Next Chapter

Sorry it’s been over a month since I have updated my blog!

I returned to “regular life” on Monday November 8, 2010. Not only did I go back to work that day I also started going to the gym that day as well. I knew that I needed to change my lifestyle and to get back in shape.

How am I going to do that? I joined the Rowbust Dragonboat Racing Team!! It is a team made up of all Breast Cancer Survivors who race (and win) Dragonboats at Festivals throughout the summer.

Last Thursday (Dec 9) I went and met the 17 other "newbies" to the team. It was great to be in a room full of other women who understand exactly what I've been through. But I quickly learned just how easy I had it while undergoing treatment. I heard many "horror" stories of sickness and lengthy hospital stays, all of which I did not experience.

Yesterday morning (Saturday) was my first poolside training session. We sit around the pool on the edge on a wooden seat that is like the seat in the boat and paddle in the pool. It was tough!! The seats are constructed to give you a place to brace yourself with your feet during the paddle stroke. Because I was new there was no seat ready for me yet. I sat on a flutter board and braced myself against the seat of the woman in front of me. This was quite awkward and caused a terrible pain in my hip...but I pressed on, no one else was stopping to rest and either would I! After the poolside training there was a half hour ab workout, then we finished up with a cardio workout. Needless to say when I left the gym my body was tired. But I felt energized!! I joined some of the other ladies for breakfast, we were all starving after a 2 hour work out.

The team trains 2 days a week in the winter, Wednesday nights cardio and Saturday mornings poolside. From May to October we'll train in the boat at Fanshawe lake Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

I can't wait for Wednesday nights session...it's been a long time since I've had a reason to train for anything and I'm really excited about it.

I'm going back to work!

I've been given the go ahead to get back to work on Monday November 8, 2010!!!

I am looking forward to this very much as I'm getting a little too comfortable at home! I will miss sleeping late in the morning and basically doing as I please the rest of the day.....yeah, I need to get back, I'm just getting lazy now. My house purging project is still going on, just slower now, almost stopped....almost but not quite.

In preparation for my return to work I am making a point, this week, of getting up and ready for the day the same time I would for work. This way it won't be a huge shock to my system next Monday when I have to get up for work.

As promised in an earlier entry....before and after pics....

Paul says he I look good either way....I don't beleive him! "After" is so much better!

Today we went to get our new tattoos! Well, Paul had the pink ribbon tattooed on his bicep way back in May and today he added the words "Live for today" on it, and I got a matching tattoo on my spine just below my neck line. Check it out!

Paul's...

Mine...(FYI, it really hurts getting a tattoo on your spine!)

Guess who is Cancer Free!!!!

Yes! It's me!!

Today we met with Dr. Potvin who is my Medical Oncologist (a.k.a. the "Hottie Doctor" as per Paul) and she told us that after Chemo & Radiation there was a 6mm mass left but that Surgery took care of that! So I am officially CANCER FREE!!!!

I continue to do the exercises daily and my mobility is improving. Next Thursday we meet with the Surgeon for a follow-up and hopefully find out when I can go back to work since everything is going smoothly.

I've been refered to a reconstruction surgeon, Dr. Skilley, who I've heard is really good! He actually was my Dad's surgeon many years ago for his carpal tunnel and for another friends reconstruction. I look forward to meeting him and getting the ball rolling on the new "girls"!

So, it's time to celebrate! I'll have a couple of celebratory drinks tonight for sure! (I'm surprised I don't have one right now!)

Paul has planned a special birthday party for me this year - "Suzanne's Alive and 35 Birthday Bash!"

It will be at Moxie's Classic Grill in Downtown London (on Richmond) on FRIDAY December 17 at 8:00pm. There will be some muchies provided and a special cake...Paul won't tell me anything about the cake other than it's "Special" (Thanks Sherry!)

If you can make it, please come celebrate with us! If you're able to come out please email Paul at pnewington@rogers.com or find the event on Facebook and RSVP there! Everyone is welcome!!

Hopefully we see you there!

Well....there are phone calls to make!

Life after Surgery

Well, it's week #3 of being off work recovering from surgery. I never would have thought it would happen but I've actually found things to keep me busy and not worrying about work and what's going on there! Don't get me wrong...I still think about work, just not as much as I thought I would.


Each morning I get up while Paul is getting ready for work and I head down to Tim Horton's to get my morning coffee and Paul's tea and bagel. I spend the next hour sitting in my dinning room working on a puzzle, reading a book or surfing the net. It's a nice relaxing way to start the day! If I had time to do that before heading off to work every day I would, but I'm not a morning person so I don't see me continuing this daily ritual when I start back to work.


Since the drainage tube was removed and I've been able to get around much easier without having to cart the bag around I've started a "project" to keep me busy. I've been doing my "spring cleaning" in the fall! I rarely ever get a chance to clean out every drawer, every closet and every hiding place where "stuff" accumulates! I have discovered things I've not seen in years! It's amazing how this stuff builds up and gets forgotten. My rule...if we haven't used it in the last year it get's pitched! It's been keeping me busy and away from the couch and the TV!


As soon as the tube and drainage bag was removed I started thinking about what I could construct as a make shift prothetic breast. I decided to make my own because I've seen the price of them in the stores and I figured I didn't need to pay that much for something that I only need for 6 months to a year...regardless of the fact that my medical benefits would cover it. My Mom and I went shopping looking for things that would work and we were successful! But even though we found something that worked well, that night I started checking ebay for "silicone breasts". It didn't take long before I found exactly what I was looking for! So I started to bid on them. Bids started at $6.00. I set my maximum bid to $25.00 and three days later I won the auction for $22.50! $12.00 in shipping later and they were shipped! Yes, I said "they". I only need one, but they are sold in sets of two on-line so I have a spare! Yesterday I got a notice in my mail box that there was a package waiting for me at the post office! They've arrived!! I'm "whole" again!


So, this friday (Oct 22) at noon I have an appointment with my Medical Oncologist (a.k.a. the TV doctor). During this appointment we will learn the final results of my treatment, I will learn if I am cancer free!


I'll let you know as soon as I know!!

The Drainage tube...

I've just had the drainage tube removed!! Ahhh, relief!

Paul video taped it...if anyone cares to see it.

Post Surgery update

On Friday Oct 1, 2010 I underwent surgery and had a Radical Left Breast Mastectomy. It's "radical" because I had the lymph nodes in my left arm removed as well.

Before I went in to surgery I was very scared, I tried to hold back the tears but found it impossible. The doctors and nurses did their best to keep me calm. I can just imagine how Paul was sitting in the waiting room not hearing anything for hours, but he was in good company.

I wasn't necessarily worried about the surgery, I was worried about how I would feel about only having one breast when I was done.

They put me out for the surgery and they had to wake me up when it was over. I was a little ticked when they woke me up....I was having a good dream!

I was taken back to the "Surgical Day Care" unit where I could have visitors...first one in was Paul! Oh, I was so happy to see him! Next was my Mom! Then Sheree! Then Jen! How many people have an entire entourage in the waiting room for day surgery! (I'm sure I'm not the first). I thoroughly enjoyed all my visitors!

We were home by 1:30 pm that day....drainage bag in tow! Yeah, I have a tube sticking out of me attached to a bag that holds blood and lymph fluid that is draining from the hole. When it is draining less than 30cc's of fluid in a 24 hour period they will take it out. On Saturday the nurse came to the house and took 120cc's from it...it's been decreasing every day since and today it was down to 43cc's. Hopefully tomorrow it will be under 30 and it can be taken out the following day! Fingers crossed...it's uncomfortable.

I've been doing all the exercises and stretches that the doctor ordered. I have 6 different exercises that I have to be able to do 10 reps each of by this coming friday. I'm there! I can do 10 reps of each....just barely without completely wearing myself out! But by the time I see my doctor again it will be much easier.

