2012 has been quite a year!
It started with ups and downs regarding my mother's health and continued with the joy of welcoming our third grandchild, a boy, on February 24th, 2012. I remember getting the phone call from Justin while I was at work and my co-workers hearing my end of the conversation, there were a few gasps when I said '10 lbs. 4 oz.'
I had the joy and privilege of spending a week in March with Justin and Leah and the grandkids, a time I have very pleasant memories of.
April brought more health issues for my mother precipitated by a fall, but by May I remember thinking one day how wonderful my life was and how blessed we were. I wondered if it was possible for my life to get any better than it already was and I was grateful. Then I found the lump that changed the course for the rest of my year. I really wasn't overly concerned when I found it. I had never felt healthier or had more energy. This made it even more of a shock when it was taken so seriously by the surgeon and then the radiologist where the mammogram was done.
Following the diagnosis of breast cancer my life was a whirlwind with nine days between hearing the diagnosis and having my surgery with procedures or appointments almost every day between.
Up until just recently it has still felt like a bit of a whirlwind with my Mom being hospitalized again a week after my surgery and appointments, procedures to prepare for chemo and then the chemo and the three week pattern that took over my life throughout.
August introduced us to Leisha, Caleb's girlfriend. A very warm, lovely
and talented lady who I can see complements and brings out the best in
Caleb.
A fall highlight was the time Rod and I spent on Vancouver Island in October, a treasured memory of a respite from all things breast cancer for a brief period. I am very thankful to his customer Ilse for so generously offering her cabin to us for the week.
In between then and now there was getting my Mom's things packed and moved from her old lodge and then to her new lodge (thank you to Ev and Jane, Caleb, Jordan and Kenny). Then another fall for Mom resulting in a fractured hip.
As I take stock of where I am at, I feel like I am just now coming up for air. I feel I need some time to process all that has happened this year before I can really go forward. I need time to review and to make sure that I make time for those things that I have realized are the important things in life before I start my 'new normal' life. I need time to grieve all that I have lost and I need time to celebrate all that I have gained through this experience (well, I won't be celebrating the weight gain ;).
There will still be a fairly major focus on breast cancer as I start 2013. I will continue with the Herceptin infusions every three weeks to August. I will have more procedures and appointments to carefully monitor for any recurrence or complications from chemo, Herceptin or Tamoxifen. I will reconsider the decision I made regarding radiation therapy after having lunch with Patsy last week and I will need to make some decisions regarding possible reconstruction surgery.
I am so looking forward to being able to go 'topless' as the ladies on the forum describe not needing to wear wigs or head coverings anymore. When I walk into a drugstore I am always aware of all the hair products and tools that I need not look at for the time being but look forward to using again - hopefully soon.
I am so grateful for all the support I have had throughout this year in so many ways, it has been one of the main reasons that I have been able to stay positive and I do not take any of it for granted. Thank you!
As I was typing this I looked up to see the beautiful painting that Leah made for me as my Christmas gift. Against a background of grey, white and a bit of black are the words in red - "Let go and Let God". A wonderful reminder that as I reflect back and as I look forward I have no need to become anxious or to overplan, God has been and is in control and I can rest and find peace in that. God is good.
Wishing you all a wonderful and Happy New Year, all the best in 2013.
Take care, everyone.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Lovely Ladies Lunch!
How is that title for alliteration? :) And it can be taken a couple of ways - the lunch with the ladies was lovely and they are lovely ladies who lunched.
Patsy, Liz, Sharon, Diana and I all worked together in Day Surgery several years ago before Liz and I left for our IT roles. Patsy and Diana are now working at the Cancer Center that I have been frequenting of late. It is so good to be able to get together with people you may not have seen for a while and yet be able to pick up right where you left off.
Our waitress was very patient and understanding and left us to our own devices prior to ordering. I think we had been at our table for about an hour before we waved her over and placed our orders. We were there for yet another two hours plus afterwards.We decided that we definitely have to get together more often and with more of our old co-workers for the next get together.
After the lunch Rod and I arranged to meet at Costco for the groceries we needed. Walking in was a little daunting, there were people with carts lined up into the aisles waiting for a checkout. I had to ask Rod not to walk so fast a few times, he doesn't like crowds much and wanted to get in and out of there as quickly as possible. We were happy to see that by the time we reached the checkouts there were minimal line-ups and we were able to go through quite quickly. It was very good to get home to my recliner and reflect on the good memories of our lunch afterwards.
I've been calling the rehab center where my Mom is daily and she is still on isolation so I have been unable to visit yet. It sounds like her symptoms are more respiratory than gastrointestinal, I hope she is over it soon.
This a.m. I determined that I would get up and walk on the treadmill and see if I couldn't work on getting some of my energy back and work out some of the achiness in my arms and legs. I managed half an hour but had to scale back from 2.5 miles/hour to 2.3 in order to accomplish that. Kind of discouraging.
Maybe I was unrealistic about how I would be feeling at this point post-chemo, December has been a tough month. If this continues I guess I will have to contact my oncologist prior to the next Herceptin infusion. Until then, I am thankful for all my family and friends, for warmer weather this weekend, for a husband that likes to cook, for my quilts, for magic bags for the muscle aches and for pictures like this one of Leah, Lilly, Keiran and Forrest to make me smile.
Take care, everyone.
Patsy, Liz, Sharon, Diana and I all worked together in Day Surgery several years ago before Liz and I left for our IT roles. Patsy and Diana are now working at the Cancer Center that I have been frequenting of late. It is so good to be able to get together with people you may not have seen for a while and yet be able to pick up right where you left off.
Our waitress was very patient and understanding and left us to our own devices prior to ordering. I think we had been at our table for about an hour before we waved her over and placed our orders. We were there for yet another two hours plus afterwards.We decided that we definitely have to get together more often and with more of our old co-workers for the next get together.
After the lunch Rod and I arranged to meet at Costco for the groceries we needed. Walking in was a little daunting, there were people with carts lined up into the aisles waiting for a checkout. I had to ask Rod not to walk so fast a few times, he doesn't like crowds much and wanted to get in and out of there as quickly as possible. We were happy to see that by the time we reached the checkouts there were minimal line-ups and we were able to go through quite quickly. It was very good to get home to my recliner and reflect on the good memories of our lunch afterwards.
I've been calling the rehab center where my Mom is daily and she is still on isolation so I have been unable to visit yet. It sounds like her symptoms are more respiratory than gastrointestinal, I hope she is over it soon.
This a.m. I determined that I would get up and walk on the treadmill and see if I couldn't work on getting some of my energy back and work out some of the achiness in my arms and legs. I managed half an hour but had to scale back from 2.5 miles/hour to 2.3 in order to accomplish that. Kind of discouraging.
Maybe I was unrealistic about how I would be feeling at this point post-chemo, December has been a tough month. If this continues I guess I will have to contact my oncologist prior to the next Herceptin infusion. Until then, I am thankful for all my family and friends, for warmer weather this weekend, for a husband that likes to cook, for my quilts, for magic bags for the muscle aches and for pictures like this one of Leah, Lilly, Keiran and Forrest to make me smile.
Take care, everyone.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Quiet Day
Today was a day to rest up, tidy up and unpack.
