This week I focused on increasing my short runs from 5 miles to 6 miles. I had to keep my long run at 10 miles in order to adhere to the 10% rule by not increasing my weekly total by more than 10% (of the week prior to my rest week). This next week I’ll keep my short runs the same and increase my long run to 14 miles.

In my running I still haven’t felt the side effects of chemo. I’m starting to believe that my running (and nutritional diet) is counteracting the damaging effects of chemo that lead to fatigue. The one side effect I am having a problem with is low white blood count (WBC). I don’t feel anything from this, but a low WBC puts me at risk of infection. After my second chemo treatment I had a shot of Neulasta to help with my WBC. However my blood test a week after my chemo treatment showed a low WBC. For now I keep my self somewhat isolated in my home. Hopefully my WBC will rise enough so I can have my third chemo treatment without delay.

The other side effect I have is an upset stomach. Not nausea, but heartburn and gas. I think I found the culprit to that – apples. I had been eating two or three apples a day. I finally noticed that I would get the worse stomach pains after eating an apple. Since I’ve stop eating apples, no stomach problems. Unfortunately, apples are very good for you and have been found to be good cancer fighters. Does anyone out there know of a good fruit substitute for apples that don’t upset the stomach? Please - no exotic fruits that taste like something my dog barfed up.

Chemo-Man