Hello, taste? Taste? Where are you?

So it's Day 6 of Treatment #4 and like my friend, fellow cancer battler and blogger, Barb, says it feels like it's TSN Turning Point day.  My energy level is coming back, the nausea and heartburn are almost non-existent now and the other GI tract issues are manageable.  Sure I still have the sensory neuropathy and touching anything in the fridge or freezer or drinking anything from the fridge or freezer is a no-go, but at least I am not confined to the couch or bed like with previous treatments.    The side effect that is still a pisser is the complete lack of taste and lack of appetite trigger....I am constantly left wanting for some sense of taste of the food that I am eating...whether it be pasta sauce, curry, tomatoes, whatever...I get a little taste from mangoes, garlic, and watermelon but for the most part it feels like (or tastes like) I have scrubbed off all the taste buds on my tongue, inside my mouth and ran a tongue scraper along my gums.  And my lips feel numb. 

This morning I also met with my family doctor to have her remove the sutures from the port-a-cath implantation last week.  The last appointment I had with her was to remove the staples from my surgery back in March so it was good to reconnect with her and to talk to her about the treatment plan.  She noticed immediately that I had put some weight back on from when she had last seen me and remarked at how positive that is...that despite the fact that I am a third of the way into treatments you wouldn't immediately know it by looking at me.  It's amazing how that comment boosted my mental spirits...there are some things happening that I and/or Victoria are noticing such as my hair thinning, little red spots appearing all over my arms and hands...but others don't notice these things and don't see me as sick or fragile.

A number of you have sent me articles or information about alternative therapies, foods that benefit the fight against cancer and supplements that are being looked at positively in conjunction with traditional drug therapy for fighting cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.  Please know that I appreciate all of it. I appreciate all the suggestions.  I recognize that it always comes from a place of caring.  I must admit though that it can be overwhelming sometimes reading everything out there and can be really difficult to glean the "facts" and "truth" from what is being reported or documented as "truth" out there.  As I said recently to a good friend of mine, Adam, I don't buy into some of the conspiracy theories or articles that tout the benefits of a food or supplement (i.e. asparagus as an example) to cure cancer but that the big bad pharmaceutical companies and medical industry (including doctors, insurance companies etc.) actively block these natural and proven cures because it is in their best interest to do so. I will definitely discuss with my Oncologist because I firmly believe that as long as it doesn't interfere with the chemotherapy regimen then natural supplements or alternative therapies such as curcumin, capsaicin etc. can offer great positive benefits both in supporting overall health and possibly wider benefits in fighting cancer. I am particularly intrigued at some research emerging about curcumin and its possibilities in conjunction with conventional therapy to fight colorectal cancer, particularly drug-resistant cancer cells (thanks Adam for sending those links to me) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20332435 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17918158

It definitely does not hurt to discuss, to probe, to challenge assumptions and to generally advocate for as comprehensive an approach to treatment as possible.

Gotta go...have a lot of reading to do.