So...how do I feel about having only one breast? I'm actually okay with it. I honestly didn't think that I would but I really am. The bandages on the incision are only covering the incision so I can see that there is nothing there.....not like in the movies where there are loads of bandages covering the affected area and there is a big reveal. I first saw myself just minutes after I woke up from surgery alone in the recovery room. I was still a little woozy but I do remember thinking "that's it?!?" I kept looking at it the rest of the day just to make sure I was still okay with it....I think I was trying to make myself be upset by it but found that I really couldn't! I'm really okay with it. When I don't think about the fact that I only have one I forget that I only have one....kind of like when I put on a sweater and then attempt to pull my long hair out of the collar! Yeah, it's been months and I still do that!

Before surgery I prayed...all the way through I prayed....but just before surgery I prayed that He would give me the strength to accept what I will look like when I came out. He answered my prayer, I've accepted it. Now I just need to heal and get back to my normal life!

Now, I'm at home resting, recovering, exercising.....and when I'm not doing those things I'm totally, completely and utterly BORED!! I have books to read and shows to watch, which I've been doing, but you can only read so many books and watch so much TV before you're tired of it. As soon as this tube is out I will be more mobile and be able to do more. But for now I stay in the house in my pj's and when I catch my reflection in the mirror I think..."if I didn't know me, I wouldn't recognize me!" My hair is growing back more and more each day but since I am not leaving the house I haven't bothered to put any make up on! Haha, it's kind of funny....I'll have to do a before and after picture!

It will be nice when the tube is out and the bandages are off and I can throw on a hoodie and go out somewhere! What will be even better is getting a prosthetic to wear and getting back to work! Because I'm really okay with myself Paul has been able to keep working this week and doesn't have to worry about "babysitting" me but when he comes home he gets to hear all about what I didn't do during the day....he's ready for me to go back too and he only sees me in the evening!

I'll blog again when the tube is out...between now and then I don't see anything exciting enough to blog about happening!

Feeling more at ease...

I got home from work today and had a melt down....Paul picked me up and helped me to feel better as he always does, but I was still scared.

We went to visit Michelle. She made us feel much better about tomorrow's surgery and even showed us her scar. It wasn't scary at all, which was a relief!

I'm still scared, but I might get some sleep tonight!

Surgery is looming....

Well....it's almost here....surgery. I don't know how ready I am, but really how do you prepare for this?!? I try to imagine myself without but, of course, it's difficult to imagine being without something that's been attached to you your entire life! But....if I don't do it.....Forget that, I don't want to think what could happen if I didn't do it!! So here we go, under the knife.

I have to be at the hospital at 6:30 am and my surgery is booked for 8:30 am. After surgery I will be in the recovery room for about an hour and then I get sent home! Yep that's right...breast removal is day surgery!! I will have a drainage tube in for about a week, won't that be fun! A nurse will come to the house once to show us how to drain the bag and then we're on our own! Lucky for us we know some medical professionals who will be ready and willing to help if/WHEN we need them!

Thinking back to when this all began, when it really started to get scary, I remember lying on my bed having a really good cry and thinking to myself "I'd better get used to seeing these four walls and spending hours upon hours in bed!" But that never happened. I was terrified of what lay ahead of me but soon realized that it wasn't so scary. I was afraid of losing my hair but I quickly learned to embrace baldness. I know that losing my hair and losing my breast are very different but I got through that and I will get through this!

I talked to my friend Michelle tonight. She's had the surgery already and because she is getting standard treatment she is currently going through radiation so she makes the round trip to the hospital everyday. I told her that my surgery is on Friday and we chatted about what I should expect. We decided that we should get together and chatt, so tomorrow night (Thursday) Paul and I are heading over to her place to visit! She actually lives pretty close to us. I'm very excited! Just in time!

The appointment we were supposed to have rescheduled with Dr. Richard doesn't look like it's going to happen. Her partner has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she is taking care of that situation. I really wish she could fit us in because I know she could help me feel so much better about surgery. Actually......I'm trying to be nice about the situation, but I'm really ticked! And that's all I'll say on this topic.

Everyone tells me that I seem as though I'm handling it well and I guess on the outside it looks as though I am. But on the inside I'm scared shitless! Pardon my language but I am! What I want is for the next month to fly by! I just want to get passed this part and carry on with my life!

Well, I'll keep you posted! I'll blog again as soon as I can!

More pictures....

I was just flipping through some picture files and found these....enjoy!!

Me and Pauly...bald.Paul in the short wig....lookin' good Mr. Cotter!

Paul rockin' the short wig!

Pictures are posted

I have added pictures to the "No More Chemo" post. Scroll to the bottom of that post to see them.

Sorry for the wait....latest update! Sept 21, 2010

So...since my last post my taste buds are becoming more and more normal every day. Food is no longer revolting! They aren't back totally but I can eat anything I want now without worrying if it's going to be gross or not. What a relief!

My hair is filling in nicely, I will be ditching the wig in a couple of weeks...maybe sooner.

Today I had my final ultra sound. Well, after the mix up of appointment times it was today.... A few weeks ago I received a message from my surgeon's office on our home phone telling me that my appointment was on Monday September 20 at 2:00pm and I should have been there by 1:45pm. I arrived at 1:30pm to check in and was told that they showed my appointment was for Tuesday, not Monday!! The funny part was that the time of my appointment on Tuesday had been changed from 1:45pm to 3:00pm but I hadn't received a phone call about that change. The receptionist told me that I was never scheduled for the Monday....but that was the message I had received weeks before and I am positive of it. However, if someone had called me about the time change for the Tuesday appointment I would have known and would not have shown up on the Monday. Anyway, this morning I was preparing to leave for work when the phone rang....weird, no one calls us in the morning. It was "central booking" calling to tell me there was a change in my appointment!!!! Oh good! Finally, someone called!

.....I digress..... So I had my ultra sound appointment today. I did not get to see Martha, the technician I've had for every other ultra sound. I did not catch the name of the technician who performed the procedure on me today but she too was very nice. She took many pictures of "stuff"...I couldn't see the screen very well today. When she was done she said "I have to show these pictures to the doctor, I'll be right back." As soon as she mentioned the doctor I began to sweat wondering what she had to show him?!? My first thought was not a positive one....BUT when the technician returned she said "you're all done and free to go!" So, the doctor didn't need to see me! Awesome!!

There is one more test I need to do before surgery on Friday Oct 1. The Sesta Mibi that I have explained previously. I've not been scheduled for it yet and I'm getting a little concerned so I made some phone calls and sent some emails today....hopefully I'll get some answers tomorrow.

About a month ago I finally contacted Dr. Annette Richard who is one of the founders of FACE IT in London. Here is her website http://www.faceitlondon.com/. It is a service offered to Breast Cancer patients that provides information and support for every step of the way through treatment and surgery. I knew about this program early on in my "journey" but I decided that I was handling things well on my own (with the support of my family and friends) and that I would not use such services until I felt I needed to so as not to take time away from those people who needed it more than I did. Well...my support system is great but when it comes to the surgery part I felt I needed someone who knows all the in's and out's of what I was going to face. So I contacted Annette. We had a meeting scheduled for Monday Sept 20 at 5:30pm but Annette called me in the afternoon to ask if we could reschedule because her friend and co-worker was having a breast scare issue of her own and she wanted to be with her. I, of course, knew exactly what her friend was going through so I agreed to reschedule.

Even though I only spoke to Annette on the phone for 5 minutes the first time we made contact I immediately felt better about surgery...wow, she's good! I can't wait until we actually meet her and hear what she has to teach us about surgery. I'll keep you posted!

So...in my post about my last chemo treatment I promised pictures....I'm posting them as soon as I'm done with this one! Promise!

News Flash.....

I just had lunch....no, that's not the news worthy part, everyone has lunch.....it was tasty!!!! That's the news worthy part!

Knock on wood, fingers crossed, kiss the blarney stone.....whatever, I think my taste buds are coming back!! Yay!!

No more chemo!!!

Today, August 30, 2010 was my last Chemo treatment! Yay!!

It was scheduled for 11:30 am. Because I'm only allowed one guest to sit with me and that was Paul, I was to call my Mom when they took me in so she could gauge her time to get there to see me ring the bell that signifies my last treatment. They were running late so I was taken in closer to 12:45. Paul "made the call".