I tend to use a timer to help motivate myself when I have chores to do, this morning I set the timer for one hour and by the half hour mark I was huffing, puffing, aching and realizing I had been overly ambitious. I scaled back somewhat and Rod pitched in somewhat and all that needed to get done was accomplished. I am glad that Costco was not in the plans for today. My hemoglobin level must have taken a bit of a beating with the last chemo.
Just about the time I was realizing I had been overly ambitious a representative from the insurance company that supplies my long term disability called to determine if I was still on track for my return to work. She asked if I was feeling energized and refreshed now that my chemo was complete. I could very honestly tell her that no, I wasn't quite there yet.
This afternoon I had planned an outing to the rehabilitation center where my mother was transferred but received a phone call late morning to inform me that she seems to have picked up a flu bug or virus and has been placed in isolation in a private room. They asked that I not come in to visit due to this. I am hoping that it is not a recurrence of the C. Diff that she has had a couple of times earlier this year.
Tomorrow I am looking forward to meeting a few ladies for lunch, it will be great to catch up with them as it has been awhile. I'm sure there will be pictures of grandchildren and possibly a brand new grandchild to celebrate (due date is January 5th). Can't wait, but better get started on that beauty sleep sooner than later tonight, I really need it.
Take care, everyone.
I tend to use a timer to help motivate myself when I have chores to do, this morning I set the timer for one hour and by the half hour mark I was huffing, puffing, aching and realizing I had been overly ambitious. I scaled back somewhat and Rod pitched in somewhat and all that needed to get done was accomplished. I am glad that Costco was not in the plans for today. My hemoglobin level must have taken a bit of a beating with the last chemo.
Just about the time I was realizing I had been overly ambitious a representative from the insurance company that supplies my long term disability called to determine if I was still on track for my return to work. She asked if I was feeling energized and refreshed now that my chemo was complete. I could very honestly tell her that no, I wasn't quite there yet.
This afternoon I had planned an outing to the rehabilitation center where my mother was transferred but received a phone call late morning to inform me that she seems to have picked up a flu bug or virus and has been placed in isolation in a private room. They asked that I not come in to visit due to this. I am hoping that it is not a recurrence of the C. Diff that she has had a couple of times earlier this year.
Tomorrow I am looking forward to meeting a few ladies for lunch, it will be great to catch up with them as it has been awhile. I'm sure there will be pictures of grandchildren and possibly a brand new grandchild to celebrate (due date is January 5th). Can't wait, but better get started on that beauty sleep sooner than later tonight, I really need it.
Take care, everyone.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Holiday Highlights
Here I am back at home after a wonderful few days with Justin and Leah and family.
Some highlights of Christmas at Justin and Leah's were -
The drive to and from with Caleb - lots of time to catch up on each other's lives and just talk about life. Very enjoyable, I love the man that Caleb is becoming. We ended up taking two cars so Rod and Kenny had similar time together.
Seeing Justin and Leah when we got to Cranbrook and the effort they had gone to in their preparations for our visit. They are both looking so good.
Having Keiran ask me at almost every meal if I would sit beside him, an honor indeed.
Having Forrest go from making strange the last time he saw me to crawling towards me this time and reaching up for me to hold him; also having his entire face light up with his smile when I walked into the room. (He didn't do this just for me, but I really loved that he did do it for me).
Having Keiran reach over and hold my hand at Christmas eve supper, he has a very special way that he likes to hold hands and it has to be 'just right'.
Having Keiran ask me if I would 'like to be a girl' after he heard that there were too many guys to play pictionary and one of them would have to be a girl to make the teams even.;)
Helping Lilly write her letter to Santa on Christmas Eve and seeing how well she can read and write now, even though she is only in Grade One.
Watching a husband and wife and mother-in-law put a play kitchen together as time got later on Christmas Eve and they became more tired. All completed in harmony with the common purpose as the focal point. This should be part of a pre-marriage course ;)
Trying to fill in a little for Santa for Leah's stocking only to find that Santa had things under control without my assistance. Leah's stocking arrived filled to overflowing with a note from Santa explaining that he must be getting old and had forgotten that she had grown up and had children of her own, that he had brought her stocking to her mother's (Kass's) house by mistake but that he would ask Kass to deliver it to Leah for him this year.
Watching Keiran's eyes light up when he looked over at the fireplace mantle on Christmas morning and realized that Santa had come and filled the stockings. He was trembling with excitement.
Spending a very leisurely Christmas morning with the family, no rush for the presents to be opened, playing with and watching them being played with and enjoyed before more presents were opened.
The wonderful Christmas meal and enjoying it together with the combined families.
Holding Forrest and playing with Keiran this morning while Rod and Lilly were downstairs keeping busy serving all their 'restaurant customers' in the new kitchen.
Coming home to a Christmas card from Justin and Leah and family with a beautiful picture of Lilly smiling at us as we opened it.
All of this more than made up for the fact that I felt less than optimal health-wise while away. I am not quite at the place where I am gracefully accepting not being able to be in the thick of Christmas activitives such as preparing and cleaning up after meals. Requiring afternoon naps with the children in order to be able to stay up past 9 p.m. can make a person feel very old. I know that this too will pass and I am looking forward to better health in 2013. In the meantime, I am grateful.
Take care everyone.
Some highlights of Christmas at Justin and Leah's were -
The drive to and from with Caleb - lots of time to catch up on each other's lives and just talk about life. Very enjoyable, I love the man that Caleb is becoming. We ended up taking two cars so Rod and Kenny had similar time together.
Seeing Justin and Leah when we got to Cranbrook and the effort they had gone to in their preparations for our visit. They are both looking so good.
Having Keiran ask me at almost every meal if I would sit beside him, an honor indeed.
Having Forrest go from making strange the last time he saw me to crawling towards me this time and reaching up for me to hold him; also having his entire face light up with his smile when I walked into the room. (He didn't do this just for me, but I really loved that he did do it for me).
Having Keiran reach over and hold my hand at Christmas eve supper, he has a very special way that he likes to hold hands and it has to be 'just right'.
Having Keiran ask me if I would 'like to be a girl' after he heard that there were too many guys to play pictionary and one of them would have to be a girl to make the teams even.;)
Helping Lilly write her letter to Santa on Christmas Eve and seeing how well she can read and write now, even though she is only in Grade One.
Watching a husband and wife and mother-in-law put a play kitchen together as time got later on Christmas Eve and they became more tired. All completed in harmony with the common purpose as the focal point. This should be part of a pre-marriage course ;)
Trying to fill in a little for Santa for Leah's stocking only to find that Santa had things under control without my assistance. Leah's stocking arrived filled to overflowing with a note from Santa explaining that he must be getting old and had forgotten that she had grown up and had children of her own, that he had brought her stocking to her mother's (Kass's) house by mistake but that he would ask Kass to deliver it to Leah for him this year.
Watching Keiran's eyes light up when he looked over at the fireplace mantle on Christmas morning and realized that Santa had come and filled the stockings. He was trembling with excitement.
Spending a very leisurely Christmas morning with the family, no rush for the presents to be opened, playing with and watching them being played with and enjoyed before more presents were opened.
 |
| Keiran with his new tool bench and accessories - say 'cheese' |
The wonderful Christmas meal and enjoying it together with the combined families.
Holding Forrest and playing with Keiran this morning while Rod and Lilly were downstairs keeping busy serving all their 'restaurant customers' in the new kitchen.
