My Short Bucket List 私の短い「死ぬまでにしておく事柄リスト」
I have a very short bucket list. One of them marked off: "A Trip to Italy!" [caption id="attachment_2182" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Tuscany's Sunflower Field. トスカーナ地方のひまわり畑[/caption]
Read More
Together, we are strong. 共に戦うから強くあれる
A dinner with two of my friends was a great time. Especially, when I did not have to worry about cancer nor dissertation! I am a super happy person!!!
Read More
YES, finally! I fulfilled my appetite! やっと食欲が満ち渡る！
It has been 6 months since my last chemotherapy. I have been craving food like crazy since then. Constantly fulfilling my appetite as much as I could. I am ... finally content.
Read More
A Happy Healthier New Year to You おめでとうございます。
A very happy healthier year 2015 to all of you!
Read More
Day10: Massaging on my legs
Day 10 after the 6th and the last chemotherapy. A friend came over to do massage on my feet and legs. Kids, her kids and my son, had fun together in and outside.
Read More
Day5: After my 5th chemo
People who takes care of me very closely tells me that I am doing better for this cycle. I look better, talk clearer, eat better and am out of bed for longer hours than my previous cycles. That is right. But I still feel nauseous and sick that I really wish there were a day that I would feel great. I'd love to have a break, only a day would do me great.
Read More
Day10: "Food Looks Gray"
"Food Looks Gray" This week, a typhoon has hit Japan and my parents who are helping me here were worried about their home in Japan. When my parents made a phone call to my aunt in Japan, I had a chance to talk to her as she was concerned about my progress.
Read More
Day15: Chelsea
While I can move around in this precious short time in-between chemo therapies, I wanted to visit Chelsea area in NYC. There was my favorite tea store and having variety in teas might help me drinking more liquid after each chemo sessions. (Unfortunately, the store was not there any more.) I also wanted to give some tour to my parents from Japan who are helping us out during my treatments. Under our circumstances, they tend to stay home and I wanted to share what I find great about the city to them. We did not have the whole day to be there, but there was full of interesting things to see, High Line walk path and Chelsea Market. It is a nice opportunity to dress nice and feel good.
Read More
Day 19: Vegetarian Restaurant GOBO in NYC
2nd day of teaching for my the other Fashion Economics course today. I teach the same subject Mondays and Tuesdays, 2 sections with two different groups of students. (Japanese Translation is later 日本語は英語の後に記述あり。) I don't know how other professors are, but when I go to a class room on day 1, I get anxious to find out how I do with a new group of students. Each group can be really different. I started to notice my heart beat goes faster than usual. That made me wonder, if I was doing OK. (and I was OK.) One of a side effects of my chemo treatment that is explained to me was I might have some heart problems. I did not ask exactly what or how it was. Because there were so many side effects that I did not have a capacity to comprehend all details of how each side effects potentially do to me exactly. Just understanding the list of possible side effects. A baseline of my heart condition test has done before my first chemotherapy. I will do the test regular to make sure I don't develop anything serious. Knowing that I may have a heart problem, faster heart beating makes me worried if I am doing OK. This time, I knew the reason of my fast beat and I was hoping that it was a separate incident from the side effects. It happens many times especially on the first day of teaching. Nothing serious happened, no worries. A visit to a vegetarian restaurant; GOBO in NYC (http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm) After the teaching, I got together with a good friend of mine. She introduced me to this vegetarian restaurant. She knew I wanted to catch up with vitamins and minerals with vegetables and fruits. A vegetarian restaurant!? sure why not. I have never be interested in going to a vegetarian restaurant myself. But if is for the first time, during chemotherapy sessions will be an ideal time to dine. WOW, it opened my eyes! What a great surprise I had. "If that is for everyday, I can become a vegetarian!" Clean, sleek, modern, but warm and cozy inertia decorations. Presentations of meals look very attractive. AND of cause, the taste and WOW, the texture of vegetables, bravo. The menu had mixture of Asian and Italian. Gobo, the name of the restaurant, comes from a root vegetable called gobo in Japanese, but the food was not Japanese. Soy bean paste pate's texture was just like chicken nuggets. King Oyster Mushroom had light cuts on surface and it's texture was just like squid. Seitan -wheat gulten, seemingly a good source of protein- was like a piece of beef. So interesting! I was really content of what we had. She told me that there are other restaurants like this in the city. Interesting. No reason to avoid vegetarian restaurants any more, I am sure some of them are so satisfying for non-vegetarians, too. Vietnamese spring roll: Home pressed ginger ail with pomogranate Soybean with brown rice King Oyster Mushroom with vegitables Seitan, Kale and coconuts rice Passion fruit creme brulee and chocolate cake
Read More
Good Nutrition, When I Can
Balanced meals with lean protein and a lot of varieties of veggies and fruits are the good approach even during chemotherapy. Many breast cancer patients gain weight because patients become less active during chemotherapy, while they eat the same amount of calories as they used to have. Or it is also being said that patient's friends and families bring over food to help her out. (Japanese translation is at the bottom. 日本語は英語の後に記入してあります。) My tonight dinner was perfect for me, an ideal one and it is food that I grew up with (almost). Thanks to my parents who set some of them aside in freezer in advance. For some of these, all I had to was to defrost or heat up. 1. black bean rice (whole grain) 2. Tofu with Myoga (Japanese herb) 3. Eggplant from today's farmers market with Bonita fish flakes 4. Hijiki (seaweed) with Fried Tofu 5. Burdock with Sesame 6. Zucchini Pickles with Kombu Seaweed 7. Chicken Lever (for a source of iron) 8. Salted Salmon with Shiso Herb 9. Miso Soup with Wakame (another kind of seaweeds) and Radish 10. Fresh Corn from Farmers Market I know that was ideal meal during chemotherapy for me - I mean with the quality of nutrition- it did not have to be Japanese meal. However, most of the time, I could not prepare or have meals in this way. During 3 weeks of in-between chemo cycles, for about 2 weeks, either feeling sick to cook, or having completely no appetite and what ever served, I ate as I could. Food became low on my priority list. On top of this meal, today, I received a surprise delivery. More great nutrition source came in just in time before the next cycle, which I cannot eat much at all for another 1 week. A beautiful bouquet of fruits from my relative lives at a distance (so many thanks!). Just looking at this gave me some positive energy. It was so fresh and sweet. This is the very short period that I want to catch up with my vitamins and minerals for healing from chemo and especially for my pimples, and for preparing for the next chemo. It was a perfect timing for me. I was feeling good enough to enjoy eating. [physically] great. Minor nausea, very minor. I was very active, before my next cycle. Farmers market in the morning. I took my son and his friend to fishing in the afternoon. They setup a tent in the backyard for a sleep over in the tent. I was thrilled to see my son having so much fun and enjoying a little piece of summer 2014. [emotionally] Feeling great. As next Wednesday seems to me right there, I felt like no time to waste...
Read More