Surprisingly it took only one poke to find a vein today! Otherwise the hour went as usual...frozen mittens and slippers, warm blankets and chatting with Paul and the nurses as they came by.

When I was all done, Patrick (one of the nurses) had me take his arm and we walked out to the reception area and he called all the other nurses out to see me ring the bell. As we got out to reception I was looking for my Mom....I saw her immediately and was very happy...then I saw that my Big Brother made the trip in to see me too!!! Immediately my tears were not jut my tear ducts in overdrive...they were happy tears! I didn't think I'd get so emotional about this....I thought wrong!

So when I said Paul "made the call" it was actually a text to my Brother, not a call to my Mother....the three of them had it all planned out to surprise me! When I had called Mom to tell her at 11:40 that I was still waiting she actually (almost) gave it away... I said "I'm still waiting" and she said "Okay, we're just sitting here waiting for the call!" I thought only for a second..."what did she mean by "we"?" Then I forgot about it and didn't think about it again until tonight when Paul told me that Steve mentioned it to him! Funny how those things can just slip by with little to no notice!

Anyway.....My first attempt at ringing the bell....I missed it!!! Everyone laughed, it was really funny. I got it on the second attempt and I rang it loud!!!! Everyone applauded, big hugs from the nurses and lots of "congratulations" from others in the waiting area! 18 weeks I waited to do that....it felt awesome!!

It was the last day for lots of people today, I was the fourth one to ring the bell today and there were more lined up after me. I asked Paul later on if he had ever seen the nurses gather that way....no he hadn't, neither had I! I guess I must be special!

To celebrate, the four of us, Mom, Steve, Paul and I headed over to East Side Marios for a drink where Momma surprised me with Roses!! Thanks Mom! I love you!

I had asked at the clinic if it was okay for me to have a beer if I wanted....Patrick's response "oh hell yes! Have more than one if you want!" I always thought I should wait at least 24 hours, but Patrick said it was okay and I took him at his word! One Bud Light Lime please!

We got home, I put my beautiful roses in a vase and laid down for an hour or so. Soon it was off to a celebration dinner at Moxies with my sister-in-law (Paul's sister) and brother-in-law, Kim & Andy! Another great visit! AND another beer...Miller Chill this time. I was able to find foods that still tasted good to me which made the celebration that much better....although the company was enough to make it a great night! Thank you! I love you guys!

Now...it's getting past my bed time and I have to work in the morning! I don't expect that this week will be any different than the last two...full energy on Tuesday, 3/4 energy on Wednesday...fading fast Wednesday night and down on Thursday and Friday unable to concentrate on anything but the inside of my eyelids. By Sunday I'll be getting my energy back and will be able to concentrate on reading a book which means that by Tuesday (after the holiday Monday) I'll be back in the office and will hopefully be able to make it through the rest of the week. They said the tiredness should start to wear off over the next couple of weeks after Chemo is over and I'm hoping that's true. I'm very tired of seeing the same four walls on my down days.....although last Friday I did spend my down time on the hammock in the back yard, that was a nice change of pace.

I'll keep you posted! And I'll post some pictures from today as soon as I get a chance to unload the camera!

Finally...pictures!

A smiley face on my frozen slipper!

Ringing the bell!! Ding DING!! All done!

Patrick!

LAST Chemo...on Monday!

Well....my last Chemo treatment is on Monday August 30! I can't wait to ring that bell!

I don't really have much to update...only that I continue to feel extreme exhaustion around Wednesday to Saturday. Sunday I take the steroid for Chemo which gives me the energy boost that lasts till Wednesday afternoon. I've only got one more round of that though then no more steroids. Hopefully once Chemo is all done it will only take a couple of weeks before I start coming out of the exhaustion phase.

I have been experiencing a really irritating side effect....tear ducts in overdrive! I constantly look like I'm crying, I'm not!!

The Cancer diet - today I learned that about 90% of people going through treatment gain weight...not me! I've got to be different, I've lost 25lbs since my diagnosis in April! So now I look like I'm crying because none of my clothes fit. Oh, what a terrible problem to have!

Right now I've experiencing a weird energy boost....I don't know where it's coming from but I'm going to put it to good use.

Have a great weekend!!

Friday August 20, 2010

Today was the usual weekly check up....I was so tired that I found it difficult to stand in line to check myself in with the receptionist, so Paul did it for me while I sat and waited.

After the usual bloodwork it was time to sit and wait for 45 minutes for next the appointment. Someone was looking out for me today though because they took me in early, the full 45 minutes early! It was so nice.

The nurse took my vitals and asked all the questions usual questions then left me to change in to the gown and wait for the next person to see me. So I took advantage of the exam table and laid down for a nap while we waited.

I didn't get to nap for long before Isabella (the resident who told us in April not to go to Mexico) came in to see me.

She had a look at the burn in my armpit and told me to keep doing what I'm doing to help it heal. Then she examined the tumour and was happy to see that she couldn't find it.

Today was the first time we've heard the word "cured" in relation to my cancer! However, they can't say for sure just yet...not until the pathology comes back after my surgery.

My eyes "water" all the time now so it looks like I'm crying....I assure you I'm not! But I can't help it! There is nothing I can do about it, it will stop once the chemo is over. It does make it difficult to keep makeup on my eyes though!

That's it, that's all for now! Off to the lake to rest!

Quick update....

Radiation - done - check!
Chemo - 2 left - check!
Surgery date - Friday Oct 1! - CHECK!!!

We met with the surgeon on Wednesday August 12, we were much more impressed with her this time that the first time we met her. She was very happy to find that the tumour has shrunk as much as it has....I can't find it at all anymore!

I asked about removal and reconstruction at the same time....this is not something they do a lot of apparently! So, on Oct 1 I will have the left one removed. Then MAYBE 6 months months later I will undergo reconstruction where they will take the right one and reconstruct both. At least I have some time to get used to the idea....at least I will be alive! It's only temporary!

Radiation is all done, but it is catching up with me. I am extremely tired all the time now and spend my spare time on the couch or in bed. Don't get me wrong...I feel good, I'm just tired.

I did end up with burns from the radiation....in my arm pit! Ouch! This wouldn't have been so bad had it not split! It did, and it hurts! Again, only temporary and already it is getting better.

Food continues to be a challenge....nothing tastes good but I have to eat so I do. This would be a great diet if I could keep it up when this is all over! I'm down at least 7 pounds in the last 2 weeks...I'll find out today how much more I'm down, if my scale is right it's a full 10, making it just under 20 since my first treatment.

I continue to work as much as I can, but when I can't, I can't and I stay at home....asleep, worrying about what's going on at work....then realizing that I can't do that, I have to take care of myself, work will wait...my team can handle it!

I anticipate a lot more sleep for me this weekend...hopefully I'll be awake enough to visit a little bit but otherwise I'll be on the couch or in the hammock all weekend!

Cheque Presentations!

Today I delivered both cheques to our charities from the golf tournament and I took some help with me!

For the cheque delivery to the Cancer Clinic I took the two Pinky's with me! Ben and Paul...Ben still with his pink hair and Paul with his shaved head! We met with Erin Pollett from the LHSC Foundation and she took us on a tour of the facility. Of course Paul and I have seen quite a bit of it over the past few months but Ben has never been. We got to tour the labs on the top floor and were able to speak to one of the top Breast Cancer Researchers in Canada. We learned that the researchers often go on "rounds" with the Doctors to meet with patients. This way that can see what's working and what's not and tailor their research to find new and better ways to treat the patients. This is not something that is done in most other Cancer facilities!

After our tour we met up with Brian Orr who's title I can't quite remember right now...but I'll find it....suffice it to say he's the boss! We had a quick photo session upstairs on the office floor then we got permission to go in to the Chemo Clinic to make our presentation! I wanted to do it while I was receiving my treatment but as it turned out my appointment was an hour and a half late so it just didn't work out that way. After our presentation we let Ben run off to work and settled in for the hour and a half wait for my appointment.