Coming home to a Christmas card from Justin and Leah and family with a beautiful picture of Lilly smiling at us as we opened it.
All of this more than made up for the fact that I felt less than optimal health-wise while away. I am not quite at the place where I am gracefully accepting not being able to be in the thick of Christmas activitives such as preparing and cleaning up after meals. Requiring afternoon naps with the children in order to be able to stay up past 9 p.m. can make a person feel very old. I know that this too will pass and I am looking forward to better health in 2013. In the meantime, I am grateful.
Take care everyone.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Meet the Parents Plus
It has been a very busy past few days!
My assessment with the BEAUTY program went fairly well. I haven't lost any ground in strength or flexibility. Aerobic capacity was different however. I was stopped at just after the nine minute mark when they added an incline. My heartrate went over the calculated maximum for me. Combine that with the water retention I have been experiencing and it will be interesting to see what the MUGA scan to test my heart function shows on January 7th.
Thursday found me trying to get some baking done, my ambition was greater than my energy level but I did manage to get a little baking put away. The highlight of Thursday was being able to hold Gayle's grandson Lucas who had arrived from Wisconsin the evening before with his parents. What a beautiful baby!
Friday morning was spent at work, attending the team meeting where my manager showed pictures from his trip to southeast Asia in November. What a surprise to see Xin's beautiful smile in his photos from Shanghai, China. Xin is one of our old teammates, she and her husband have gone back to China for her husband's job for a few years. They showed Mike around Shanghai while he was there. I have missed her smile and her wonderful laugh. Mike was smart enough to have Xin pick out his gifts for all of us while he was there.
A highlight of my morning at work was when Lidija and her young daughter Sara came up to my old desk where I was sitting. They had a Christmas bag that they handed me. Inside the bag was a card from Lidija, her husband and Sara and Sara had added a penguin that is part of her trademark signature. Inside the bag was a beautiful multi-colored scarf that Sara and Lidija had made for me. A beautiful scarf that I promise to add a picture of, very impressive to me that someone of Sara's age was able to accomplish the majority of the work on it and even more impressive that she would want to do this for me.
After the meeting we went for a buffet lunch and exchanged our Secret Santa gifts and received Mike's gifts. Great morning with everyone!
I didn't have much more in me for the rest of the day, use it or lose it doesn't seem to apply to me at the moment. It is more a situation of 'use it wisely'. It was all worth it, though.
If Rod wasn't already my hero, he certainly is after last evening and today. I drove Kenny to his hockey game in the evening and when I returned home Rod had just gotten there. It was close to 8 p.m. and he needed to be at the game so we quickly caught up with each other and what needed to be done prior to our Christmas brunch this morning. I went to bed after he left so I could get up at 5 a.m. with fresh energy. After the game and while I slept Rod was very busy tackling my 'to-do' list, so busy that when the alarm went off at 5 a.m. I was able to go back to bed for another hour and a half. :)
Rod and I set to work in the kitchen once we were up and soon Jordan and Celia joined us. If there's one thing I have finally learned in my working life it is how to delegate and I have transferred that skill into my personal life. Jordan and Celia were rapidly absorbed into the productivity of brunch making.
Before we knew it, our 'granddog' Charlie was bursting into the house to greet us, followed by Caleb and Leisha and Leisha's sister and her parents. There were hugs all around with the explanation from Leisha's parents that they are 'hugging people'. That made them family and soon Diane, Leisha's Mom, was right beside me in the kitchen scrambling eggs while I finished up the waffles. Celia has earned a permanent place in Charlie's heart by providing him with a bone for his Christmas present. He provided the background noise throughout our time together as he chewed happily away at it.
Wonderful days! Wonderful people! Wonderfully blessed! :)
Take care, everyone.
My assessment with the BEAUTY program went fairly well. I haven't lost any ground in strength or flexibility. Aerobic capacity was different however. I was stopped at just after the nine minute mark when they added an incline. My heartrate went over the calculated maximum for me. Combine that with the water retention I have been experiencing and it will be interesting to see what the MUGA scan to test my heart function shows on January 7th.
Thursday found me trying to get some baking done, my ambition was greater than my energy level but I did manage to get a little baking put away. The highlight of Thursday was being able to hold Gayle's grandson Lucas who had arrived from Wisconsin the evening before with his parents. What a beautiful baby!
Friday morning was spent at work, attending the team meeting where my manager showed pictures from his trip to southeast Asia in November. What a surprise to see Xin's beautiful smile in his photos from Shanghai, China. Xin is one of our old teammates, she and her husband have gone back to China for her husband's job for a few years. They showed Mike around Shanghai while he was there. I have missed her smile and her wonderful laugh. Mike was smart enough to have Xin pick out his gifts for all of us while he was there.
A highlight of my morning at work was when Lidija and her young daughter Sara came up to my old desk where I was sitting. They had a Christmas bag that they handed me. Inside the bag was a card from Lidija, her husband and Sara and Sara had added a penguin that is part of her trademark signature. Inside the bag was a beautiful multi-colored scarf that Sara and Lidija had made for me. A beautiful scarf that I promise to add a picture of, very impressive to me that someone of Sara's age was able to accomplish the majority of the work on it and even more impressive that she would want to do this for me.
After the meeting we went for a buffet lunch and exchanged our Secret Santa gifts and received Mike's gifts. Great morning with everyone!
I didn't have much more in me for the rest of the day, use it or lose it doesn't seem to apply to me at the moment. It is more a situation of 'use it wisely'. It was all worth it, though.
If Rod wasn't already my hero, he certainly is after last evening and today. I drove Kenny to his hockey game in the evening and when I returned home Rod had just gotten there. It was close to 8 p.m. and he needed to be at the game so we quickly caught up with each other and what needed to be done prior to our Christmas brunch this morning. I went to bed after he left so I could get up at 5 a.m. with fresh energy. After the game and while I slept Rod was very busy tackling my 'to-do' list, so busy that when the alarm went off at 5 a.m. I was able to go back to bed for another hour and a half. :)
Rod and I set to work in the kitchen once we were up and soon Jordan and Celia joined us. If there's one thing I have finally learned in my working life it is how to delegate and I have transferred that skill into my personal life. Jordan and Celia were rapidly absorbed into the productivity of brunch making.
Before we knew it, our 'granddog' Charlie was bursting into the house to greet us, followed by Caleb and Leisha and Leisha's sister and her parents. There were hugs all around with the explanation from Leisha's parents that they are 'hugging people'. That made them family and soon Diane, Leisha's Mom, was right beside me in the kitchen scrambling eggs while I finished up the waffles. Celia has earned a permanent place in Charlie's heart by providing him with a bone for his Christmas present. He provided the background noise throughout our time together as he chewed happily away at it.
Wonderful days! Wonderful people! Wonderfully blessed! :)
Take care, everyone.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sisters
Rod and I watched 'White Christmas' on Saturday. It is a movie that has special meaning for both of us, Rod used to watch it with his Dad and the army component of it resonates with him. I used to watch it as a yearly tradition with my sister and the sisters component of it is what I focus on more.
We both ended up feeling a little sad by the end of the movie. The year Rod's father passed away it was on a Christmas eve. White Christmas traditionally aired on Christmas Eve back at that time.
