Weight gain

I ended up, through chemo and Depakote, gaining weight up to 187 pounds. After my chemo was over, they put me on a diaretic, and I'm back down to about 169. I also changed meds to Kepra. I've been on Kepra for a month with no noticable side effects. All together, I gained about 26 pounds, and have lost all but 8.

Other Health Issues

Well, apparently I get the opportunity to see how chemotherapy interacts with my seizure meds. Lucky me. I have noticed one big interaction: Weight gain. I've gained about 10 more pounds (making me 171) since I started this. I vaguely remember a year ago being 154. I think it sucks that the only way to deal with seizures is to put on extra pounds because of the meds designed to stop the seizures.

So, to expound on the chemo part, I've been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. I had it 6 years ago, and now it's back in my lung and spine. But, as to the epilepsy, it hasn't caused a seizure yet. On the first treatment, I did get 3 migraines in a row, but that was due to the fact that the treatment put me in bed and I was inconsistent with taking my Depakote. I'm surprised I didn't have a seizure. I think I missed at least one dose a day, sometimes 2.

I'm to the point now (after 2 treatments) that I'm not too bad the last week before the next one (which is now). I don't get tired until about 3PM. So I'll be doing a lot of crockpot cooking!

More thoughts on weight

I hate to obsess over weight, but I really don't want to climb back up to where I was before. Now before everyone starts in on a size 8 isn't fat, let me explain my past. I've always been small. When I was 20 and joined the Navy, I wore a size 3. Possibly should have gotten out of the Jr. department and into a 2-4, but anyway. By the time my first child rolled around, I was a size 8-10. I felt good there. After my first child, I got up to almost a 14, and started feeling a bit depressed. I worked my butt off (literally) lifting weights. I only lost 20 pounds, but went down to a size 6. I stayed around a 6-8 for quite a while. Right before the diagnosed me with a seizure disorder, I had gotten up to almost a 14 again. I guess I ate my frustration with my in-laws. They put me on Topamax, and the weight dropped off, and I almost got down to a size 4. My husband and I agreed that was too thin. But when I moved out of the in-laws house, I got up to a size 6. I was very comfortable there.

Originally, my doctor didn't really want me below an 8, because of starting at a 12. But he agreed that the 6 looked good. Now I'm fully into an 8 (a vintage 10 in jeans if there's no stretch). I don't mind the size, but I don't like the belly.

Fortunately, my doctor told me at the last visit that if I kept gaining weight, he'd change the meds. I've put on at least 10 pounds total. I know that's not too bad, but I don't want anymore. It doesn't seem to matter if I exercise or not, I stay right where I'm at.

I got a blender that crushes ice, so I'll be making more smoothies, maybe even vegetable ones. We'll have to see how it does on carrots. Drinking carrot juice is one other way I lost weight.

I've had no side effects from the Depakote besides weight gain and thinning hair. Sometimes if I take my evening pill to far after dinner, I get a little heartburn, but it's not bad. I can drink sodas again, even though we don't very often. If I go out, I can get a Coke again, YEA! I've missed a pill (once a day) 4 times in one week, and not had any problems. I'm going to mention it to the doctor and see if we can lower it. I don't know if 500mg is too low of a dose. I'll have to look that up.

I got to talk to my sister-in-law's husband, who just got diagnosed with epilepsy as well. He told me what he was on, but I never heard of it. His seizure was probably chemically related. But then I talked to my sister-in-law, and he's still having problems that he doesn't want her to mention to the doctor. She asked me if I ever said things that made no sense, or saw weird things. I said mine simple partial seizures usually involved hearing, mood changes, seeing, and being really confused. I forgot to tell her about the jais ma vu (however you spell that). That's the opposite of deja vu, where everything should look familiar, but you don't recognize it. I got that a lot before I was diagnosed...thought I was losing my mind. I'd have to read the road sign and just go on faith that it would take me home because it was the right road but nothing looked familiar. Once, when my husband was driving I thought a construction trailer jumped out in front of us...until I blinked. I even did the quick draw in a breath, like he was going to hit it.

So, I think my brother-in-law is in a bit of denial. He's afraid that a car accident he had when he was young may contribute, and this won't be an isolated event.

Weight Journal

Well, it's my second month on Depakote. I've gained about 7 pounds so far. I tried to diet, using the Richard Simmons Deal a Meal. The first day I realized I don't eat 1200 calories a day all the time. So I tried harder the next day and made it, but the next day I went over. Not TECHNICALLY, but I didn't measure, so I got larger portions than the card called for, which is the same thing as going over. I don't know what the line is for gaining "too much weight," which my neurologist said he would put me on something else if I gained too much.

I don't want to change meds again, but I don't want to go out and buy all new clothes, either. We'll see.

Well, this is going to be a short post, it being Thanksgiving Weekend. I hope everyone had a good Turkey Day. I know there are a lot of things I'm thankful for.

Does Diet effect meds?

I used to be a vegan. Not for political reasons. I'm actually a conservative. Now all the liberals are screaming, "How can that be?" I'm a conservative who recycles, makes my own compost, was at one time totally vegan with 75-85% of my diet raw. I fell off that diet (the Hallelujah Acres diet) when I got cancer. Not BECAUSE I got cancer, but because the church was bringing us food, and it was hard to tell them, only bring salads and maybe twice baked potatoes. How do you look a gift horse in the mouth like that? And then I ended up with Celiac disease, and it was really hard to feed me. And then my kids ended up with it. Actually, my oldest already had it, so it was don't send over any noodles, David can't eat them. We had to have a noodle dish ready in case they sent a casserole with cream of mushroom soup in it. You can't expect strangers to understand this diet. It's complicated, and they don't deal with it on a daily basis. We were thankful to not have to prepare a meal with me in a weakened condition. So we fell off the diet.