I was scheduled to meet up with Ally Poole and her dad Gord (my co-worker) and Jill Osborne of the Children's Health Foundation at 2:00 pm....because my Chemo ran late I was cutting it close but made it there on time!

We walked over to the Children's Hospital to make our presentation in the Art Therapy room! Ally was in awe...in all the time she has spent in this hospital she'd never seen this room! I think it's safe to say that during her next stay she'll be asking to go check it out!! She was also very excited to get to sign the big cheque!




After a long day I headed home to rest...and write!!

Only 3 Chemo's to go!!!

We're in the home stretch for treatment!!

Tomorrow (Tuesday August 10) is my final Radiation treatment!! No more daily round trips from the office to the hospital and back. It will be so nice to not have to watch the clock to make sure I get there on time and to spend some uninterrupted days at work. I've been very lucky with Radiation...I only have slight discolouration on the breast and not a bad burn as I was told I might develop. My armpit however has taken the brunt of the burn....but still not too badly. After tomorrow I can use any kind of ointment to heal the burning I want to. I've been using Aloe all along so I will continue to do so.

I have met with my Radiation Oncologist for the last time during treatment...each time he kicks me out of his office for being "too healthy"! Gotta like those visits!! The next time I see him will be December 9 of this year for a follow up.

My last chemo treatment will be the week of August 30 and hopefully within just a couple of weeks I'll get my sense of taste back! Currently most foods that I like taste horrible! This started slowly and the more I receive the Docetaxel the worse it gets. I'm down to only Sweet foods tasting normal which makes it difficult to eat healthy! I finally like to eat desert! I have found that eggs have retained some taste so I'm eating a lot of omlettes....and mixed with a little maple syrop makes them that much better!

Last Friday morning we had our weekly appointment with the Medical Oncologist team. I told them that just the day before I had developed a sore thoat, as it turns out my "sore thoat" was mouth sores and Thrush (a yeast infection of the mouth)!! I got a prescription for it that seems to be working, but that doesn't mean that it won't come back before this is all over.

I was also told by the Nurse Practitioner (Lynda) that it should be "no problem scraping that out"! Which means that the Surgeon should be able to get everything if there is anything left to get after my final 3 chemo treatments which will continue to kill any live cancer cells that remain.

This week we have an appointment with the Surgeon (with the awesome bedside manner....not! Hopefully our first impression was wrong) on Thursday to learn what my options are! Basically I need to know if it is possible to have the removal and reconstruction done all at once.

So to put it all in "Ted Terms"...Ted finally got the harassing eviction notices, took the hint and left town with his main sleaze Emily! They took with them as much as they could handle, but, just as most nightmare tenants do they've left their garbage behind! The Super has arrived to clean up the unit to prepare for the new tenants but there is still some major renovations required in the main unit and the neighbouring unit before they can move in. We'll be meeting with the "wrecking" crew this Thursday in order to determine if they will be able to work with the rebuilding crew simultaneously in order to complete the project on time. Hopefully by Christmas the new tenants will be all moved in and ready to celebrate!

July 23 - 27, 2010

I'm catching up!


On Friday July 23, 2010 I had three appointments 1) Bloodwork at 12:45 pm, 2) Patient Review with the Medical Oncology team at 1:45 pm and 3) Radiation at 4:20pm.


I was in for a long day of waiting around....and all by myself too! Paul opted to work this day in order to catch up on missed work from golfing in our tournament on the Monday. I didn't mind being alone, it meant that I had some time to read.


It was a busy day in the Bloodwork clinic because I actually had to take a number when I got there! It took about 25 minutes to wait and 5 minutes in the chair. That was okay because by the time I got out of there I shouldn't have had long to wait for my next appointment. Wrong! I didn't get in to my next appointment until around 2:30pm.


As usual the Primary Nurse took me to an exam room and asked me all the necessary questions and took my vitals. I told her all about the events of the day before at the Golf Tournament and she wrote in my file that C'ND would be donating $10.500.00 to the clinic! She was very excited about it, as was I. She left me to change in to the gown and wait for the next person to see me.


So, I changed and waited....and waited...and read my book for a while. Finally another Doctor on my team came in to chat with me. I've only ever met this Doctor once at the very beginning of my treatment and it was only for a few seconds which was hardly enough time for me to form any kind of opinion of him.


Well...I now have an opinion! It was a weird check up....not as weird as the "hand up the shirt" docotor but still weird! He looked at my chart and fumbled around with the computer looking at my blood counts (which are good as always!) and asked me more questions about what I do for a living and about C'ND than anything else! I was beginning to think I should try selling him some oil! (for those of you who don't know....C'ND sells bulk & package lubricants, automotive & industrial...among other things) He didn't even examine me, I had to change in to the gwon for no reason....which by this time I was okay with, especially since Paul was not with me. He just sent me on my way!


So off to my radiation appointment I went....it was originally scheduled for 4:40 (and on a Friday!!) but was changed to 4:20 then 4:10. I went straight there and was walking out the door at 4:12pm!


After a long afternoon of waiting around I went straight home to pack up the car and it was off to the lake for the weekend!


When we arrived we visited with friends for a little while....then I thought maybe I should rest my eyes for about 20 minutes before we spent time around the camp fire, so I layed down on the bed. Three hours later I awoke, changed into my pj's and didn't open my eyes again for another 11 hours! I guess I was tired!....EXHAUSTED more like it. Oh well! I was very rested for Saturday! I spent it cleaning the inside of the trailer while Paul took care of the outside.


We took our time getting home on Sunday...I hate leaving there.


Monday I worked a full day...and almost missed my radiation appointment! Correction - I did miss it! I was busy working on something very important and didn't realize the time. I called the hospital immediately and they said they'd fit me in so I rushed over. Phew!! I'd hate for them to think I wasn't taking my treatment seriously!


Tuesday July 27, 2010 was another Chemo day! My daily radiation appointment was scheduled for 9:20...and I made it on time! With chemo scheduled for 10:15 am. Wtih a 9:20 appointment and no plans to go the office that day I took advantage of the extra time and slept in! Oh, so nice!


My Mom came to pick me up at 8:45 and we headed to the hospital. Radiation was done quickly and we went upstairs to wait for my Chemo appointment. We got settled in to our seats and were prepared to wait. A very nice woman named Carol stopped by to say hello and to ask me about my hat. On these treatment days I wear my pink C'ND hat with the ribbon on it...it's my favourite. I told her that they were made because of me and about our tournament. I told her that I would be bringing a sleeve of the hats up to the clinic when I brought our donation cheque and that she could have one. She was very happy to hear all about it! Carol told me that this was her 3rd bought of cancer...breast cancer 20 years ago when they removed her breast and she opted not to have it reconstructed because back then you came out looking worse than when you went in. Next she had ovarian cancer and now she is battling breast cancer again! She was great...so happy to be alive! I really enjoyed talking to her. I gave her my business card and told her that if she didn't get one of the hats that I brought up I would get one too her. Suddenly my pager went off and they were calling me in! Right at my appointment time!!


My Nurse, Anna, got me in to a chair and started warming my arm for the "vein hunt"! She tried first in my right arm because the last three treatments I've had were in my left and they don't want to wear them all out. She was unlucky in two spots in my right arm and so she asked another nurse, Dayna, to try my left arm. Apparently the rule of thumb is to try twice then ask for help! They found a suitable vein in my left arm but as soon as she stuck me the vein deflated!! It was at this time I asked God to help them...."please help them find a vein quickly...you know how I hate to be poked!"...he was listening! As Dayna was about to pull the needle out of it's location it started to draw blood up! However, she pulled too far...all the way out and I started bleeding and it was running down my arm on to the pillow! She quickly restuck me and we were off to the races!! They required two samples from me and those little vials filled very quickly. After a clean up Anna plugged in the drugs, got my frozen mitts and slippers and I was good to go for the hour it would take for the drug to empty in to me. Mom and I chatted about all sorts of things while we waited and it was over before we knew it.


Once we were out of the clinic we headed over to East Side Marios for lunch!