My sister passed away on December 19th, 1981 - pre-deceased the same day by my grandfather by about five hours.It was a tough day for me. Seeing the movie and then realizing that December 19th was once again just around the corner hit me a little harder this year. There are many memories of caring for my sister and many times during the time period leading up to that day that I felt very inadequate in my abilities to help her or to help my grandmother out with my grandfather. A memory that helps me when I think of this time period is of holding my sister's hand in her final moments and telling my grandfather that it was now time for him to take her hand for the rest of their journey.
I really believe that God loves details and that for this very reason He provided me with not one, but two very special ladies that I consider to be my sisters and it has not escaped my attention that they both celebrate their birthdays on December 19th.
Gayle is short in stature but someone that I always look up to, I think she epitomizes the saying that good things come in small packages.
Carol is Rod's sister, therefore my sister-in-law. I think I've known her longer than I've known Rod and she has always taken on the role of big sister to me, which I have appreciated so much.
I purposely chose to spend this morning by being a sister to 'Benny'. This was her second chemo. Turns out we are very close to having been twin sisters. Her birthday is one day before mine, same year. With the exception of having to be poked twice for the IV, things went fairly smoothly for her with the infusions this time and from what I hear from her via email things are going well now that she is at home. I hope and pray that this will continue and that she will be feeling good for Christmas.
It was wonderful to come home later this afternoon and review the posts in the forum where we met each other. There were many, many messages of support for Benny from an international group of sisters.Wonderful that people can come together this way to support one another in and through these times.
'Sisters, sisters - there were never such devoted sisters ....'
Take care everyone.
We both ended up feeling a little sad by the end of the movie. The year Rod's father passed away it was on a Christmas eve. White Christmas traditionally aired on Christmas Eve back at that time.
My sister passed away on December 19th, 1981 - pre-deceased the same day by my grandfather by about five hours.It was a tough day for me. Seeing the movie and then realizing that December 19th was once again just around the corner hit me a little harder this year. There are many memories of caring for my sister and many times during the time period leading up to that day that I felt very inadequate in my abilities to help her or to help my grandmother out with my grandfather. A memory that helps me when I think of this time period is of holding my sister's hand in her final moments and telling my grandfather that it was now time for him to take her hand for the rest of their journey.
I really believe that God loves details and that for this very reason He provided me with not one, but two very special ladies that I consider to be my sisters and it has not escaped my attention that they both celebrate their birthdays on December 19th.
Gayle is short in stature but someone that I always look up to, I think she epitomizes the saying that good things come in small packages.
Carol is Rod's sister, therefore my sister-in-law. I think I've known her longer than I've known Rod and she has always taken on the role of big sister to me, which I have appreciated so much.
I purposely chose to spend this morning by being a sister to 'Benny'. This was her second chemo. Turns out we are very close to having been twin sisters. Her birthday is one day before mine, same year. With the exception of having to be poked twice for the IV, things went fairly smoothly for her with the infusions this time and from what I hear from her via email things are going well now that she is at home. I hope and pray that this will continue and that she will be feeling good for Christmas.
It was wonderful to come home later this afternoon and review the posts in the forum where we met each other. There were many, many messages of support for Benny from an international group of sisters.Wonderful that people can come together this way to support one another in and through these times.
'Sisters, sisters - there were never such devoted sisters ....'
Take care everyone.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Early Christmas Blessings
The last two mornings I have woken up and tried to see through the slits that my eyes were due to the fluid retention that seems to be occurring. Not exactly the most attractive sight and Rod is to be given credit for not running away screaming upon seeing me first thing each of these mornings. I have also had some nosebleeds over the weekend in spite of trying to keep up the vaseline and there was some GI upset overnight on Friday. On top of that my fingernails are looking and feeling quite bruised and the moons on them have disappeared; I'm beginning to wonder when the nails themselves might disappear. All of it added up to me feeling a little down, especially when everyone is congratulating me on finishing the big chemo - it's not really feeling very finished at the moment as I deal with these increased side effects from the cumulative treatments.
This left me thinking that my reading from Jesus Calling this morning was quite appropriate in how it described the first part of my day, so apt that I made sure to show it to Rod -
'Therefore, rejoice on those days when you drag hourself out of bed, feeling sluggish and inadequate. Tell yourself that this ia a perfect day to depend on Me in childlike trust. If you persevere in this dependence as you go through the day, you will discover at bedtime that Joy and Peace have become your companions. You may not realize at what point they joined you on your journey, but you will feel the beneficial effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a day is a doxology of gratitude. I am He from whom all blessings flow!'
What did I have to lose ;). I depended with the childlike trust and got myself together to go to the work meetings I had. Before I even got out of my car there was an email from my manager to the team saying that there were treats at his desk but that we would 'have to have a really good reason' for visiting. I thought I could come up with one or two good reasons as I made my way into the office. What a sight I must have been arriving with my nose running and my eyes tearing (they call them Taxo-tears - another side effect). Who could refuse providing treats to someone looking that pathetic? ;)
As always, it was so good to see everyone and visit/meet with them. They made me feel so much better, telling me how wonderful I was looking and, compared to how I had looked first thing in the morning, it was true so I soaked it all in.
When I arrived home there was a package in the mail. It was the watch that I had picked out as a gift to commemorate my 30 years with the heatlh region. It is quite beautiful in gold and silver and it is engraved on the back.
I also received a gift card for a meal at the Keg from relatives that have already been more than generous with an Amazon gift card in the past. Hard to continue to feel sorry for myself with all this going on.
I had a great phone call with Robin as she was driving home which seemed like a gift in itself and then right afterwards I received a call for Rod. Turns out he bought one raffle ticket for a golf package this weekend at a hockey tournament and he won. I'm so happy for him, he has been a such a saint, long before any breast cancer diagnosis but especially since. It was fun to be able to call him and let him know about it.
Over all, a good day to have dragged myself out of bed, no matter how sluggish the start :).
Take care, everyone.
This left me thinking that my reading from Jesus Calling this morning was quite appropriate in how it described the first part of my day, so apt that I made sure to show it to Rod -
'Therefore, rejoice on those days when you drag hourself out of bed, feeling sluggish and inadequate. Tell yourself that this ia a perfect day to depend on Me in childlike trust. If you persevere in this dependence as you go through the day, you will discover at bedtime that Joy and Peace have become your companions. You may not realize at what point they joined you on your journey, but you will feel the beneficial effects of their presence. The perfect end to such a day is a doxology of gratitude. I am He from whom all blessings flow!'
What did I have to lose ;). I depended with the childlike trust and got myself together to go to the work meetings I had. Before I even got out of my car there was an email from my manager to the team saying that there were treats at his desk but that we would 'have to have a really good reason' for visiting. I thought I could come up with one or two good reasons as I made my way into the office. What a sight I must have been arriving with my nose running and my eyes tearing (they call them Taxo-tears - another side effect). Who could refuse providing treats to someone looking that pathetic? ;)
As always, it was so good to see everyone and visit/meet with them. They made me feel so much better, telling me how wonderful I was looking and, compared to how I had looked first thing in the morning, it was true so I soaked it all in.
When I arrived home there was a package in the mail. It was the watch that I had picked out as a gift to commemorate my 30 years with the heatlh region. It is quite beautiful in gold and silver and it is engraved on the back.
I also received a gift card for a meal at the Keg from relatives that have already been more than generous with an Amazon gift card in the past. Hard to continue to feel sorry for myself with all this going on.
