Back when I was in college, we had a poster on the wall of our dorm room that said, “How can a man live knowing that he is not heeded?” Or words to that effect; college was a long time ago.
Everyone likes to be understood, which is why I took so quickly to Covey’s 7 Habits. They included the habit defined in my title; “Seek first to understand then to be understood.” So, I knew what I had to do first. :-)
In one of her recent comments, Sunni convinced me that she understood about one of the side effects of chemotherapy; lack of taste.
One of my nurses said that a patient had told her that eating anything while on chemo was comparable to eating a box of Kleenex. While never having eaten a box of Kleenex myself personally, I could immediately see the person’s point. I understood, trust me!
I’ve had two, count ‘em two, toasted Velveeta cheese sandwiches today, along with a fried egg. Without too much pain to bother me! I’d rather eat and suffer a little than not eat at all, I guess. But the taste just wasn’t there. It wasn’t Kleenex time, but it certainly wasn’t the bright vibrant taste of Velveeta and butter, either.
I haven’t always had the pain with eating. That was what got me into the doctor in the first place. My usual problem was either what Sunni described her mother went through; the varying degrees of the lack of taste, and the lack of appetite. During one of my lack of taste episodes I developed a dish that got me through quite a few meals that I might have otherwise passed on. I told one of my nutritionists about it and that I’d have to post it so that others might read about it and try it for themselves. So here it is. I call it my:
Cheesy Cream of Chicken Raman Noodle Egg Drop Soup!
Start with a package of Chicken Raman Noodles and prepare it according to the package.
Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of chicken bullion granules for MORE FLAVOR.
Add a dash of Garlic pepper, again it adds flavor.
Add a teaspoon of dried cilantro to help get rid of toxins that shrinking fat cells will loose into your system. No taste gain but big benefits anyway.
Add one can of chunky chicken (similar to a can of tuna). If you want/need more flavor add the liquid and all, otherwise drain the can, and just use the chicken.
Add one egg and stir into liquid.
Add two slices of Velveeta cheese and stir. It makes the “cream” and the “cheese” of the name come true.
It makes about two cups of “soup” and contains probably half the protein and calories one needs per day during chemo. The nutritionist liked it!
And, this soup has a lot of flavor! The only thing that I didn’t add was chili peppers of some sort. :- D
I don’t know if I could eat it now. They tell you not to eat your favorite foods during chemo, because you will come to hate them for their “lack of taste.” I’ve eaten out at McDonald’s, some of the things I used to eat before, and can’t believe that I actually used to eat food that tasted so bad.
So, you can’t trust my taste buds just now. Maybe next year.
Robin, the Hampster Dance just came on the MP3 player. Do the kids still like it? Or are you all burned out on it? :-)
The next song was Bonnie Raitt’s No Way to Treat a Lady! LOL The Hampster Dance wasn’t THAT bad.
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I’ve made a few changes to the blog. I replaced the Esophageal Cancer ribbon that I had found on line with one that Nettie had put together. See, she has more talents than just quilting!
I’ve also started to add links to sites that I like. I had asked the kids to remind me years ago and they forgot. OK, maybe not years, but at least months!
Anyway, look for those out on the left side.
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I was out trying to shovel snow earlier, but was so-o-o-o tired. Dug out the blower to get rid of most of the snow. So I slept this afternoon, but I’m still not as mentally sharp as I’d like. Can you tell?
And tomorrow is another round of chemo. Wish me luck!
Kunolunkwa!
"As a juror, I will exercise my 1000-year-old duty to arrive at a verdict, not just on the basis of the facts of a particular case, or instructions I am given, but through my power to reason, my knowledge of the Bill of Rights, and my individual conscience. When needful, I will judge the law itself." -L. Neil Smith
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