I've been having taste aversions with this phase...which I have to say, really sucks!! Some of the foods that I love now taste very bland or even like card board!! Sometimes I do come across something that is very tasty and I get all excited about it! I try to remember that this is only temporary but it is very frustruating! I love food!....it's not loving me right now.....


Well....that's it! I'm all caught up!

It's growing back!!

Over the last few weeks I've noticed some hair growth...I didn't want to mention anything too soon because it was possible that it would fall out again with the phase 2 drug. But, I've now had 4 treatments in phase 2 and there are no signs that it will fall out again!!

Here you can see the growth. Up close you can see that it is a full head of hair, but most of it is baby fine and white. The dark is sparse but the white hairs will eventually turn dark and fill in the rest of my head.

I've seen lots of women at the clinic who's hair is growing back and they just let it grow and it ends up looking bad....very thin and sparse. I intend to keep mine trimmed up short until I have a full head of dark hair and will continue to wear the wig when I need to. I really like my buzz cut and can't wait to have it back!

CASE 'N DRUM OIL 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

On Monday July 19, 2010 C'ND hosted our 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament and for the first time we had absolutely no rain!!


We had 71 golfers who participated in a day of golf, games, draws and a fantistic silent auction!


The charities that we support are the London Health Sciences Foundation London Regional Cancer Progam and the Children's Health Foundation supporting the Children's Hospital of London. The reason that we have chosen these charities is because many of our own staff and their families have required the services of both Foundations! In fact,since I began working at C'ND I am the 5th person related to the company (3 employees 2 family of employees) who have been diagnosed with Cancer and have required the services of the London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP). That's one person per year as I've only been there 5 years!!! AND one very special little girl of a co-worker has seen a lot of the Children's Hospital....and I'm sure that many other of our staff have used the services of the CH as well! We as Londoners are very lucky to have both of these facilities right in our backyard! I know that I feel blessed to live in this city!!


Okay....back to the tournament! For our charities we were able to raise $17,000.00!! This total will be split evenly between the two. On top of the $8,500.00 that the Cancer Clinic will receive our parent company, UPI Energy, donated another $2,000.00 (raised through their golf tournament in May of this year) in my name. How humbling it is...it makes me very proud to work for such an awesome company!


About a month before the tournament two of our salesmen...one being my husband and the other our friend...made a pack. The vowed to dye thier hair pink and collect donations that would go toward our donation to the LRCP. Both of them had a personal goal they wanted to reach, Ben wanted to raise at least $1000.00 and Paul wanted to raise at least $2,500.00. I created each of them a pin to wear that read "Ask me about my Pink Hair" and a Pledge Form to recored their pledges. From the first time they wore the pins it was evident that this was going to be a wildly successful fund raiser! Within the first few days Ben had recieved over $100.00 in pledges and Paul (who started a few days later) raised $200.00 within his first few days! We were all very excited about this progress.....and they hadn't even dyed their hair pink yet, they were just wearing the pin!! On the Friday afternoon before the tournament Paul headed down to Moda Fina to see the only person he trusts with his hair, Miranda Cooke, to have it dyed pink. Ben headed to his favourite salon to do the same on the Saturday. What a pair they made at the tournament on Monday!!!


Here they are sitting on the hole-in-one prize custom golf cart....
Don't they look hot!



During the banquet portion of the evening (with Ben as MC...pretty in pink!) it was revealed that they together had raised $5,000.00!! Ben surpassed his goal of $1,000.00 to raise $2,000.00 and Paul surpassed his goal of $2,500.00 to raise $3,000.00!! What a great team they make and all because they love me!! Thanks guys!! And the LRCP thanks you too!


As the evening wound down and everyone was paying for their silent auction items and saying their good byes Paul had his pretty pink hair shaved off by, of course the only one he trusts, Miranda who graciously offered to come and take care of for him. She shaved it in to a Mohawk first (he was totally jealous of mine!) and then I got to shave off the rest! I guess if it's just coming off anyway he trusted me to do it! Ben had received a sizeable donation from a customer who wanted to see the pink hair, however this customer was unable to come to tournament and told Ben he'd have to keep it until he was able to get out to see him again....in a month! So, Ben gets to keep his until that time. It certainly took some getting used to when I saw it in the office for the first time, but once you get used to it, it starts to look normal!

This years planning committee and volunteers were all awesome! All of you made this very easy and I can't wait to work with you again next year!!!

So that's it! We raised a lot of money and had a great time doing it!!

Head shaving pics!
Mohawk!



Cool dude!

This was fun for me! Was it for you Paul?

All done! This is Miranda, she's the one who keeps him looking good!

Our first bald pic when we got home!

Sorry for the delay....

Okay....so where did I leave off? Right, July 12....that was my 2nd treatment of Docetaxel. That day I had my daily dose of radiation at 8:50 then we rushed over to the Chemo clinic for my 9:15 appointment. We had to wait....and wait....and wait some more! Sometimes they do run late and we understand that but by 9:50 am I was getting a little concerned so I marched up to the receptionist and asked when they would be taking me in. She made a quick phone call to find out that my drugs hadn't arrived yet but they should be there soon. By 10:15 am I was in the chair waiting for my ritual stabbing!

It took at least 2 pokes before the IV was inserted proplery and then we were good to go. Again I had to wear the frozen mittens and slippers but because the IV was inserted in my wrist I got one mitten and one ice pack. I prefered the ice pack because the rest of my hand didn't freeze.

An hour and a half later I was done and we were on the road again! Future treatments will only take an hour. The first two treatments they had to take my vitals every 15 minutes to make sure I was reacting to the drug well. I handled it perfectly so they won't monitor my vitals during treatment any more unless they feel they need to.

That was Monday....the rest of the week I spent at work tying up loose ends for the 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on the following Monday and slipping out to the hospital for radiation each day for about an hour. By Thursday afternoon everything was ready and the van was loaded on Friday after I returned from my usual 3 appointments at the clinc.

Friday July 16, 2010 - Paul and I arrived at 11:00am to have my blood taken. This time they only took one vile...I questioned that, as they usually take two, but I was told that "No, we only need one today!" (I learned later - Tues July 20 - that I was right, there should have been two!)

Bloodwork done, it was time to sit and wait to meet with the Doctor! I say that we were to meet with the Doctor but we haven't actually seen her since the initial visit...we've always just seen the Primary Nurse (PN) and the Nurse Practitioner (NP), oh and that weird Resident that I'll never let go up my shirt again! We are very confident in the team the Doctor has assembled (except for that Resident) so we are happy to meet with the PN and the NP each week. They report back to Dr. Potvin all my good news.

So we were waiting....for about 45 minutes past my 11:45am appointment time. 12:30 rolls around and we are finally called in. The clinic was so busy that we didn't get to see the Primary Nurse we got to see a woman who is part of the study team. She took my vitals and asked me all the questions....she clearly doesn't do that very often because it took forever! I informed her at 12:55 that I had a radiation appointment at 1:05 so I'd either have to leave and come back or the NP should hurry! I was instructed to leave and come back.

I got in to my 1:05 pm radiation appointment and was back upstairs in the waiting room by 1:20 pm. By 1:30 we were back in the exam room waiting for the NP. She arrived to examine me.

I never get tired of seeing the very excited expression on her face! She found it very difficult to get any kind of measurement as she couldn't really find the edge! She wrote 3 cm by 3 cm in her notes as an external measurement but said that "wouldn't hold up on court!" The 3x3cm area is no longer one tumour as I've mentioned in previous posts, it is a little "mine field" of little tumour bits. If I were to stop treatment now these little bits would continue to grow back to full sized tumours. The aim of the study is to get the size down to 5 millimeters before surgery. Well I think I'm on track to get there! Fingers crossed, knock on wood...rub my bald head for luck...whatever works! God will see me through!

I also learned from the NP that I would only have 4 more weeks of radiation not 7! I guess I either missunderstood or didn't read it correctly but I thought that I'd have radiation for the same duration as the Docetaxel. That is not the case! So my last 3 weeks of treatment will not include a round trip from the office to the hospital and back each day! Sweet!!!