I had a great phone call with Robin as she was driving home which seemed like a gift in itself and then right afterwards I received a call for Rod. Turns out he bought one raffle ticket for a golf package this weekend at a hockey tournament and he won. I'm so happy for him, he has been a such a saint, long before any breast cancer diagnosis but especially since. It was fun to be able to call him and let him know about it.
Over all, a good day to have dragged myself out of bed, no matter how sluggish the start :).
Take care, everyone.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Done!
I just submitted my last assignment and completed the final test for the course I am taking towards my Business Analysis Certificate. It feels so good! I can't guarantee that it's my best work but I'm happy with what I was able to do and now I can concentrate on the Christmas stuff that I need to accomplish, starting with the children's goodie bags for our church Christmas dinner tomorrow. I have everything that will go into them, I just need to do some assembling and transporting of them.
Then I need to get this house looking and smelling a little festive. I have some baking planned for next week and I will get Rod and Kenny to help with the decorating. I always think that I should have everything deep cleaned first but realistically speaking, I think maybe we'll just place the decorations strategically to mask the worst areas. Next year I can always try for better.
Next week promises to be a busy week. I will be going into work on Monday a.m. for a couple of meetings and tea. Tuesday is a lunch with several ladies from the church, Wednesday is a class for my BEAUTY program that I have been involved in regarding exercise during breast cancer treatment. The class will be followed by my assessment post the initial 12 weeks, from there I will go on to the maintenance portion of the program. Hopefully I will have maintained or gained but a part of me knows that with everything that has been going on in my life I will probably show some decline in some of the areas. Weight would be one I would welcome decline in but I'm suspecting that won't be the case. Thursday I need to get presents wrapped and the house in order for a family Christmas brunch on Saturday and Friday is our work's Christmas celebration. The Saturday brunch will introduce us to Caleb's girlfriend Leisha's parents and we'll do the gifting for those of us in the city so we don't have to take too many out with us when we go to Justin and Leah's.
I've seen pictures of my grandchildren preparing for our visit, they have been busy making cookies (wearing cookies might be a more apt way of phrasing it for Keiran). It looks like fun, I can't wait to be there to celebrate Christmas with them.
Take care everyone.
Then I need to get this house looking and smelling a little festive. I have some baking planned for next week and I will get Rod and Kenny to help with the decorating. I always think that I should have everything deep cleaned first but realistically speaking, I think maybe we'll just place the decorations strategically to mask the worst areas. Next year I can always try for better.
Next week promises to be a busy week. I will be going into work on Monday a.m. for a couple of meetings and tea. Tuesday is a lunch with several ladies from the church, Wednesday is a class for my BEAUTY program that I have been involved in regarding exercise during breast cancer treatment. The class will be followed by my assessment post the initial 12 weeks, from there I will go on to the maintenance portion of the program. Hopefully I will have maintained or gained but a part of me knows that with everything that has been going on in my life I will probably show some decline in some of the areas. Weight would be one I would welcome decline in but I'm suspecting that won't be the case. Thursday I need to get presents wrapped and the house in order for a family Christmas brunch on Saturday and Friday is our work's Christmas celebration. The Saturday brunch will introduce us to Caleb's girlfriend Leisha's parents and we'll do the gifting for those of us in the city so we don't have to take too many out with us when we go to Justin and Leah's.
Take care everyone.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
A Special Day
The previous two evenings I completed more reading and submitted two more assignments for my course. More bites out of that elephant! I am very thankful for google, it came in quite handy with the last assignment when I needed to know how to make a Pareto Diagram in Excel. Yes, I googled ;)
I am definitely experiencing the peripheral neuropathy side effect of the chemo this time around. The ends of my fingers and my toes feel like they had frostbite and the circulation is just returning. Not a fun feeling. I'm not sure if I usually hit my toes on things as often as I seem to be doing in the last few days and just never notice it or if because of the numbness I am not judging their distance from things properly right now but they are taking a bit of a beating and it isn't helping. Anyway, I was out for a bit this a.m. but found walking around wasn't a lot of fun and was glad to get home and take my shoes off.
I had two events this evening that I was planning on getting to so I knew that I would need to rest up beforehand. I made my dish for the Autism association's Christmas celebration and put it in the slow cooker, then I took my candy for the Gingerbread decorating party and put it in the car. Once done, I settled in the recliner for my 'long winter's nap'. Kenny came home and roused me with the announcement that he had been amazing in his presentation at school this afternoon. I wish he wasn't so humble ;)
I did make it to the Autism Christmas celebration and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a good selection of hot and cold food as well as desserts. There were several new people that have begun attending the Asperger's group and I was able to meet and talk to them. I was also very happy to see and visit with the regulars I have gotten to know and appreciate over the past couple of years. I received very special gifts of home made soap, Nanking Cherry jam and Christmas tea. I realized it was probably time for me to get going when I was having trouble standing and balancing on my feet but every time I started to make the effort to go someone else would come in or come up and I would be drawn into another conversation. I did finally get away, but not without many wonderful hugs, not really the norm in this type of setting which makes them that much more special.
If anyone is interested in seeing a movie that portrays a man who has Asperger's I would highly recommend the movie "My Name is Khan". I watched it last weekend on Netflix. The time period the story takes place over is pre and post 911 and the protagonist is Muslim. The movie shows the wonderful strengths of a person with Asperger's and how they can be used to bless others as well as the significant sensory issues that can also go along with Asperger's.
I did not make it to the gingerbread decorating party. I just know that there are gingerbread houses and cookies out there now that are lacking the candies that I did not arrive with and that makes me sad but I also knew as I was driving away from the Autism association that I was no longer up to a trip from there to the another quadrant of the city and then all the way back over to my side of the city again.
I came home to hear Rod congratulating Kenny on his 'awesome presentation' at school today. More humility on Kenny's part, I'm guessing.
Perfect end to a very special day. :)
Take care everyone.
I am definitely experiencing the peripheral neuropathy side effect of the chemo this time around. The ends of my fingers and my toes feel like they had frostbite and the circulation is just returning. Not a fun feeling. I'm not sure if I usually hit my toes on things as often as I seem to be doing in the last few days and just never notice it or if because of the numbness I am not judging their distance from things properly right now but they are taking a bit of a beating and it isn't helping. Anyway, I was out for a bit this a.m. but found walking around wasn't a lot of fun and was glad to get home and take my shoes off.
I had two events this evening that I was planning on getting to so I knew that I would need to rest up beforehand. I made my dish for the Autism association's Christmas celebration and put it in the slow cooker, then I took my candy for the Gingerbread decorating party and put it in the car. Once done, I settled in the recliner for my 'long winter's nap'. Kenny came home and roused me with the announcement that he had been amazing in his presentation at school this afternoon. I wish he wasn't so humble ;)
I did make it to the Autism Christmas celebration and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a good selection of hot and cold food as well as desserts. There were several new people that have begun attending the Asperger's group and I was able to meet and talk to them. I was also very happy to see and visit with the regulars I have gotten to know and appreciate over the past couple of years. I received very special gifts of home made soap, Nanking Cherry jam and Christmas tea. I realized it was probably time for me to get going when I was having trouble standing and balancing on my feet but every time I started to make the effort to go someone else would come in or come up and I would be drawn into another conversation. I did finally get away, but not without many wonderful hugs, not really the norm in this type of setting which makes them that much more special.
