Turtles All the Way Down: A 100% Spoiler Free Review

October 15, 2017October 15, 2017 Emily SuessLeave a comment

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I used to work for John Green.

I blurt that periodically. Like, every time he publishes a new book. Maybe because I’m an ordinary person with no claim to fame of my own, I dunno. I do know that at one point he was my boss. The last time I put that tidbit on a resume, one of my interviewers was like “no way!” and I was like “way.”

I got that job, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the only reason why. Pretty sure.

Anyway, if you’ve never been here before or you just haven’t had the chance to keep up with my blog for the last eight months, you should know I have a brain tumor. I promise it’s relevant to my review of Green’s Turtles All the Way Down, but it’s going to look like it’s not for just a minute or two.

***

chemo thrombocytopenia — @EmilySuess on Twitter

Last night I asked Twitter what those tiny purplish dots on the pads of my fingers might be. When I first noticed them, I thought they were ink. (From what, exactly, I didn’t know; I hadn’t picked up a writing utensil in several weeks.) So I tried to wash them off without any luck.

However, with the help of the wonderful @mumsintheattic, I settled on them being chemo-induced thrombocytopenia.

Basically my blood quality sucks because of chemotherapy, and—voila!—microbruises. Turns out they’re kind of painful. The pain sensation is something akin to the prick you feel having your blood sugar tested. Only it’s hundreds of tiny locations, on all my fingers, and the pain lingers for hours instead of seconds.

I got thrombocytopenia from reading Turtles All the Way Down, because the weight of the hardcover on my hands was too much for my clot-challenged blood. So my finger tips bruised.

Suddenly Natasha Bedingfield just seems kind of, well, whiny. Am I right?

***

February 9, 2017 was the day Dr. Beaumont cut my head open. And though I’m certain he didn’t mean to, his knife work tweaked some already overzealous muscles in my head, neck, and shoulders. (The muscles seem to be terribly afraid that if they don’t wrench and clench twenty-four-seven, my head might actually fall off my body.)

Said muscles are so constantly worked up that they pinch a nerve, and the nerve invariably sends a signal back to the constricted muscles: WRENCH AND CLENCH HARDER. If there’s such a thing as neck sciatica, I have it.

This pain is exacerbated when I hold things like my cell phone or, say, a hardcover copy of Turtles All the Way Down. So at the end of every chapter (God bless authors who write short chapters) I’d put the book down and take a couple of deep breaths. Then I’d pick it back up despite myself and wince.

***

This is where the 100% spoiler free review comes in.

The fact that I read this book in less than 24 hours while causing myself more pain (more as in more than chronic pain) is a testament to how great it is. I particularly recommend it to my Spoonie friends. (Have a tissue when you get to page 89.)

If you’re thinking about buying it, do. You can use my Amazon affiliate link, and I’ll make a few cents. Which I will probably use to buy more books that cause me pain.

Turtles All the Way Down

Brain Tumor

Anemic Cheese Would Be an Awesome Band Name

October 11, 2017 Emily Suess1 Comment

It would. I’m just saying.

***

macaroni and cheese — Shirt from BumpCovers on Etsy.

Every time I think I’ve hit Fatigue Level: Ultimate™, my body surprises me. And the fatigue gets worse.

Fatigue is hard to describe and even harder for those who don’t experience it to understand.

I remember when I was a non-runner, pretending to be a runner and training for 5Ks. I’d jog for 20 minutes without walking, bend over with my hands on my knees, and huff and puff for a few seconds and think that was fatigue.

But after a minute or two I’d catch my breath and be pretty much recovered. I could climb in my Corolla and drive myself home from the park. I could make dinner, do some laundry, write a blog post or two, go to bed, and then get up, shower, and work an eight-hour day. Repeat three or four times a week.

Not now, baby.

Right now, fatigue for me is:

Praying I can make it to the bed without fainting after a shower
Being unable to even ask Dan to grab my laptop for me, talking is too much work
Sleeping 12 hours at night and needing a nap midday
Getting winded walking from the living room to the bathroom
Having to sit on my rollator while waiting on the electric kettle

You know, it’s funny (in a non-humorous kind of way). I remember how excited I was to be able to stand the entire time I brushed my teeth in February. I was in the hospital awaiting tests and, ultimately, brain surgery. The doctors had just given me something like 10 mg of dexamethasone, and I felt invincible.

“I feel amazing,” I told the doc who would later slice my head open. “My sinuses are even clear.” I inhaled really deeply. “I didn’t need help with my shower. I DIDN’T HAVE TO LEAN ON THE COUNTER WHILE I BRUSHED MY TEETH THIS MORNING.”

He laughed at me, but not cruelly.

Well, now I’m back to leaning on the bathroom counter while I brush my teeth. I can’t stand upright for even two minutes. I’m frankly a little scared that I’m going to revert to pre-surgery disability and spend the rest of my life there.

But it doesn’t really help to worry about that yet, I know.

***

There are lots of things contributing to my fatigue. First of all, I’m fat. At 238 pounds, I am asking more of my muscles than I ever have in my life. I put on about 60 of those pounds in about 6 months. So I didn’t build up any gradual strength to support my own weight, like I might have if it’d taken me a year or two.