As usual we discussed any side effects I was experiencing and I told her that I've not had any since starting the Docetaxel. She said that this was because I am getting smaller more frequent doses of the drug which is a more "humane" way of administering it. Some of the stories I've heard from other women getting the standard treatment (full dose at 3 week intervals) are very scary! My friend Michelle told me of the terrible pain she would get a few days after treatment that stayed with her for over a week and they got worse with each dose. The smartest thing I did was to get myself in to this test study!

Armed with all my good news I returned to the office and we loaded the van with all our "stuff" for Monday!

The van was loaded, everything ready to go....it was off to the lake for the night!

That Friday afternoon when I returned to work, Paul went to his hairdresser to fulfill his obligation that he and our friend and co-worker Ben had committed themselves to for raising money for our charitable donation to the London Regional Cancer Clinic by having his hair dyed PINK!! For the last month both Ben and Paul have been wearing pins that say "Ask me about my Pink Hair!" When someone asks about it (because until this past weekend they did not have pink hair) they would then explain what they were doing, present their "Pledge Form" and kindly take any denomiation of funds that were offered. This was a wildly successful fund raiser! And I will explain more in a post dedicated to our golf tournament.

As I said, it was off to the lake! Pink haired Paul and me....we had originally thought that we would not go to the lake this weekend due to a couple of parties back in the city we wanted to attend but figured that we should at least make an appearance since many of our friends there had made donations. Everyone needed to bask in the glory that was Paul's pink hair! Truth be told I thought it looked good on him! And it made the "Ask me" pin make sense. So much so that he was able to raise at least another $500.00 in last minute pledges!

Saturday evening we attended a friends surprise 30th birthday party and Sunday a wedding shower for our dear friends Shawn & Lindsay's upcoming wedding! We had a good time at both!

Sunday evening....it was time to put the finishing touches on my dreaded "Thank you" speach for Monday. Once that was written, proofed and "rehearsed" I headed to bed and hoped that I got a good nights sleep!

Monday was the tournament....more on that later!

Because the tournament was on Monday and my Chemo treatments are usually scheduled for Monday's I requested that this week's treatment be pushed to the Tuesday so that I didn't have to leave the tournament for any longer than I had to. I had also scheduled my radiation treatment for 12:40 which was during the game so I could slip in to London have my treatment and get back to the golf course.

That leads us to today! Tuesday July 20, 2010 - Because it was a treatment day I did not go to work. AND because my first treatment of the day (radiation) was not scheduled until noonish I slept in! Oh, it was so nice!!

My BFF Jennifer made arrangements to come to my chemo treatment with me but was only going to be able to get there shortly before 1:00pm so I asked Paul if he could take a quick break from work to drop me off at the hospital and Jennifer would bring me home. Of course he agreed as he wanted to run up to the chemo clinic anyway to show off his newly shaved head!! All the nurses in the Chemo clinic knew about the pink hair/shaved head plan and he promised he would show them as soon as he could. So he dropped me off, did his show and tell and then left me in Jennifer's capable hands.

My appointment was scheduled for 1:00pm....at 1:00pm my pager buzzed!! This is so unusual for the chemo clinic, they are quite often running behind! I was met at the door by the receptionist who informed me that I needed to go for more bloodwork because "they didn't take enough on friday!" I KNEW IT!!! Remember that I questioned them! And they told me "no"! So, off to the bloodwork clinic we went. A full hour after my scheduled appointment I was finally in the chair with my arm wrapped in heat so they could find a vein.

I had to make a confession to my nurse Sharon...I had totally forgotten to take the two perscribed steriod pills the night before! I felt so bad, I had one job to do and I blew it! Normally I set a reminder for myself in my Blackberry calendar but did not this time. I have now set all reminders for my next 6 treatments! I won't forget again! It turned out to be okay, I just had to take it via IV before the Docetaxel.

For this round and all future rounds of Docetaxel I will only be in the chair for one hour since they will not be taking my vitals each hour. Yay!!

Once a suitable vein was found Jen and I settled in for an hours worth of chatting and laughing at each others stories and rehashing a few from our "Girls Weekend" at the lake a few weeks ago. We noticed (as Paul & I have noticed as well) that we were the only ones having an "enjoyable" time. We felt bad, but it is a rare visit that Jen and I are not in hysterics over something! So we continued on with our conversation and hoped that maybe people might find some cheer in hearing our laughter....one can hope!

Finally, when the clinic was closing for the day we were cleared to leave! Jennifer drove me home, stopped in for a visit with Paul and then headed home to take her daughter Camryn to the movies. Today is Camryn 3rd birthday! She's such a sweet little girl and very lucky to have Jennifer for a Mommy! And I am very lucky that Camryn let me steal her Mommy away on her day off to sit with me at Chemo! What kind of friend does that?!? The BEST kind! That's what kind! Thank you Jenny! I love you!

Stay tuned for the results of our 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament! Complete with pictures of Paul's pink/shaved head!

July 9 through 12, 2010/Charity Golf Tournament

I'll start with last Friday's appointments - I left work at 11:45 to get to the clinic for my bloodwork appointment at 12:00. As it has been all the way through, my blood counts are perfect! My next appointment was at 1:00pm to meet with my Oncology nurse and Nurse Practitioner. I answered the usual questions about how my week went - no changes from the week before. She was not surprised to find that I didn't have any side effects from the new drug. During the first week I was getting daily injections for bone density, so we asked the Nurse what we could do with the spent needles because we were uncomfortabel just tossing them in the garbage...she said she'd talk to the in-house pharmacy to find out what we could do. She then took my vitals (which were normal) and then left us to wait for the Nurse Practitioner.

Paul was getting very fidgity waiting for the NP....he was dangerously close to hacking the computer to check his Facebook page! Luckily she arrived just before he could do so.

She was amazed at how the Docetaxel and the Radiation were working to shrink Ted. The measurements she got were 5cm by 3cm....but let me explain....because the tumours have now "exploded" in to little bits and are no longer a united front this measurement is just the area that the little bits take up and there are voids between the little bits. So it feels very lumpy now and I can feel that there is soft tissue on top of the little bits (tumours are not soft tissue). I'm sure I'm not explaining this so that you can get the remotest idea and the only way for anyone to understand is to actually feel it....Sorry! But that's just not happening!! Just take my word for it that it's all good and Ted is a dead man! Emily has also been slaughtered!

The NP had also talked to the Nurse regarding our question of what to do with the spent needles after my daily injections and then she immediately spoke to the Pharmacy again. As it turns out I shouldn't be having the daily injections while I'm on Radiation! This is information that would have been beneficial a week ago! But it's all sorted out now and Paul doesn't have to worry about sticking me every morning, well at least not for the next 8 weeks! I will probably start them again after Chemo & Radiation are done while I am waiting for Surgery. Paul is not so happy about having to stickme with needles at all but for the past week he did a good job of it. And will do it again when the time comes. He's becoming quite the capabale nurse!

After my appointments were done I headed to the lake for the weekend! We took two cars this weekend so that Paul could return to the city for his Buddy's stag party on Saturday night. This meant that I got to spend some quality alone time relaxing in the hammock all afternoon and visiting with passersby! It was a great afternoon! I made my way to the entertainment in the park that evening with our friends and was in bed by midnight. We had decided that I would actually get a full nights sleep by staying at the lake instead of being at home and waking up when Paul came in after his night out with the boys (of which he reports that he had lots of fun, a great night!). I awoke at 9:00 am (a full 9 hours of restful sleep), was all packed up and gone by 10:00 am in order to attend a fundraiser with our friends at 1:00pm that afternoon....we also had a lot of fun there! We met some other people who have gone through Cancer and have beaten it so we got to swap stories.

