Nadirs

Nadirs...Whenever I hear the word, I think of the "spell" which Angela Lansbury cants in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks"...only because she also uses the words apogee and perigee--both astronomical terms.  Technically, a nadir is the low point, and directly opposite the Zenith..and is often thought of in reference to the positions of the sun and the moon.     In more common parlance, it often refers to the low point of someone's career or spirits.

In chemotherapy, however, it refers to the low point of blood counts particular to the chemotherapy used.  With Xeloda, the nadir is found on days 10 - 14 of the cycle...For many drugs, the nadir lasts between 7 and 10 days, during which time the patient is more susceptible to infection and illness.  That's when fatigue usually hits the worse.  It is annoying that on the Xeloda (Capecitabine) list, the duration of the nadir is listed as "N/A"  which would be either not available" or "not applicable" I'm not sure which.  This is when my hands start hurting the most and my feet start splitting if they are going to split. The sad part about Xeloda is that I don't really recover from each bout before I have to start the next.

Anyway....make sure that you are careful about your nadirs...take special precaution so that you don't catch something when your counts are low....and always make sure that Nadirs don't also refer to your spirits..or at least I hope that your spirits remain good while you are getting your treatment.

Oh yes...the photo? Well, it is the foot prints of a raccoon which has taken up residence in my backyard and caused a nadir of my spirits as the danged thing ravages my goldfish pond and has made snacks out of most of my beautiful pets.

Lotions for the Cancer Patient Hand Foot Syndrome Lindi Skin

Back in August, when I was whining about how bad my feet and hands were from the Hand-Foot Syndrome, someone on the Inspire.com website gave Lindi Skin my name and email addy.  One of the employees contacted me and sent me a bottle of their Soothing Balm which was developed especially for cancer patients.

I have to say, their website is full of information on different skin issues, some related to cancer (radiation burns, hand/foot syndrome) and some other issues.  Links send you to information areas which are NOT trying to sell you anything, but give you information on what you can do to alleviate the problem.

The Lindi Soothing Balm was the product which they sent me to see if it would help my Hand-foot syndrome.  The soothing balm is light, and not greasy or oily.  I can honestly say that I can put it on when I'm in the bathroom and if I forget to open the door before I put it on....that's ok as I'm still able to turn the knob....not the case with some of the other stuff I've tried...(yes...pretty humiliating when you have to call for your husband to release you from the bathroom!).  It doesn't have any fragrance added, it is free of parabens (the stuff which mimics estrogen and is basically not good for us), and has not been tested on animals.

It seems to work well for my day-time use....I am afraid that my skin reactions to Xeloda are pretty extreme, and I need something heavier on my feet for night use.  Even on the half dose, I have very tender fingertips and toe-tips (is that a word??), cracking feet, and severe redness.  The burning sensation doesn't seem to go away...and it keeps on getting worse.  I am sure, however, that for most people this would do really well, and I like it much better than Udderly Smooth (which contains parabens).  It is made with avocado, olive oil, glycerin  shea butter and a bunch of other stuff.  It does  help with the dryness, but the tenderness is still there, I assume it is just because of the severity of the reaction which I am lucky enough to have.

They have a product which they suggested I try called the Cooler Roll. Unfortunately, the facility which makes the Cooler Roll was affected by Hurricane Sandy and it is temporarily out of stock.

They have an area which you can sign up for emails which gives you a discount for your first order.  In addition, I have received several special promotions since signing up, so it is worth doing that even if you aren't sure you're ready to order anything. I also noticed that they have a money back guarantee, so if you want to try it, but are not sure it is going to do anything for you, you do have the opportunity to return it if you're not happy.

One last thing...if you use the following link, then they will give 10% of the sale to the not-for-profit of my choice...and I am going to designate the Metavivor Research & Support.  You can find them here.

Here's the link you need to use in order to get the 10% credited to Metavivor:

http://www.lindiskin.com/?a_aid=lisaq

Something to embrace

Judy Coates Perez, an extremely talented quilter recently posted this on her facebook page and gave me permission to post it here.

As dark as some days may seem, as cloudy and scary as the future may be, concentrate on the good.  Surely, if you think on the positive, you can think of one thing to be grateful for and if you look deeply enough in your catalog of experiences, I am sure you can find something to think of which brought you joy, made you laugh....or even just brings a smile.

So...Be happy so long as you have breath within you.

Thanks, Judy...for your great photo and your willingness to share.