Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Lovebug Probiotics and Stage IV Cancer

Phew! It's been a while. I've been really self absorbed with the whole stage IV colon cancer diagnosis. For those who do not know, stage IV used to be called "terminal cancer." Because, you know, that's not scary at all. Now it's known as "Incurable but Treatable." And prognoses are much better than they once were.

Still, I'm 37. And I call bullshit. Get your aim better, cancer, and target the assholes in the world who abuse animals and children instead, okay?

So, yeah, stage IV. I've been in chemo treatment for eight months. And let me tell you...chemo has some nasty side effects. Much better than when my grandmother was going through it in the 70s, but still not so fun.

I'm also a newly diagnosed diabetic. So diabetes plus chemo is a side effect hell. I need the chemo, but it's delivered in dextrose. That's sugar. So guess whose sugars skyrocket? And I'm on an antibiotic to assist with the Vectibix, acne-like chemo rash that was so incredibly painful til I was on the antibiotic that I cringed when there was a breeze. And those skyrocketing sugars and antibiotics led to feminine itchies and yeast infections.

Glorious glorious day.

So I did a little research. And decided I had to go on a probiotic. I spoke with my primary care physician who told me not to wait. I saw a post on instagram from Lovebug Probiotics and said, "I can't wait to order. Chemo has messed me up so badly." They said, "Sorry to hear that, send me your address and I'll send you a sample."



And THEN I got another email reminding me that hey...I know that CEO! Turns out she is an old friend from high school! And she sent me one of each to try, not for a blog post. I don't think she even knows I have a blog. But just as an old friend trying to help out a friend in need.

Holy crap. So.

Today, I'm here to tell you about YEAST IS A BEAST from Lovebug Probiotics. Why? Because that's the one I'm taking.

So with the chemo I'm on, everyone tends to get diarrhea. Not me. I get horrible constipation. Like, I am going to pass out from the pain and strain constipation. Did I mention how bad this is? I'm missing a large chunk of colon thanks to my sigmoid colectomy to remove the plum sized tumor I had, infected lymph nodes, and some of the healthy tissue, too. Strain is no good for me. I'm on stool softeners. I took laxatives. It just wasn't working. And every chemo session it was getting worse and worse.

Plus the feminine itchies. Damn those itchies that just will NOT go away. So, enter YEAST IS A BEAST.

Two weeks later: I'm able to poop without strain. My new normal isn't normal, but this is fabulous. Itchies? Gone.

The best part? I haven't changed my diet at all, but my blood glucose levels? They're leveling out and LOWERING. The past five days have been amazing and I've done nothing different in my diet other than these probiotics.

Before I got sick, I probably would have pooh-poohed (hah...see what I did there?) probiotics. "Meh, just another way for someone to make money." I would've ignored the science. I would've been an idiot.

I'm so glad that I researched it. I'm so glad that my friend gifted me the above. I'm going to slide right into the next one with cold season  coming up and me being immuno-compromised, but I'm also gonna make sure to keep a good, constant supply of Yeast is a Beast and the Here's the Skinny for myself and get my mother on it.

Thanks, Lovebug Probiotics, and thanks to you, too, Curry. My gut thanks you immensely!

If you're interested in getting in on these amazing probiotics that are formulated to get through your stomach and to where you need it most, click on any of the links that say Lovebug Probiotics or on the picture above. It'll whisk you to their website!


Sunday, June 21, 2015

{Review} Dove Deodorant



So when one goes through FOLFOX chemo treatments for one's stage IV colon cancer, one develops lots of interesting problems. One of these problems is extreme dry skin.

Okay, you busted me. I'm the "one" mentioned above. And yeah extreme dry skin. EVERYWHERE. There's something called hand-foot syndrome which causes such severe dry skin that your hands and feet peel and peel and peel. It causes redness, swelling, and pain, plus that flaking. So much fun. I've been keeping mine at bay with an extreme moisturizing approach.

But my armpits. I've never thought about my armpits before. Until they split and I had these horrible split cuts underneath my arms. I couldn't use deodorant for two weeks and I thought for sure I'd be smelly and stinky. Thankfully, I wasn't. I freshened up during the day, I used neosporin and desitin, and protected those slices pretty well.

But it got me to thinking how to best moisturize my underarms.

Hello! *facepalm* DOVE. Dove's deodorants/anti-perspirants are full of moisturizers! Now, I was a bit disappointed as I have been avoiding anti-perspirants for a while. Sweating is healthy. Smelling is gross. And I've been using men's deodorants for a while instead (Old Spice. They have some great scents that aren't too masculine, but they are apparently very drying).

So I switched to Dove for the last four weeks. I'm using the two above. Why? Because I didn't know the difference and decided to get both.

The difference is amazing. My underarms are no longer dark, they no longer itch, they are no longer flaky, and they no longer feel like they are going to split at any minute.

My skin there looks healthier. So much healthier. In fact, I had no idea that they were unhealthy until their new repaired look and feel.

Verdict: Switch to Dove. Seriously. It's good for you. And it doesn't make your clothes stinky. And your underarms will feel and look amazing!

P.S. I purchased these. They were not offered to me for free or anything like that. I just wanted to tell you that I think they rock.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

IPSY GLAM BAG - Oscar Blandi Mousse - Review

I broke down and signed up for the monthly subscription with Ipsy. The Ipsy Glam bag. For the amazing price of $10/month (free shipping!) you get a cute zip bag, one full size product, and a bunch of deluxe samples.

My mom snagged my bag, so I'm just gonna talk about the one full sized product I received for the May bag. (And plan on getting my mom a subscription of her own!)


I got the Hair Lift by Oscar Blandi. It's a thickening and strengthening mousse that promises to plump and lift your hair.

I've never heard of Oscar Blandi.

Until now.

And THANK YOU, OSCAR BLANDI! My hair has become thinner as I've gotten older, but nothing wrecks it like chemo. So far, I've not lost any hair, but it's definitely thinning. And limp. And just...sad.

This mousse is great! A half-palm amount spread through my hair, heated up with my hair dryer as I style it, and wheeeee! Fatter hair. Yes, fatter looking hair. And no crappy residue. It feels clean and looks healthy and shiny and lifted.

This is now on my shopping list. I can't wait to discover what else Oscar Blandi may have out there!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

{Influenster} Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel


Influenster sent me a VoxBox with this Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel moisturizer inside and I got to try it out for FREE.

I was skeptical. The gel kind of moisturizers aren't something I readily love. I love how quickly they absorb, but do they LAST?

It's light weight, sure. It feels kinda watery, sure. But it QUENCHES my skin. I have an oily forehead and nose, but right around the edges of my mouth and on my cheeks, it can get so dry that I flake.

After my morning routine, I've switched to using this as my moisturizer and buhbye flakes! Plus, my oily zone is not so oily feeling, while still feeling refreshed and hydrated!

I want to try the thicker cream one as I think I'll need that come winter, but this feels fantastic and keeps me moisturized throughout my day so far!

It should retail for $18.99 and I've found it at Walmart and Target for a little less. At my supermarket, it was a buck more. Comparing this to other gel moisturizers, this is far superior and I love that it is easily accessible at a grocery store or Target, etc.

Thanks, Influenster!