As most of you probably already know I make no attempt to hide the fact that I have Cancer. Sure I wear my wig to work and when I stop at places on my way home but other than that I go without....unless I'm outside then it's a head scarf or just my favourite hat, a pink one made special for our upcoming golf tournament. Yes, I wear pink now....it's not as bad as I always thought. When I am just wearing the hat you can definatley tell that there's no hair under it, much easier than you can tell with a head scarf so I get some interesting looks and I hear the whispers. The people I like most who notice are the ones who actually stop me to ask how I'm doing...complete strangers who are just concerned for me or know what it's like to go through this. It's really sweet and usually after our conversation they smile and wish me well or congratulate me for getting through it as well as I have...it makes me feel really good to be able to tell my story to someone and know that they will pass it along to others.

Moving on.....
#2 Phase 2 treatment went smoother than the first one! This time they stuck me in one shot not the usual 3 attempts to find a good vein.

My Chemo appointment today was scheduled for 9:15 am with Radaition just before it at 8:50 am. Radiation was over quickly as usual and I headed up to the Chemo clinic to check in. 9:15 am passed and I was not called in....9:30, no call.....9:45, still no call! At 9:50 am I returned to the receptionist to inquire if I would be called in soon and was told that they were waiting for my drugs to arrive. By 10:15 I was in the chair ready to be poked by as many needles as it took to get a good vein....surprise, only one this time! I have thin veins. I drank 3 bottles of water before arriving at the clinic in hopes of saving myself the agrivation of multiple needles, it worked! I just had to use the washroom many times! What a pain in the butt that is when you're all hooked up to the IV and covered in blankets and frozen slippers and mitts! But I managed.

I will have Radiation every day again this week. So far there has been no discolouration or burning. I was told after my appointment on Friday that I should not "go tanning" this weekend...I thought it a little odd that they felt the need to tell me not to go and worship the sun, it's quite obvious to me that I shouldn't be doing that. If I were to lay out in the sun I would end up with a much darker square that is the treatment area and that could be detrimental to future treatments. I now worship the shade! I was also told NOT to use sunscreen as it has metals in it. This was a slight cause for concern because there are times when you just can't avoid being in the sun and the rest of me would need protection from it! As it turns out I can use sunscreen just not on the treatment area. Good thing I still have some of my tan left from Mexico so I'm not pastey white all summer!

I returned home around 1:00pm this afternoon and have been working in our home office ever since. The CASE 'N DRUM OIL 5th Annual Charity Golf tournament is next Monday July 19 and after working on lots of little things we are so much closer to being fully prepared for it! This week the committee will work on getting everything physically in order. This week will pass quickly I'm sure and before we know it the tournament will have come and gone.

For those of you who don't know and I don't know if there are many of you who don't because I also make no effort to not talk about our Charity golf tournament....you'll know that over the past 4 years we've made sizeable donations to the London Regional Cancer Clinic. I never thought that I would ever need to benefit from generous donations made to the clinic like ours. Each time I go for a Chemo treatment I have a different nurse and I make mention of the tournament and the fact that half of our money rasied goes to support their work. I ask each of them what they think the clinic needs because I have the option to direct our money to specific things within the clinic. More often than not they look around at the clinic and say "there are so many things that we need replaced". In the past we've always directed our funds to Chemo chairs and the Patient Assistance fund and the nurses agree that these are both very beneficial. After sitting for 5 chemo treatments I can tell you they are definitely in need of new Chemo chairs. Sometimes the foot rest doesn't stay up on it's own any more and they use a stool meant for the staff to prop it up....leaving the staff to stand as they administer treatments. This can be very uncomfortable for them as well as the patient. The Patient Assistance fund is used by those patients who don't work for the type of wonderful company that I am so lucky to be employed by. There are patients who have no health benefits and no way to pay for some of their treatments because they aren't covered by OHIP either. I think it's safe to say that we will again direct our funds to these two areas.

Wow! That's a lengthy entry.....I'll save the rest for the next entry!

Radiation

Tuesday July 6, 2010 - my first Radiation appointment.

I went to work this morning, just one day after my first phase 2 Chemo treatment, I felt great! At 1:15pm Paul arrived at the office and we headed over to the hospital for my 1:45 Radiation appointment. I was told that I'd be in and out in 10 to 15 minutes.....wrong! Of course on my first day there was a breakdown! I never learned exactly what happened, all I know is that my appointment was delayed until 2:10. No big deal. I was finally taken down a very long hallway to the radiation wing of the Cancer clinic. I can't remember the name of the girl who led me down there but she was very nice. She introduced me to the team that would perform the radiation....they too were very nice and made it very comfortable. I do try to make a point of remember names but I didn't get any of them today! Oh well, I have 9 weeks left to learn them!

Paul was not able to come in with me today, which only disappoints him because he really wants to see everything that I'm going through.

As usual I had to change in to the gown and wait to be called in. Today, because I had been at work I was wearing my wig so I left it on for the procedure....I won't be doing that again. Not that it was a problem, but to lay back on it can be uncomfortable.

They took a little longer with me today than they will need to going forward because they had to get my tattoo markings all set up on the machine. All my future appointments will be much quicker.

I was told that I wouldn't feel a thing, I just had to lay back and relax and as usual to not move at all! I did as I was told and the procedure was over before I knew it, and like they said I didn't feel a thing.

I don't know why I didn't realize it but "Radiation" is just another word for "X-Ray". So every week day for the next 9 weeks I'll be getting X-Rayed and this will help to kill Ted....Dead! Haha...bye bye Ted!! It's not been nice at all knowing you!

When I was all done Paul dropped me back off at the office to finish out my day and he continued on his sales calls. There won't be any need for him to come with me for Radiation in the future since he can't come in so I will be getting myself there and back every day.

Tonight, I'm tired! Paul put on a movie (Avatar) at 6:30 and within 15 minutes it was lights out for me. I decided that I should just go to bed, but when I attempted that there was a furry, four legged little girl who had decided to curl up on my side of the bed and she wasn't going to move! We just got a new, very comfortable, mattress and Roady likes to spend as much time as possible on it! I was unable to get comfortable on Paul's side so I decided that I would just get up and spend some time blogging.

But it's now 9:00 pm, my eyes are sore from staying open so I think poor little Roady is going to get a rude awakening!

Night all!

Phase 2 - Treatment #1

Today July 5, 2010 - I under went the first round of phase 2 of treatment which is a drug called Docetaxel. For this treatment I have to wear frozen mittens and slippers. I HATE cold and now I'm forced to freeze myself once a week for the next 8 weeks! Paul said that I looked so pathetic that if he saw me in a window he'd have to buy me....kind of like a "Doggey in the window" situation and of course he took pictures! I'm pretty sure they don't allow cameras in the Chemo clinic so he took them on his cell phone....the quality isn't so great.

Thumbs up!!

I don't feel any different now than I did when I went in but I've heard of other woman say that they start to experience terrible body aches about 3 days after....but everyone handles it differently and I'm hoping that I don't have that. Either way I'll get by.

After treatment I had another ECG....once again the technician didn't seem overly impressed. Maybe it was just a case of the "Monday's" but I doubt it.

When we were all done with the mornings appointments we decided that a good lunch was in order so we headed to one of our favourite spots for lunch (East Side Marios)....that hit the spot! Then it was back home for me to do some work I had to catch up on and off to make sales calls for the afternoon for Paul!

Tomorrow is my first Radiation treatment.....stay tuned for the update!

Happy Canada Day!

June 30, 2010 - Ultra Sound Guided Biopsy day!

I worked until noon then rushed off to St. Joes hospital Radiology department for my "date" with Martha at 1:00pm. It took her a second but she remembered me. The wig threw her off at first.

Once again, Martha was fantastic. It is so much better when the people who are working on you are friendly and comforting.

They took three more cores from Ted....making him that much smaller!! Haha! Take that Ted!

After my appointment I went home for a quick nap before heading to the lake when Paul was done work.

We spent Canada Day hanging out with old friends....it was a great day and we were very happy to reconnect! We had to be up early the next day to head back to London for more appointments so I was in bed early.

Friday July 2, my first appointment was at 9:00 am...which meant we had to be up and gone from the lake no later than 7:30 am. We were in the Jeep and leaving by 7:10!

