I resumed taking the chemo yesterday after a six-day break, the longest I've ever taken, though also the first in a year or so.  The point was to let my body "reboot," but after 2½ years of taking the Votrient daily, I'm not sure the level of toxic chemicals in my body could significantly decline.

The break certainly did help with the stomach problems.  My appetite improved, and with one unfortunate exception, rushing to the bathroom wasn't a frequent priority.  In addition to my reliance on sushi as a staple, I've added pad thai from a new restaurant that has take-out.  One order lasts me for three meals, and I don't get tired of it.  I realize that pad thai doesn't sound as if it would be easy on the stomach, but somehow it doesn't create problems.  Our friends Raylene and Doug brought over a baked pork chop, rice, and vegetable dish (and a pumpkin pie) that was good for three meals.  Poor Mohamed!  He doesn't know what he's missing.  I feel bad for him because he's so intent on making sure I eat as well as possible that his own eating patterns suffer.

On the other hand, the break didn't change the fatigue or the aches.  I can access my KU charts electronically, and the new thyroid medication brought the number down dramatically so that I'm now well within the normal range.  But it hasn't done anything to increase my energy.  Exactly three hours after taking the Votrient, I crash for at least an hour.  After a shower and lunch, I have another bout of fatigue--this one leading to at least two hours of sleep.  But now I've added a third crash at about 6:30--not as long, but just as sudden and demanding.

So, too, I still have pains in my back and right hip, the one with all the titanium.  (Whenever I hear Sia singing "Titanium," I assume she's singing to me.)  I take three Percocet a day, but they
don't really seem to help, though of course I don't know what the level of pain would be without the Percocet. 

Otherwise, fall is definitely here, and our yard is mostly covered with leaves.  The semester is winding down, though Mohamed still has two papers to write.  Kimber is obsessed with either a family of rabbits or a possum that's living under our back deck.  And I'm writing a blog entry after a week of silence.