically, I need to prepare for that.

I've also decided to do my best to look my best for him.  If he sees me looking haggard and aged, he seems to blame himself and that's not fair.  So I've decided to take advantage of beauty product offers that I am occasionally given and plan to post honest reviews here for anyone who is interested in trying new products to look and feel better. 

I was recently offered an opportunity to try OZ Naturals Vitamin C serum.   It has clinical strength 20% Vitamin C as well as hyaluronic acid, which help skin hold a lot more moisture than it normally would. This stuff is wonderful.  It's not a moisturizer, but a serum you apply before moisturizer.  I use it at night, and though I still have wrinkles that are noticeable, the smoothness is incredible and my pores have shrunk to almost nothing.  If you want to try it, look for it on Amazon for a great price!

#oznaturals

http://www.amazon.com/OZ-Naturals--Contains-Hyaluronic-Guaranteed/dp/B00DPE9EQO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449509589&sr=8-3&keywords=OZ+Naturals

esophagitis due to radiation therapy

Chad takes radiation 5 days a week, his last day will be Monday, November 9th.  According to his radiologist, the majority of patients experience problems with esophagitis, an inflammation of the esophagus, which is essentially a really bad sore throat. He did start having esophagitis symptoms after the end of week 5.  However, his doctor was flabbergasted that he only started with symptoms well into his treatment.  Here is why I believe that is so: I put him on L-glutamine, an essential amino acid which is used by bodybuilders to assist with tissue healing after heavy duty weight lifting.  L-glutamine has also been found to significantly reduce the side effect of esophagits due to radiation therapy. Chad DID start having symptoms in week 5, as I said, but for the most part, has been able to eat well, though we've cut back quite a bit on the spices in his food.  He also uses a prescribed viscous lidocaine 2% solution.  His dependence on this numbing medicine is minimal, but overall, he's done remarkably well. His oncologist and radiologist have now added this supplement to their recommendations to other patients who get radiation in the chest/throat/head area or in any area which may lead to esophagitis.  I was able to get it at a very reasonable price on Amazon* (a godsend, those guys). Look for products that have really good reviews and READ THEM.  I bought a brand of free form L-glutamine with excellent reviews from a company with an excellent reputation.  Their products are sold extensively at Whole Foods.

*If you can afford to do so, get an Amazon Prime account for $99 a year. Completely worth it.  I am able to get supplements found at places like Whole Foods, but at anywhere from 40-80% lower prices as well as free 2-day shipping for the most part. I am not giving this recommendation to get free or discounted stuff. Amazon Prime is the real deal.

natural supplements to try if on radiation and chemo

My husband was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer on September 4, 2015. I have done exhaustive research to help him deal with the ensuing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.  His symptoms have been relatively minor with a few exceptions, the worst being, of course, a drastically low neutrophil count.

1) he received Granix for his low counts. It's side effects included severe bone pain after the first injection, especially in his hips. His is 6'3" and a big tough guy. It was so severe, he was in tears, and could barely move, much less walk.
2) he was given Norco, a narcotic pain killer containing acetaminophen as well - DID NOT WORK!

If you have experienced the above, this is what I specifically requested the doctor order for him (he was hospitalized at the time): Claritin and ibuprofen, an NSAID. I also requested a dose of tizanidine as he was having back spasms from being in bed for so long.  He has spinal stenosis, a fact clearly noted on his last two CT scans.  She denied the tizanidine, so I gave him one of mine, and after a "whatever you say" sarcastic remark, also ordered the Claritin and 800mg of ibuprofen.  Within 20 minutes, he was crying again, but with relief, and asked, "Really!? That's all it took?! I suffered for the past 14 hrs for nothing?!!"

Do your research!! After he was told "that's just how it is with Granix...we gave you pain medication," I was not ready to accept that, so I did research it.  Come to find out, a large reason for the bone pain from meds like Granix and Neupogen, is due to the inflammation and the release of large amounts of histamines into the system as the bone marrow struggles to create new white blood cells.

That's it. It's that simple. As an RN, I knew what to look for in his labs, ie., his kidney function and his platelet count.  The doctor can check these things and give the OK for an antihistamine (like Claritin [loratidine] or Benadryl [diphenhydramine], as well as for an NSAID such as ibuprofen or naproxen.  All of these can easily be purchased inexpensively.  I often buy my OTC meds at $ General. Just as good, but much cheaper.  Skip name brands and go for the generics'