The first appointment was a test they call a "Sista Mibi"...I think that's just a short form for a much longer name. It's the second one I've had. Basically they inject me with a solution that highlights the tumour, I lay face down on a cushion and the girls go in a hole, a camera goes around me and takes several pictures for about 45 minutes. I have to be very very still the entire time. That's only half the test....2 hours later I returned to do it all again!

During the 2 hours between part 1 and 2 of the "Sista Mibi" we ran over to the Cancer clinic for blood work and measurements. Again, my blook was perfect! Luckily we had the good Nurse Practitioner again. We told her how weird and ackward our last appointment was with the resident and a student and how he really didn't do much. She agreed that it was weird and she dismissed his notes all together. She tried to take some measurements but found that the tumours had "expoloded" and she couldn't get an accurate measurement. That's a good thing! It means that the treatment is working. So the cancer cells are no longer a united front and the drugs are winning the war! Yay!!

We had a few questions for the Nurse Practitioner:

1. The vein they use to inject the drugs has become hard and sore...She said that they probably won't use that vein anymore as it is now "tired". Going forward, after treatments I'm to put heat on the vein they use, for the first day, then cold on it for the next few days. This will help to stop the problem.
2. It seems to me that my hair is starting to grow back....will the next drug make it fall out again or will it continue to grow? It may fall out again.....shoot!! Good thing for Raquel and her wigs!
3. How will I handle the next phase of treatment? Most people who are getting weekly treatments (as I will) have been handling it very very well with the only side affect being tiredness. There is no nausea with phase 2! Yahoooo!!!! I can handle tired!

We returned to the lake very happy and very tired! We were expecting friends to arrive a couple of hours after our return so it was straight to the hammock for a nap for me! As it turns out the hammock is not the best place for a nap on a long weekend when all the weekenders are arriving and throwing dust in the air as they drive by our lot. I'll have to remember that for the next long weekend.

Saturday we spent some time on the beach with our friends....me in the shade and covered in sunblock of course. I love the beach so I very much enjoyed it!

Sunday (today) arrived took quickly as usual and before we knew it we were heading home.

Tomorrow I start phase 2! Paul still thinks I'm weird for being excited about treatments...I can see his point. Who in their right mind would be excited about being stuck with several needles and have potent drugs pushed through their veins?!? I do! I do! I've always been a little left of center.

Tuesday July 6 is my first Radiation appointment. I'm also looking forward to this. Partly because it will help to push Ted out the door and partly because I've never seen how they do it so I'm very curious. What I'm not looking forward to is what it will do to my skin. I've been told that I will have a "sun burn-like" reaction, but I've seen other women with skin that looks charred! Hopefully they will give me some helpful hints about how to help the "charring" to keep it to a minimum.

Okay....so it's now 8:00 pm, my eyes are very tired and I need sleep before my big day tomorrow. However, I also have to take 2 steriod pills before bed so I don't anticipate getting much sleep at all! Thankfully I have many books to get me through the night. I'll take a long nap after treatment. No one said I had to be alert for it!

Update

Since my June 14 treatment.....I returned to work on Wednesday June 16 feeling pretty good...tired, but good.

We spent the next weekend at the lake cleaning up and getting ready for "Girls Weekend" on June 25-27...I've never had one so I'm looking very much forward to hanging out with two great friends this weekend....no boys allowed!


I must have over done it on Sunday because I couldn't stay at work on Monday. I arrived feeling tired, but okay. As the day wore on I realized that I needed to go home and rest. I was pretty much just sitting in my office staring at my computer screen and unable to concentrate on work at all. So I went home to my couch where I tried to rest. I told Paul that I didn't want any distractions unless it was him coming home from work. I had three knocks on my door!! Oh well, two of them were good to have. First we had a registered letter that I needed to sign for....this knock I could have done without as I had just fallen asleep and woke with a start. The second knock was our good friend Sherwin. It was very nice to see him...thanks for stopping by Sherwin, sorry I wasn't more social! The third knock was UPS, this knock I was very excited about!


A couple of weeks ago I decided that I would try a wig again....I just really miss having hair. I know what your thinking! The last one was a pain in the butt, a new one will be too! And especially ordering it on-line. Not true!


Before ordering I checked the return policy to make sure that if I didn't like it I could return it and get my money back. They did have a return policy so I placed my order.


My new wig arrived via UPS on Monday June 21. I immediately tore open the package and tried it on. It didn't look exactly like the picture below, but it was very similar and in the right colour....very dark brown like my natural colour.

http://www.headcovers.com/693/power-by-raquel-welch-wigs/
From the Raquel Welch collection! If she's put her name on it, it must be good!! If you can't see the picture click on the link above.


Here's how it looks on me.....














Pretty cool eh?!?


For a comparison....here's the other one I don't like any more....















Not so hot!!


The new one is actually comfortable enough to wear a full day! It does not move or shift and the "hair" doesn't fall in my face because it's short. And the best part is that because I also bought the gel cushion head band to wear underneath, it's not itchy! The wig does not sit on my skin it sits on the head band. The band also keeps the wig from being too hot!


Here's the head band....

It looks funny but it's totally worth it!

There was only one thing that I had to get past....the wig "smell"! I was successful at this too! I went to a wig store that specializes in all things wig/extensions and found a "wig spray" that doesn't smell bad....hallelujah!

I arrived at work on Tuesday morning sporting the wig....I was VERY happy with the reaction of my co-workers!

After work I had a few stops to make on my way home. One stop was at the grocery store to pick up a few things. At the deli counter the woman serving me said "I just have to tell you that I love your hair cut!" I was floored! I'm sure that there was an expression of shock pasted on my face. I thanked her, then I felt compelled to tell her that it was a wig, but I very much appreciated her comment. It must look good if complete strangers can't tell it's a wig!

Thank you Raquel!!

Eviction Notice #3

Monday June 14, 2010 - Eviction Notice #3

We arrived at the Cancer clinic for my 9:00 am Chemo appointment to find our new friends waiting in the waiting room for their Chemo appointments. Michelle, Carrie and Debbie where all there to undergo their last chemo treatment! We were all seated in the "sunny side" of the room all in a row. We were able to sit and chat as we all got our different treatments. It is so unbeleivable how so many women can be diagnosed with "Breast Cancer" but how all of our treatments are so very different! I was only in the chair for just over an hour, but I'm still early in my treatment. Michelle was in for just a little while longer so we waited to see her ring the bell! What a fantastic moment that was for her! Again, I can't wait to be ringing that bell for myself! I think Debbie would have been the next one out an hour after Michelle she had 2 drugs to take in, then Carrie said that she would be in the chair for 6 hours that day! What a trooper!! I don't think that any of my treatments will be that long, I can't imagine sitting in that chair (even though it is very comfortable) for that long!

After treatment I went home to rest! Paul was home for lunch and then off to make more sales calls! I spent the next 2 days either on the couch or in bed. At first it was because I felt a little nauseaus (my kick ass drugs took care of that in a hurry) but then I was just very very tired and couldn't seem to keep my eyes open. I was worried on Tuesday that because I had slept for most of the day that I wouldn't sleep at all Tuesday night....making Wednesday a very long day! Well as it turned out, I slept through the night and woke up completely refreshed Wednesday morning....at 4:30 am to my alarm clock that told me it was 6:30 am!! Apparently when I went to bed on Tuesday night I tried to set my alarm but in the process I changed the time on my clock to two hours ahead! When I tried to get up at 4:30 thinking it was 6:30 Paul rolled over and asked "what are you doing?" I replied "I'm getting up to get ready for work"....Paul looked at the clock on his side and said "at 4:30?!?" It was then that I realized that I must have messed up my clock the night before. I went back to sleep to wake up two hours later...no so refreshed this time!

Oh well, I still got up and got ready for work...it was great to be back in the office and not spaced out on the couch!

Now the next 2 and a half weeks will be spent working and getting as much in place as I can for phase 2 because we just don't know how I'm going to feel. I hope to be able to do at least 3 days a week at work but we'll see when the time comes.