Water, Water Everywhere...

After a few weeks of chemo, Smokey Joe was the last of my worries. I usually felt okay immediately after treatment, which was Monday through Wednesday, from 10am or so until 3 or 4. I'd feel a little tired, but not that bad in the grand scheme of things.

By Friday the side effects would start to kick in. Often it'd be mild discomfort in my stomach and a low grade fever. By Saturday I'd often feel bloated like I'd never felt before. Imagine that "full" feeling you get after stuffing yourself at Thanksgiving, but three times worse. I couldn't burp, fart or go to the bathroom to relieve the pressure. Just roll around in bed and wait for it to subside.

They'd told me to drink as much fluids, particularly water, as I could in order to help speed the chemo through my body. It was around this time that I discovered the most wonderful item sold in grocery stores: carbonated water. Words cannot describe how symphonic that first sip of sparkling water truly was. Canada Dry, you are forever in my heart. The carbonation worked wonders for the nausea and bloating, helping deflate me while the water did its thing.

There were two other elements I could not (and now cannot) live without: the constant availability of gum and Edy's Fruit Bars.

Chemo leaves an awful metallic taste in your mouth, and sugarfree gum -- I opt for Extra and would happily endorse it -- works wonders to mask it. Though the chemo taste never really leaves, some minty gum goes a long way toward minimizing that chalky, alkaline chemical flavor and taking your mind off it, even if it's only temporary.

As for the Edy's fruit bars, they're less sugary sweet than popsicles and have at least some nutritional value. There's something soothing and comforting about a popsicle, and the cool, somewhat gritty texture of the bars (they use real fruit in them, so some of the texture of strawberries, for example, is retained) helped to keep me hydrated and offered a slightly healthier option than a traditional popsicle.

These may seem like minor things, but when you're feeling like you've been beat up, pumped full of air and have a raging fever, a bottle of carbonated water and a popsicle are worth their weight in gold.