What Does Mom Want for Dinner Tonight?

Hello Friends and Welcome.

Every day in our house a game is played. Sometimes we play it in the morning, sometimes we play it in the afternoon but usually the game is played late in the afternoon. Whoever is home at the time takes part in it.....as you probably have guessed I play it every day because I am usually home now. The game is called "What sounds good to mom for dinner?" 

When a person in undergoing chemotherapy the simple job of eating and drinking become more of a difficult task for a number of different reasons. For me it is because while the chemotherapy is killing off the cancer cells it is also killing off the good cells, some of which help me to want to eat and drink. The first few days are the worst but it usually takes me about a week and a half  after treatment to really want to eat. Sometimes a person finds they can only eat a few things and therefore eat the same things over and over again. My taste is really off....so the things I once loved like chocolate....No way....doesn't taste the same....water....nope,not that either....it tastes terrible....sighs....So therefore I must become creative and find new things to eat and drink.

I have been talking to others who have undergone this treatment and one person lived on ice cream for a week! I can go for that....grins....

One person lived on peanut butter toast and peanut butter cups for a while. Not a bad idea....winks

What about me you might ask? Well let me tell you... it happened like this........

One night we were all at home and playing our "game." Everyone had great ideas....pasta, soup, chicken, you name it is was suggested. It all sounded good to everyone else but there was no way it sounded good to me. I was trying, really I was and I knew my family was concerned because I have to eat to get through this and I also have to have protein.....Scott, bless his heart, said " Jenny, just think for a minute and see if anything sounds good" so I did and all of a sudden I had to have an In and Out hamburger. I had to have it RIGHT NOW! The look of shock crossed my family's faces and before I could change my mind Scott and Andrew were out the door, in the car, and heading for the drive through! They were home in record time with 4 hamburgers (one for each of us) and we all sat down to eat and before they knew what happened my hamburger was GONE....absolutely gone! Little did we know that that was only the beginning.....the only meat I could eat was in an In and Out hamburger! I was worried....I was scared....this is NOT Jenny! Jenny loves to cook and has made dinner for this family for as long as we have been married (31 years if you are asking...grins...). Even though I cannot cook right now Scott and the kids have stepped up to the plate...no pun intended... and make wonderful meals.....healthy meals filled with everything I need and then some. AND I WANT FAST FOOD! What has happened to me? On my next visit to my oncologist he asked how I was eating and I told him what was happening. He burst out laughing as did his nurse by the way and assured me I was fine and told me to eat whatever I could eat...JUST EAT! This is the only time he will ever tell me that so I better take him up on it now! So I did and then I had my second round of chemotherapy and started all over again only this time instead of In and Out all I want are shredded beef tacos! Really? Is this happening again? I know it is the chemicals in my body that are making me react this way and everyone has assured me that when Chemo is finished I will go back to my regular way of eating but honestly! 

So tonight the game began again...."What sounds good to mom for dinner tonight?" I know everyone expected me to say " You fix whatever sounds good to you guys, I'll just have a taco." Right? No way....tonight I wanted a family favorite, a home cooked meal....rice meatballs! It is good to know that I can still make them laugh, that we can still find humor among all this craziness, that we still are a family and we can find the joy of just cooking dinner together and spending time together in simple ways. We are fighting this battle together and I am forever grateful!

~Jenny~