If anyone is interested in seeing a movie that portrays a man who has Asperger's I would highly recommend the movie "My Name is Khan". I watched it last weekend on Netflix. The time period the story takes place over is pre and post 911 and the protagonist is Muslim. The movie shows the wonderful strengths of a person with Asperger's and how they can be used to bless others as well as the significant sensory issues that can also go along with Asperger's.
I did not make it to the gingerbread decorating party. I just know that there are gingerbread houses and cookies out there now that are lacking the candies that I did not arrive with and that makes me sad but I also knew as I was driving away from the Autism association that I was no longer up to a trip from there to the another quadrant of the city and then all the way back over to my side of the city again.
I came home to hear Rod congratulating Kenny on his 'awesome presentation' at school today. More humility on Kenny's part, I'm guessing.
Perfect end to a very special day. :)
Take care everyone.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Taking a Bite Out
One of the sayings I was known for when I worked Day Surgery was - 'how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time.'
I am happy to say that I persevered with my on line course last evening and was able to accomplish quite a bit of reading and I submitted one assignment. One down, three to go! :)
This morning I took Kenny for his appointment with the oral surgeon. It looks like he will need to have his wisdom teeth out, the surgeon seemed very nice. I must really be getting old when the doctors all remind me of my own sons. I felt like I should encourage him as he recited the list of all the possible issues that could occur as a result of the surgery. He didn't forget one ;). Kenny is now booked for the end of January, he may need to refrain from 'taking a bite' for a day or two after the surgery.
Following dropping Kenny at school I went to two stores for my errands of the day and took a bite out of the grocery shopping I needed to do for some baking and just things I don't get at Costco - either because they don't carry the items or their quantities are too large for us to use in time. There is also a Christmas potluck at the Autism association for the Asperger's group on Thursday evening and I needed the items to make my dish for that.
The morning wore me out, it was so good to be back home but it felt so good to have more of my list taken care of. I had a quick lunch and made a couple of phone calls related to my Mom. The orthopedic surgeon has discharged her from his care and she is now under the care of a hospitalist and she moved units today. One more step on the way to rehab. She was looking and feeling quite good yesterday, an amazing woman to have recovered so quickly from the trauma of her injury, it will take a little longer to be mobile again. I also wanted to make sure the pharmacy supplying her medications knew to place a hold on them until she was able to return to the lodge.
I thought I might catch a nap after this but found I was having a little too much discomfort to be able to sleep. After trying for a bit, I went and made a lovely snack of apples, peanut butter and dark chocolate chips (healthy, right? ;) - wonderful to take several bites of), heated up my magic bag and took a Tylenol #3. I take them very seldom, I still have twelve of the fifteen that were prescribed in October but for today one should help take a bite out of the discomfort.
Take care everyone, I hope you are making progress on your elephants :)
I am happy to say that I persevered with my on line course last evening and was able to accomplish quite a bit of reading and I submitted one assignment. One down, three to go! :)
This morning I took Kenny for his appointment with the oral surgeon. It looks like he will need to have his wisdom teeth out, the surgeon seemed very nice. I must really be getting old when the doctors all remind me of my own sons. I felt like I should encourage him as he recited the list of all the possible issues that could occur as a result of the surgery. He didn't forget one ;). Kenny is now booked for the end of January, he may need to refrain from 'taking a bite' for a day or two after the surgery.
Following dropping Kenny at school I went to two stores for my errands of the day and took a bite out of the grocery shopping I needed to do for some baking and just things I don't get at Costco - either because they don't carry the items or their quantities are too large for us to use in time. There is also a Christmas potluck at the Autism association for the Asperger's group on Thursday evening and I needed the items to make my dish for that.
The morning wore me out, it was so good to be back home but it felt so good to have more of my list taken care of. I had a quick lunch and made a couple of phone calls related to my Mom. The orthopedic surgeon has discharged her from his care and she is now under the care of a hospitalist and she moved units today. One more step on the way to rehab. She was looking and feeling quite good yesterday, an amazing woman to have recovered so quickly from the trauma of her injury, it will take a little longer to be mobile again. I also wanted to make sure the pharmacy supplying her medications knew to place a hold on them until she was able to return to the lodge.
I thought I might catch a nap after this but found I was having a little too much discomfort to be able to sleep. After trying for a bit, I went and made a lovely snack of apples, peanut butter and dark chocolate chips (healthy, right? ;) - wonderful to take several bites of), heated up my magic bag and took a Tylenol #3. I take them very seldom, I still have twelve of the fifteen that were prescribed in October but for today one should help take a bite out of the discomfort.
Take care everyone, I hope you are making progress on your elephants :)
Monday, December 10, 2012
Not So Amazing
I have come a long way from when I was told 'it's OK to not be amazing some of the time'. I spent most of last weekend barely moving let alone being amazing.
I'm not sure how much was psychological and how much was due to side effects from the chemo, it probably doesn't matter. The joint and muscle discomfort and the fatigue combined with the cold weather to make staying inside and being quiet seem very appealing. I find that I was also overwhelmed with everything that I needed to do in regards to Mom, my course and other things. It seemed that I needed to first do nothing before I could do something. After spending most of two days doing nothing on Saturday and Sunday, I was able to sit down on Sunday evening and list what needed to be done in the next two weeks. That felt good. I made sure that none of the plans for any one day were overly ambitious - one outing a day, rest periods built in, household tasks divided as evenly as possible between the days, the seasonal and other things that required doing also spaced out according to deadlines.
Today I started tackling my list. So far I have been able to cross off most of the things I had down for today with the exception of working on my online course. I have four assignments and some reading I need to do sooner than later. I need to stop procrastinating but I'm finding it hard to concentrate at this point in my day.
Is it really procrastinating if I decide to wait until tomorrow morning when my brain will be fresher?
Probably ;)
Best get at it, chemo brain is no excuse.
Take care, everyone.
Is it really procrastinating if I decide to wait until tomorrow morning when my brain will be fresher?
Probably ;)
Best get at it, chemo brain is no excuse.
Take care, everyone.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Laughter as the Best Medicine
While I was laying low over the past few days I have been reading. One of the books is "Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor's Soul: Healing Stories of Courage and Inspiration".
I have been working on encouraging my online friend who is going through chemo. It has been rough for her. Our minds and what and how we think and staying positive are so important while going through treatment. I wanted to be able to provide her with some tools and inspiration.
I also needed to add some lightness to my day. I am thankful to have received an email from my cousin this afternoon informing me that the hospital was preparing to transfer my Mom today to a hospital that is in a further town than the lodge she was placed in recently. This was all done without consulting or calling me to inform me. Due to my cousin's email I was able to circumvent this from happening. The transition coordinator had only gone by the address on Mom's chart, without looking into whether Mom was actually from the area or not or what her circumstances were. I am so thankful for the email and I think things are straightened out and going in the right direction now, but not without some stress eating on my part. I'll have to watch that ;).
I also needed to add some lightness to my day. I am thankful to have received an email from my cousin this afternoon informing me that the hospital was preparing to transfer my Mom today to a hospital that is in a further town than the lodge she was placed in recently. This was all done without consulting or calling me to inform me. Due to my cousin's email I was able to circumvent this from happening. The transition coordinator had only gone by the address on Mom's chart, without looking into whether Mom was actually from the area or not or what her circumstances were. I am so thankful for the email and I think things are straightened out and going in the right direction now, but not without some stress eating on my part. I'll have to watch that ;).
