HEARTBURN

November 8, 2009 Sunday

We all suffer from heartburn at one time or another. The spicy buffalo wings on Game Night, or too much pepperoni pizza out with the gang, we all have felt the burn. Usually the burn is the end result of too much fun, too much food, too much drink, but when the heartburn comes from Chemo, it just plain sucks. We take Tums, Rolaids, Baking Soda, Alka-Seltzer, Pepcid, Prilosec, the list goes on and on. They all pretty much work for the normal garden variety heartburn. For Chemo heartburn... not so good! You don't have to eat or drink anything too offensive; just eat or drink. The burn is not so much a burn but a sour feeling, full of gas that bubbles up in burning spurts. Peppermint chewing gum works for a bit, but how much gum can a person chew in one day? So it seems unfair that the mildest thing, such as Oatmeal, can cause such upset all day long. so a Chemo patient nibbles on things, bread, crackers, protein, WATER!!! But still the sour lingers, the pickling of the liver and gall bladder, I suppose. NO tomatoes, NO orange juice, NO spice of any kind! No Ketchup, No Mustard, No Vinegar, No FLAVOR!!! And make no mistake about it, Black Pepper is NOT your friend and should be avoided at all cost.

Such is my day. Full of sour burn. Tired of burning my throat with chemo acid. Tired, just tired from the the chemo, the drugs. It's the Sunday after Chemo, never a good day. I didn't sleep well, yet I had a hard time waking up. Once up, I kept lagging into that half there daze. Ed and I went over to Kung Fu with Ian, and that was so great to see Seymour and Burt and the kids. We ducked into our local Starbucks for tea and my nibble (hard-boiled egg and bagel kit) and lo and behold ran into a dear friend. So we hugged and chatted, caught up and then Ian finished class, we sat a while longer, and returned home to get Ian ready for Ballroom class. By then the sour heartburn set in for the rest of the day, not to be relieved. So I rested, propped up, as any good chemo patient will tell you, and drank my water, ate my Pepcid (doesn't work, don't know WHY I waste the money) and then met Ian later to buy him a pair of new sneakers since the Converse he owns are taped to his feet. With new sneakers in tow, a trip to Whole Foods, a bag full of greens, beets, ginger root, and carrots, Ed and I head home to try yet another "remedy". Juicing.

Juicing is great! I own a juicer, and the fresh taste can't be beat. The mixture of apple, beet, carrot, Chard, and ginger root is so refreshing, that I wonder why we dropped doing it at all. But even though the juice is excellent, and I thoroughly enjoy it, the sour burn remains. Dinner doesn't sound good, because it matters little what I put on my tongue, it will be sour in the end. Juicing I will continue, because I know it is good for me. Fresh ingredients, right there, at the ready. As for the heartburn, just a Damn nuisance. Any ideas??? Please don't hesitate to let me know. I'll try anything at least once and give it a try if it will cut the burn, the sour, the irritation of my esophagus.

Nite!

Light and Love!

Melissa