Are you a Tigger or Eeyore?

Round four done – only eight more to go! I have been doing really well with the Taxol. I have pretty constant body and muscle aches but nothing that prohibits me from going on about my day. I get pretty tired by about 6 or so every night. That actually works out well because we put the kids to bed at 7 so by the time I am wiped out they are going to bed. The nurse that gave me my third treatment said that the doses of Taxol I am getting shouldn’t cause hair loss so my hair should start growing back soon. However, that was a bunch of crap. My eye lashes have started to say fall out. When I met with Lisa (she is who I meet with when oncologist isn’t available) she actually noticed my eye lashes. She is the first person who has noticed. Well, the first person who has said anything anyway. Who knows how many people have actually noticed! Anyway, I told her what the nurse said and she disagreed. She said it would take weeks after the Taxol for my hair to grow back and while it is unusual that you lose your eyelashes or eye brows on Taxol when you didn’t on AC it does happen. I reminded her that not much about my cancer falls in the “usual category” and she said, “Well, let’s not be surprised about your eye lashes then!” By the way, she tells everyone the story about Kaia asking if I was mommy or daddy when I shaved my head. Kaia stories are everywhere! So I’m not really bummed about my hair. I would like to enjoy the short getting ready time and the hassle free head cover for a while longer anyway.


I just finished reading Randy Pausch’s book The Last Lecture. I actually picked it up before my diagnosis believe it or not but I was just able to finish it. It is a fabulous book and I highly recommend it. He was diagnosised with a terminal cancer (he died in 2008, I don’t say “lost his battle because I hate that phrase which I will probably blog about some day) and the book is a great inspiration to all. Many of you may remember the video that was circulated around the web a couple of years back of his last lecture. Here is the link to the site, you can watch the video if you are interested by clicking the link on the bottom left of the screen: http://www.thelastlecture.com/. Anyway, as I said it is a great book and I wanted to share something in it with you all. He talks about how people need to decide if they are a “fun-loving TIgger or a sad sack Eeyore.” Now I love Eeyore as much as the next person and I have enjoyed celebrating his birthday at an Austin festival on a couple of occasions but I don’t want to live my life like him. Why waste your life being a sad sack and complaining about everything and acting as if the world has it out for you, blaming everyone else for your “problems”. “Problems” in quotes because I think sad sack Eeyores make their “problems” 100% worse by having a feel sorry for me mentality and rarely do anything to change their situation. However, fun loving Tiggers bounce back from whatever life throws at them and they are always looking for fun in things and stay positive. That’s the way to be. I can’t imainge why anyone would want to be am Eeyore. And I also think it is important to surround yourself with other Tiggers. Eeyores just bring down those around them. (All the Eeyores out there are now blaming me for them not having any friends because I suggested you stay away from them.) I’m not saying we always have to be Tiggers, we can occasionally slip into Eeyore mode, just don’t stay there long. A great quote from Pausch’s book: “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

I met a mother and son today at chemo. He is 22 and was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer. 22! He’s already had surgery to remove one testicle and now has started chemo. He is a ball of fun and energy. His mom is the same way. And guess what? His mom is battling ovarian cancer for the second time now. She too is in chemo. They go opposite weeks so she can be sure to take care of him. Mother and son both battling cancer. I was impressed by them and am lucky to have met two wonderful Tiggers. If they can be Tiggers, we all can.

Love to all!