There is a story about Norman Cousins in the book and I will quote some of the things the author said in his story regarding the role of laughter in healing -
Laughter is essential to our equilibrium, to our well-being, to our aliveness. If we're not well, laughter helps us get well; if we are well, laughter helps us stay that way.
... scientific studies have shown that laughter has a curative effect on the body, the mind and the emotions.
So, if you like laughter, consider it sound medical advice to engage in it as often as you can. If you don't like laughter, then take your medicine - laugh anyway.
Another quote in the book by Josh Billings -
There ain't much fun in medicine but there's a heck of a lot of medicine in fun.
One last quote -
One last quote -
Seven days without laughter makes one weak - Joel Goodman
I think tonight would be a good one for me to watch some videos of my grandchildren and then a seasonal comedy like Elf. Last spring after Forrest was born, I went and stayed with Justin and Leah and family for a week. One of the highlights of the week for me was sitting and watching Elf with Lilly. Sharing her genuine enjoyment and laughter at the movie made it a delight for me to watch also.
I hope your evening will be as much fun as mine promises to be. You are welcome to add popcorn and goodies to your evening - I think I'm over my junk food quota for today.
Take care
I think tonight would be a good one for me to watch some videos of my grandchildren and then a seasonal comedy like Elf. Last spring after Forrest was born, I went and stayed with Justin and Leah and family for a week. One of the highlights of the week for me was sitting and watching Elf with Lilly. Sharing her genuine enjoyment and laughter at the movie made it a delight for me to watch also.
I hope your evening will be as much fun as mine promises to be. You are welcome to add popcorn and goodies to your evening - I think I'm over my junk food quota for today.
Take care
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Quick Update
Very brief post today. So far not so bad post chemo. I am finding that my joints and muscles started aching sooner this time, starting the evening of chemo and a little GI 'stuff' but otherwise not too bad.
I have been taking it pretty easy with the exception of the steroid induced housework I did yesterday morning, that energy wore off fairly quickly though ;). The chicken that I had cut up and marinated in preparation for last night's supper is still sitting in the marinade this evening, hopefully to be cooked for tomorrow night's supper or I'm going to have to freeze it. My energy and enthusiasm for the supper kind of dissipated when I tried to make sweet potato chips in the oven as a start. First, there was smoke all over the house and then when I pulled them out, they were all stuck to the foil I was directed by the recipe to place them on. I won't be repeating that recipe, hopefully the chicken recipe turns out better. Note to self - don't be too ambitious on the new recipes just yet.
Now that I have finished the prescribed post chemo meds I will try to get to the hospital to see my Mom again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully there will be good progress for her. I also need to get in some reading and assignments for my online course, the instructor is being very patient and understanding.
I am thankful.
Take care
I have been taking it pretty easy with the exception of the steroid induced housework I did yesterday morning, that energy wore off fairly quickly though ;). The chicken that I had cut up and marinated in preparation for last night's supper is still sitting in the marinade this evening, hopefully to be cooked for tomorrow night's supper or I'm going to have to freeze it. My energy and enthusiasm for the supper kind of dissipated when I tried to make sweet potato chips in the oven as a start. First, there was smoke all over the house and then when I pulled them out, they were all stuck to the foil I was directed by the recipe to place them on. I won't be repeating that recipe, hopefully the chicken recipe turns out better. Note to self - don't be too ambitious on the new recipes just yet.
Now that I have finished the prescribed post chemo meds I will try to get to the hospital to see my Mom again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully there will be good progress for her. I also need to get in some reading and assignments for my online course, the instructor is being very patient and understanding.
I am thankful.
Take care
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Celebrating!
Today was the last of my big chemo infusions with the combination Taxotere and Herceptin! From now on just the Herceptin every three weeks and no premeds. I am happy dancing (at least before the side effects kick in ;)
This a.m. Kenny asked me to drive him to the GNC that is closest to our house before he went to school (he has a spare first thing on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Our timing worked out perfectly, we got there just after the store opened at 1000 a.m. and there was a very attractive young girl who asked if she could help us. By the time we left the store she had convinced him that a multivitamin would be a very good thing to take every day, something I haven't been able to do so I was very happy to buy the suggested ones. Ten minutes later, as she was ringing up our purchases she told him that he should find he has more energy during his workouts, I asked if this would carry over to when he got home and needed to clean his room. She said that she always finds that putting on good music helps her with things like that - maybe I can hope that since she was so effective with the multi-vitamin sale he might try the music and room cleaning part too!
I got Kenny to school and then I went to the hospital to see my Mom. She was looking quite well for having had a fairly major surgery yesterday. One of the nurses came in and removed the dressing, everything was looking really good. They were lacking some of her history, so I went into work mode and showed them how they could find her previous hospitalizations (encounters) in the electronic health record and see the lengthy discharge summary the hospitalist placed on her record before she left for the lodge. They appreciated this and took her off one of the meds they had put her on after referencing the record. Yay! I have had great difficulty in the past convincing doctors and caregivers of the instructions that the infectious diseases physicians gave in the past regarding treating her. Now it is documented on the record for all to access.
After visiting Mom I picked up Rod at his shop and we were off to my last of the big chemo's. What a good feeling. I found myself dancing around a little to some Christmas music as I got ready for my day this morning.
Once in to the treatment area things went very smoothly with port access and I was hooked up and infusion started. The volunteers timed their arrival beautifully and gave me tea in a beautiful cup and saucer that had poinsettias on it. Rod took a couple of pictures -
I was done with both drugs by the end of about two hours. On the counter of the nurses station was a large bell. I was told that it was tradition that patients could ring the bell as many times as they wanted on their last chemo. I rang it a few times and all the nurses clapped, complimented and congratulated me (a little alliteration there ;). It was a nice feeling, most of them had been my nurses at one point or another throughout my chemo experience.
I saw a post on Pinterest that I liked while I was having my chemo, it goes like this -
This a.m. Kenny asked me to drive him to the GNC that is closest to our house before he went to school (he has a spare first thing on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Our timing worked out perfectly, we got there just after the store opened at 1000 a.m. and there was a very attractive young girl who asked if she could help us. By the time we left the store she had convinced him that a multivitamin would be a very good thing to take every day, something I haven't been able to do so I was very happy to buy the suggested ones. Ten minutes later, as she was ringing up our purchases she told him that he should find he has more energy during his workouts, I asked if this would carry over to when he got home and needed to clean his room. She said that she always finds that putting on good music helps her with things like that - maybe I can hope that since she was so effective with the multi-vitamin sale he might try the music and room cleaning part too!
I got Kenny to school and then I went to the hospital to see my Mom. She was looking quite well for having had a fairly major surgery yesterday. One of the nurses came in and removed the dressing, everything was looking really good. They were lacking some of her history, so I went into work mode and showed them how they could find her previous hospitalizations (encounters) in the electronic health record and see the lengthy discharge summary the hospitalist placed on her record before she left for the lodge. They appreciated this and took her off one of the meds they had put her on after referencing the record. Yay! I have had great difficulty in the past convincing doctors and caregivers of the instructions that the infectious diseases physicians gave in the past regarding treating her. Now it is documented on the record for all to access.
