Scolded like a 4 year old today

So this is what I was thinking I wanted to do (in my mind) to try to make my chemo nurse smile today. Anything to get the heat off me ... geez. I got a real scolding today for not taking my medication as prescribed. Whoo hoo!

First, a little background. You should know that I have been given more prescriptions for things to take in one sitting than I've ever had to take in my entire life! Most of it is anti-nausea medicine (Emend, Decadron -- a steroid that can cause weight gain ... boo, hiss, boo ... and Zofran). I'm supposed to take these meds the day before, the day of, and then up to 3 or 4 days after each chemo treatment. Okay, so I did that! But I also have prescriptions for a drug called Compazine which I can take as needed (but I hear it makes you very sleepy) and Nexium (the purple pill for acid reflux). Well, I haven't touched the Compazine or Nexium because I didn't feel I needed it. Especially the Nexium ... I haven't had any acid reflux or heartburn to date, so why praytell should I take it??

Mayra, my nurse, asked me today if I'm taking all my meds and I told her just the ones I had to before and after my first treatment. She asked about the Nexium and when I said no, her head shot around and she damn near had a conniption (sp?) ... you know, where someone gets so angry it appears their face is slowly starting to slide off. I offered up a meek explanation that I really don't like taking pills, especially if I don't really need them. Well, apparently she feels I NEED it ... AND I have to take it EVERYDAY until I finish with chemo. That totally sucks ... too much of anything, everyday can't be good in my view (unless it's mindless, personal e-mail). Chemo does a good job on killing bad cells, but it also kills your good cells ... among them, like the ones found in your gastrointestinal tract, the esophagus, and inside of your mouth. (That's why they warn about guarding against mouth sores ... which I also haven't had.) Well, who knew?? Mayra said she explained this all to me during my chemo education session with her weeks ago ... and I know she probably did, but there were so many other things on her list for me to do ... including but not limited to my use of new toothpaste (Biotene), new mouthwash (also Biotene), Activia yogurt (to line the intestines with good bacteria), tea tree oil (for my nailbeds), stool softeners (haven't needed that, thank you), Immodium (no, to that as well), etc., etc.

So I opted not to take the Nexium. Shoot me, okay? And even though she's instructed me to take it from here on out, I still feel ambivalent. WHAT IF NEXIUM CAUSES CANCER???? Afterall, how much has Nexium been studied and how many years out?

By the way, off topic for a sec ... have I said I think my 15 year continuous use of the birth control pill caused or fueled my cancer?! And don't poo-poo me ... all that ying and yang about studies showing no link between the pill and breast cancer ... studies sponsored by whom exactly? Which drug companies? Well most notably, the Mayo Clinic just came out with this recent report, suggesting women who have had extensive use of the pill who have also never had their first full-term birth prior to the age of 30 are at a 44% greater risk of developing breast cancer ... HARK!

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/pdf/8110/8110a1.pdf.

A new study from the Mayo Clinic has concluded that there is "a measurable and statistically significant" connection between the pill and pre-menopausal breast cancer, re-enforcing the recent classification of oral contraceptives as Type 1 carcinogens.

The study found that the risk association was 44 percent over baseline among women who had been pregnant who took oral contraceptives prior to their first full-term pregnancy has been, to a large degree, ignored by many media organizations.

The report, "Oral Contraceptive use as a Risk Factor for Pre-menopausal Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis," was authored by Dr. Chris Kahlenborn of the Altoona, Pa., Hospital's internal medicine department and others. Kahlenborn said the results mean that, following standards of informed consent, "women must be apprised of the potential risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer prior to commencing drug use."

The study, which is available online through the Mayo Clinic or at the Polycarp Research Institute, is a meta-analysis of that sometimes-fatal link.

Dr. Kahlenborn focused on the younger, pre-menopausal women who had been on the pill before having their first child. He found 21 of 23 studies showed a connection between the pill and cancer, something that certainly should be alarming women.

However, as Andrea Mrozek, manager of research and communications for the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, noted in an article. "Perhaps it is because the pill has long been the darling of feminists – a veritable icon of female empowerment. In some circles, suggesting the pill might kill you is seen as tantamount to issuing a press release that women belong in the kitchen."

So back on topic ... the one good thing that happened today is that I didn't need that Neulasta shot to bring up my white blood cell counts! (This is a shot you're supposed to get the day after chemo that can cause severe bone pain. My onc said I might not need it for the first treatment, and she gave me a choice about it. So you know what this stubborn patient chose, right?) My counts were in fact a little lower today (they're supposed to drop between day 7 and 12), so chemo is indeed doing its job ... but they were still within normal ranges to get around the shot ... yahoo! (It didn't even matter to me at that point that they had to prick my finger twice because my blood coagulated too fast in the test tube the first time.)

P.S. -- Ed Bradley of "60 Minutes" lost his brave fight to leukemia today at the tender age of 65. Such a classy, great journalistic icon ... he will be sorely missed! Rest in peace.