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It's two days after chemo 1 and I still feel pretty good. If not for some very stressful family issues, this would be a piece of cake, but even those are beginning to improve somewhat.
Bob and Mom continue to take excellent care of me -- princess pampering is back! The last two days of sunshine have done wonders for my outlook also.
Today we went down to Princess Margaret Hospital for my first chemotherapy treatment, not a gruesome experience, rather one that left both Bob and I feeling fairly positive. We got lots of info about the chemo itself plus the additional miracle drugs that we hope will mitigate the expected side effects. The whole thing is done intravenously over about an hour in a pleasant daycare area full of colour and light. Lots of paintings on the wall and sunshine pouring in the windows. I was told that losing my hair is unlikely, but I haven't given up entirely on the plan for a spiky purple wig. My next treatment is scheduled for March 23.
My Case Manager is Heidi, the RN whom I met already when I first consulted with my surgeon, Dr. Rosen. She spent considerable time explaining everything and answering our questions and she will be my lifeline in the coming weeks if anything ugly comes up. Her most important message to me today: remember why we are doing this, so go out there and enjoy living!
Now I'm home, curled up on the couch, with dogs for company and my attentive husband nagging me already to keep up the fluids. (Whereas he has been renowned as the Prince of Tea, for the moment he is the Prince of Juice.)
And, oh yes, I'm counting my blessings. One of those is my mom, who came back from Owen Sound yesterday to help things run smoothly.
I finally got the news today about my next stage of treatment. It will be chemotherapy, beginning this Friday and continuing for many weeks at three-week intervals. At about the fourth treatment, I will consult with a radiation oncologist to determine if radiation is to be added next.
Because the cancer I have (Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma) is prone to recurrence and is already invasive, it is treated quite aggressively.
Today is the first day more or less without princess support. Yes, folks, I made my own tea this morning, but, yeah, I went back to bed with it. Surrounded by snoozing dogs, I launched into software upgrade, Day 1, from the comfort of flannelette sheets and jammies. I am aiming for the end of the week to accomplish my move to Panther on my trusty Mac Powerbook. That's what you call a no-pressure deadline, I hope.
As a counterpoint to the tech morning, I spent much of the afternoon blocking the sweater from hell and overhauling my cross-stitch cache. The latter dates from the early 90s and previous. It was quite a revelation. I did a lot of stitching that has never seen the light of day simply because I didn't take the final step of mounting, framing, or whatever. It will be interesting to come up with ways to get this stuff out of the plastic bags.
Oh yes, you probably want to know how I am feeling: On a scale of 10, about 7 (could be 8.5 if it wasn't a snowy February).
Today is my four week anniversary of surgery, the point at which, according to my surgeon, one is more or less recovered, but one needs another two weeks to regain stamina. I concur with the more-or-less-recovered description, as I can now do most things normally, like minor grocery shopping, going to relaxation class (hey, that shouldn't be hard work), other small errands, even all of these things in the same day as receiving visitors (albeit very good friends). I end the day feeling tired, but very gratified and fortunate.
Today my Mom went home and I must say a word or two about this exceptional person. Ever had a guardian angel? Well, she was right here with me when I needed her to be, and was an excellent companion, caregiver and friend. Thanks, Mom, and I love you. I know you will be glad to get home, but I also know you would be here within hours if things get serious again. Even if they don't, when you come next time, you're going to get severely greeted by your grand-dogs.
We had hoped that today's visit to the doctor would give us more info on what treatment comes next, if anything, but it was not to be. Dr. Rosen was unavailable and my pathology report was not ready yet. His substitute viewed my incision, indicated it was healing well and said goodbye. It will likely be at least another week before any more information is available, according to Dr. Rosen's assistant. So it's back to the monster knitting project for now.
Mom is going home on Friday for a much-needed rest and Bob has declared me fully cured until he hears otherwise. I guess that means no more princess pampering (sigh).
I left the premises yesterday for an assignation with my funny Valentine. We decamped to our condo in the city for a lazy afternoon, followed by dinner with our friends, Brian and Jo-Anne, who very kindly waited in line for a table at the chosen restaurant (which doesn't take reservations, but is very popular). They called when our table was imminent and we were only a few minutes away. Afterwards, Bob and I returned to the condo for a quiet evening watching Jim Carrey. Bulletin: laughing is now OK with the patient. So bring on the jokes!
This posting is in response to complaints of scarcity from some of my avid readers -- who knew?! Still not many rivetting tales to tell from the recuperation centre, but here's a nugget or two.
Mom and I were back to yoga tonight, feeling just a bit more flexible than last week, I think. In the last two days, I have been daring enough to take on Revenue Canada (by phone), update my household finances, and finish a knitted scarf that refused to behave. The earlier knitted project, one with a deadline, was shipped out to the recipient on Monday. Got lost for an hour or so yesterday on a quotations site. My favourite of the day: Cancer got me over unimportant fears, like getting old. ~ Olivia Newton-John. OK, it's a bit black, but Olivia conquered breast cancer ten years ago and currently looks like a million on tour in the US. Cheers, everybody!
The days slip by now with tiny bits of progress toward wellness. On Thursday, Marie arrived with one arm full of flowers and the other full of Amelia. Ian arrived later and we had a nice visit complete with tea and animal cookies. Friday, Mom and I decided not to risk the bad roads to go to Wellspring for our relaxation class. Polly braved the weather nonetheless and joined us for a relaxing afternoon by the fire, contributing a pile of books to my efforts to fight boredom. Today's adventure was a trip to the hairdresser, then it was back to the sofa to finish the current knitting project. Pretty thrilling, eh?
Today saw some minor milestones for me, just in time, before I go completely bananas. Ambition returns ahead of capability, it seems. I drove my mom and I to the Chinese grocery store for some watercress and a few other things. Do you know how wonderful watercress is as a diet item?
I made my own lunch, then spent the afternoon knitting to rest up for tonight's yoga class at the cancer support centre. It was a very satisfying class, just demanding enough to make me feel like I am tired tonight for a good reason.
Hello Folks, this is Webcrone, or caregiver #1 for Lynda while she is incapacitated because she is knitting at the moment.
Lynda was a little slow getting up this morning but then she is allowed, don't you think? Each day is an improvement, however, and her determination to overcome is inspiring. Pain killers have been pared to a minimum and she is careful not to lift anything heavier than a fork to her lips.
Yes, she is doing justice to my cooking, mostly, although I would like to see her eat more.
Patience, I tell myself, she is making progress.
We have learned how much watercress is good for you so tomorrow we plan to go to a nearby market called Bigland, a store that has an abundence of fresh produce, to get some.
The sudden thaw has precipitated several drips in the kitchen thanks to a leaky roof. Thank goodness for yogurt containers and lots of towels to catch the moisture.
Thanks for all your good messages, through this page and by email.
Doreen