After visiting Mom I picked up Rod at his shop and we were off to my last of the big chemo's. What a good feeling. I found myself dancing around a little to some Christmas music as I got ready for my day this morning.
Once in to the treatment area things went very smoothly with port access and I was hooked up and infusion started. The volunteers timed their arrival beautifully and gave me tea in a beautiful cup and saucer that had poinsettias on it. Rod took a couple of pictures -
I was done with both drugs by the end of about two hours. On the counter of the nurses station was a large bell. I was told that it was tradition that patients could ring the bell as many times as they wanted on their last chemo. I rang it a few times and all the nurses clapped, complimented and congratulated me (a little alliteration there ;). It was a nice feeling, most of them had been my nurses at one point or another throughout my chemo experience.
I saw a post on Pinterest that I liked while I was having my chemo, it goes like this -
It's a good one and very true. I will remember it as I go through the next few weeks. Take care everyone.
Monday, December 3, 2012
A Good Day
Today was my lab work and oncologist appointment pre-chemo number 6.
Over the last couple of days here we have had quite a bit of snow. As I drove down the boulevard and along the drive by the provincial park we live by God was showing off for me again. The view was spectacular! The sun was shining, the sky was blue and all the trees (deciduous and coniferous) as well as the grass areas looked like they had been sprinkled with a very generous amount of pure white icing sugar.
I prayed ahead of getting there that I would find a parking spot fairly close to the Cancer Centre, my energy isn't quite what it used to be and I find I get short of breath easier when walking. As I was driving through the parking lot by an ideal parking spot the people in the car occupying it got into their car and pulled out, leaving the spot for me to claim.
It was very busy in the lab area when I got there with my requisition. A lady moved her things to provide me with one of the few seats and just as I sat down a volunteer came by with her cart and served me tea and cookies. This made the wait quite pleasant, my tea was done by the time my number was called.
I called the hospital my Mom is in a couple of times during my time at the Cancer Centre. Mom was taken for her surgery late morning and had not returned from the Recovery Room by the time I was done my appointment, given the blessing to proceed with my chemo tomorrow and had my prescriptions filled. It was now mid-afternoon so I decided that I would go make the Costco trip today so I would be more available tomorrow morning to go and see Mom.
Once again at Costco, someone was leaving a very nicely situated parking spot just as I was looking for one :). Things went quite smoothly in the store and I managed to make it out right before rush hour traffic. I phoned Mom's unit one more time, she had just arrived back on the unit and it sounded quite busy.
Nice to know she has had the surgery and now the process or recovery/rehabilitation begins.
At my oncologist appointment today we discussed the Herceptin infusions I will have every three weeks until August 2013. Thursdays and Fridays are the days I was offered for these infusions. Due to the fact that there can tend to be stat holidays on Fridays and I would like the infusions to continue on time and get them over with without being postponed, I chose Thursdays. I will not require premeds for these infusions which is great, I'm not liking the steroids much. Having them on Thursdays also means that any side effects should be dealt with and over during the weekend, making it easier for me work-wise. I also received a prescription for Tamoxifen, which she suggested I wait until after Christmas to start, in case I experienced any initial side effects. I will have the first solo Herceptin infusion on January 3rd and then I will be sent for another MUGA scan followed by an appointment with the oncologist on January 14th. If lab work and scan results are good at that appointment then I won't need an oncologist appointment for three months. Light at the end of the tunnel.
All in all a good day.
Take care everyone.
Over the last couple of days here we have had quite a bit of snow. As I drove down the boulevard and along the drive by the provincial park we live by God was showing off for me again. The view was spectacular! The sun was shining, the sky was blue and all the trees (deciduous and coniferous) as well as the grass areas looked like they had been sprinkled with a very generous amount of pure white icing sugar.
I prayed ahead of getting there that I would find a parking spot fairly close to the Cancer Centre, my energy isn't quite what it used to be and I find I get short of breath easier when walking. As I was driving through the parking lot by an ideal parking spot the people in the car occupying it got into their car and pulled out, leaving the spot for me to claim.
It was very busy in the lab area when I got there with my requisition. A lady moved her things to provide me with one of the few seats and just as I sat down a volunteer came by with her cart and served me tea and cookies. This made the wait quite pleasant, my tea was done by the time my number was called.
I called the hospital my Mom is in a couple of times during my time at the Cancer Centre. Mom was taken for her surgery late morning and had not returned from the Recovery Room by the time I was done my appointment, given the blessing to proceed with my chemo tomorrow and had my prescriptions filled. It was now mid-afternoon so I decided that I would go make the Costco trip today so I would be more available tomorrow morning to go and see Mom.
Once again at Costco, someone was leaving a very nicely situated parking spot just as I was looking for one :). Things went quite smoothly in the store and I managed to make it out right before rush hour traffic. I phoned Mom's unit one more time, she had just arrived back on the unit and it sounded quite busy.
Nice to know she has had the surgery and now the process or recovery/rehabilitation begins.
At my oncologist appointment today we discussed the Herceptin infusions I will have every three weeks until August 2013. Thursdays and Fridays are the days I was offered for these infusions. Due to the fact that there can tend to be stat holidays on Fridays and I would like the infusions to continue on time and get them over with without being postponed, I chose Thursdays. I will not require premeds for these infusions which is great, I'm not liking the steroids much. Having them on Thursdays also means that any side effects should be dealt with and over during the weekend, making it easier for me work-wise. I also received a prescription for Tamoxifen, which she suggested I wait until after Christmas to start, in case I experienced any initial side effects. I will have the first solo Herceptin infusion on January 3rd and then I will be sent for another MUGA scan followed by an appointment with the oncologist on January 14th. If lab work and scan results are good at that appointment then I won't need an oncologist appointment for three months. Light at the end of the tunnel.
All in all a good day.
Take care everyone.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Faith to be Strong
Yesterday Rod and I picked up the bed for Mom and took it out to her along with a few more of her things. Rod set it up and made sure the brakes were locked and that Mom was able to use the remote to get the head up and down before we made our way home.
Kenny had a hockey game at 7 p.m. I was feeling quite tired as we had also attended a housewarming a couple from our church held during the day so I stayed home. While at the housewarming we enjoyed visiting and I was fortunate to be able to put a sweet baby to sleep and then hold him for the duration of the time we were there. Grandma was definitely missing her grandchildren ;).
While Rod and Kenny were out I received a call from the lodge telling me that Mom had fallen in her room on the way back from the washroom and injured her right hip. They wanted me to come out and take her to emergency for an x-ray. I told them I wouldn't be able to do this. I had two reasons - I didn't feel I would be able to help her in and out of the car and wheelchairs if it was just me and I have been warned not to expose myself to the germs in a busy emergency while immunosuppressed. I asked if they could send her via ambulance and they agreed to do this.
When Rod arrived home I updated him on what was happening. We kept in touch with the nurses in Emergency during the night and found out about 2 a.m. that Mom's right hip was fractured. She is now waiting for surgery while admitted to an ortho floor.
I drove out to the lodge this a.m. to let them know and collect some of the things she will need while in the hospital. Rod went to see Mom while she was still in the Emergency department and then went on to church.
There is a song I listen to when I need strength. I listened to it the night before and morning of my surgery, before my first chemo and again this morning. It is called 'Faith to be Strong' by Andrew Peterson.
Here is the link -
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8OpUlIXDgGk'
Take care everyone.
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