To reduce my weight, I’m weaning off the dexamethasone, but that leaves me extremely tired and achy. My weight is dropping, but oh so slowly. It’s so unfair. I’m trying to lose the pounds without the ability to exercise. How is that going to result in anything but failure?

And then there’s chemotherapy. Fucking chemo.

Last night I got my lab results from this week’s blood work. There’s nothing too scary in the numbers, but I continue to see a decline in all things red blood cell related. Basically, the shit’s making me anemic, on top of my already significant list of woes.

Anemia and fatigue go together like macaroni and cheese.

And I have at least 8 more rounds to go.

Brain Tumor

Very Little Happening Over Here

September 30, 2017September 30, 2017 Emily Suess1 Comment

garage sale Last week my parents were here to help us clean and organize.

That’s because I came home after completing daily radiation therapy in April, and there were still things I hadn’t found a place for. My home office was the catch-all for anything I couldn’t deal with—meaning the floor was entirely covered with laundry baskets full of clothes, books, gifts, papers, and furniture.

Sure, it was annoying walking by that room and seeing the chaos, but it was also a hazard. I don’t exactly get around well on my feet when there aren’t a billion obstacles in my way.

Anyway, my parents (a.k.a. the best parents in the world) helped us clean, mow, fix my Kitchen Aid mixer, and more—all while my mom is dealing with her own sidelining medical problems.

In October, the plan is to have a garage sale as a way to finish de-cluttering and fund-raise for ourselves. If you’re in the area and want to see what we’ve got for sale, watch my Facebook page for an announcement. If you’re not in the area but want to help, you can contribute to my YouCaring campaign or buy from our Amazon wishlist (items automatically ship to our address when you buy).

***

It’s been so long since I’ve posted here. I feel like I should give a health update. Truth is, there’s not much to tell. I spend a lot of time sleeping. The first week after a chemo treatment, I’m exhausted and tired.

But there’s also the issue of my tapering off of dexamethasone again. I’m down to one half-milligram dose daily. It makes me so lethargic and all of my muscles are achy and sore. Not just major muscle groups like quads and hamstrings and biceps and triceps, but the muscles in my cheeks and hands and toes.

My oncologist says I’m on such a low dose of dex that he doesn’t see how it can be affecting me so dramatically. This is the story of my life, people. Medicines that barely affect most patients will potentially melt me from the inside out. It’s a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, if I take a half dose of Benadryl, I will sleep for a week. On the other hand, medical cannabis works so well on me that I only have to visit the dispensary every six weeks or so.

Anyway, coming off of the steroid is not fun, but I am more confident that I will actually be able to quit taking the dexamethasone entirely in a few more weeks. That will hopefully lead to much needed weight loss and help me scratch steroid-induced diabetes off my list of things to worry about.

Brain Tumor

Gleostine Round 2: Part 1

September 14, 2017 Emily Suess1 Comment

Feeling pretty whiny today. Lots of things I’d like to rant about for this round of chemo, but too tired to articulate my complaints. Ten more of these, each six weeks apart… I feel like I’ll be doing this forever.

Brain Tumor

Here’s What’s Happening

September 8, 2017 Emily Suess2 Comments

I had follow-up appointments with all of my brain tumor doctors earlier this week at Siteman Cancer Center. Posting a bare-bones update so I can keep people informed but not expend too much energy.

I’m tired, guys.

Neurosurgeon:

I got an all-clear as far as recovery from February’s brain biospy. I’m still frustrated with my progress, because I want to be perfect. But doctor is very happy with my progress and says I don’t have to go back to him unless something comes up. As a part of my medical team, he will continue to monitor my periodic MRIs.

Neuro-oncologist:

The second dose of chemo (gleostine) will be higher than the first. Since I had the allergy to Temodar, he didn’t want to start me off with too high a dose of the new chemo and cause me additional problems. Things went well and my blood counts were decent, so my next round will be higher. I have the pills in-hand, but don’t plan to take them until Monday.

He’s given me the go-ahead to try tapering off of dexamethasone again with some flexibility to do the taper however my body can handle it. His only admonition was to go back on it immediately if I had any problems. No worries there. I’m not keen on ER visits.

I asked him about getting my flu shot this year, and he gave me his blessing with a caveat: get the shot on week 5 of my chemo cycle when my counts are the highest and my body is at its toughest.

*** Special Request: If you’re able, get your flu shot. Yes, even if you feel like you don’t need it. You are helping to protect people like me with compromised immune systems stay as healthy as possible. ***

Radiation Oncologist:

He only needs to see me every other MRI, assuming my scans continue to look good.

Brain Tumor

Cooking with a Brain Tumor: Giant Zucchini Edition

August 23, 2017August 23, 2017 Emily Suess1 Comment

This is tonight’s dinner, made by yours truly with the ginormous zucchini Dan yanked from the garden the other day. It took a long time for me to get these things done—and Dan handled everything that required knife skills or a food processor—but I feel so stinking alive making food for us.

The recipes, if you’re interested:

Summer Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder

and

Zucchini, Cheddar Cheese, Chive & Buttermilk Quick Bread