Eating vegan is more expensive IF you try to eat like you used to eat. If you get the vegan cheese, vegan this and that. Cutting everything out and just not substituting is hard, too, because then you go out and have salad. As a Christian, we also felt that it was "before the flood" thinking. We evolved on to later in the Bible. There was a book called Body by God, and I can't remember the author right this minute, and I'm sorry, I can't put my hands on my copy of his book. I'm thinking about starting his diet. I read about it, but never actually put it in practice. I'll have to find the book to refresh my memory, but it was based on much smaller portions of meat, and only a couple times a week. And it was all about WHEN you ate certain things. I remember you get up and eat fruit and carbs. Never combine carbs and meat. You don't need fruit or carbs at night. You don't really need meat in the morning meal. Lots of real juice. Juiced vegetables would be OK, too, I guess. Lots of veggies. Doesn't really matter if it was cooked or raw, but I believe he said as close to the natural state as possible, which would be fresh. But a vegetable casserole is better than meat. It was all in how you combined and when you ate it.

I'm also going to start juicing carrots again. That was a big thing that kept me regular (sorry for the graphic). I've noticed that Depakote makes me a little "Big C." Maybe that's why you gain weight...it just doesn't come out! I used to run the carrots through a Champion juicer and get only juice. But I don't like to clean the thing. I want a Vitamix, but the one I bought with my mother in law, she kept when we moved out. Didn't even pay me for my half. It's like she got it in the divorce. It was a really bad move-out. Right now, I'll have to settle for a regular to make my smoothies.

We did just refinance our house, and I'm going to put the amount we don't have to pay on a mortgage this month for a Vitamix. My health is more important than a new computer when this one works. I think my sister-in-law is working on her, because she doesn't even use it, just didn't want me to have it. She grinds nuts with it, that's all.

But I don't drink just carrots anymore. Today I put in 1 small tomato, 1 stalk of celery, 1 tomatillo (happened to have a couple left), 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 banana, a small hand full of spinach and a carrot. And then a glass of filtered water. I also put a squirt of lemon juice, a sprinkle of basil and a dash of salt. It's not bad. It's a little chunkier than a Vitamix, which would get it really smooth, but it's drinkable. Sometimes I put ice cubes, already crushed by the refrigerator, and then hit liquefy. That makes it cooler.

Maybe this will keep the weight off. I'll keep this blog posted. Remember, exercise keeps your mood up.

Lori Ann Smith

Depakote side effects

Well, I'm not too happy with Depakote. I have to be up and at em at 5:30 AM, and that's not possible with Depakote. I'm wobbly on my feet, and my wrists are weak which makes it difficult (all 3 side effects) to get my child to school on time. My morning consists of getting up at 5:30 in order to make my husband coffee, and then getting my son up at 5:50. I don't think sleeping in until 5:50 would make that big of a difference. My hands feel like they're gong to slip off the steering wheel when I make a turn. I have to come home and take a nap, which makes it difficult to parent my OTHER child. He's a 20 year old Down syndrome adult. Admittedly, he doesn't need a lot of parenting, but he needs a little. I find it difficult to type when my wrists jerk around.

I'm going to try to take my 3rd dose at 3:00 pm, instead of supper time and see if that eliminates the nightly migraine. My neurologist has prescribed Maxalt for when I do get a migraine. In the mean time, because we refinanced and were able to add $126 a month to our budget, we're going to absorb it into the groceries. We're going to eat better, more vegetables. I'm going grocery shopping today. I used to be on a vegan diet. I'm not going vegan again, it' just too difficult in today's society, but I am going to cut back on the meat. We're going to only have a meat mean 3 times a weak, cut back on dairy, add more rice dishes, etc. I'll keep this blog informed.

Lori Ann Smith

Complex Migraines

I'm learning more and more about complex migranes. I'm learning there isn't a lot of difference between migraines, seizures and strokes. I want to know how a neurologist knows whether one is having a seizure or a complex migraine. I've been told that if it lasts longer than a few seconds (up to 30 seconds), it must be a complex migraine, because it would be life threatening. So? What if it were? Is my life at risk, should I get to the hospital? Am I qualified to know the difference? If I've always had migraines in the past, and suddenly I have a seizure that lasts an hour, I'd be dead because I assumed it was a migraine again. The symptoms are the same.

Here were my symptoms: I had a fight with my mother-in-law, but by proxy. She yelled at our realtor and refused to lower the price of the house we're trying to sell. Says if she waits a couple years, she can get out of it what she put in it. My realtor tried to tell her, if she does that, the house she could get now for $75,000 will cost her $100,000. It's a push-pull. So, my husband was going to go and confront his mother and give her an ultimatum. I knew he would cave, but he was supposed to tell her either lower the price $5,000 or take over our payments and get our name off the house and do what ever you want with it. So, I get flashy lights, then I lost about half my hearing. For about 10 seconds my left arm went tingly. Several times I had my wrists spasm. My legs also went weak. And I got extremely sleepy. I am wiped out today. This was on top of having the almost same thing happen the day before yesterday. I only had the partial deafness then and pain in my head.

The first day lasted at least 5 hours, at which time I fell asleep. The second one lasted about that long, and I had to go to bed early, still going to bed with the symptoms. I took a Maxalt, for the migrain, left over from 2006. I'm calling my neurologist today to find out what he wants to do. I can't survive having thse 5 hour complex migraines every day.

Lori Ann Smith