Skip to main content

Week 2 - Part 1

So when last I posted, it was the weekend we told my dad about my diagnosis. Good grief, that was just last Saturday!

Sunday 12th June: Told my brother and his wife the news.  We also planned to go out for brunch since my dad was in town, so we did that, after we all went for hair cuts (mine shocked the kids a bit).  They are not sure they like it.  That evening, a friend of ours was celebrating a milestone birthday, so we did go out and tried to forget about the week ahead, and enjoy some time with friends.

Monday 13th June: No food - surgery Monday morning to insert a port-a-cath. This is new technology where they setup a catheter directly to the large vein under your collarbone to allow for easy access to do the chemo infusions (since it is very hard to do an IV each time). It remains under the skin so the nurses can access it each time.  As soon as I was sufficiently recovered, we headed off to do an Echo cardiogram (since the chemo drugs could affect the heart - added bonus).  On the upside, got the news that the PET/CT scan did not show any spread of the disease to the bones.  That was such a big relief -that was cause for celebration!

Tuesday 14th June: First chemo treatment (I go every two weeks for this round). Came home a bit tired,queasy but not horrible.  You know they are giving you something powerful when the nurse tells you, "Make sure you flush twice after you use the toilet - to protect your loved ones."  Well, if you didn't understand about what these drugs do to you, you sure would know now.

Wednesday 15 June:  Felt ok, so I took a spin into the office. Full of drugs from the treatment.  Went in to hospital get a shot (to boost the white blood cells), to build me up for the next round of chemo in two weeks.  Then headed home and topped off the day with an MRI.

Fear Rating: Low - avoiding reading too much has been great to manage this
Worry Rating: Low - see above
Physical Health Rating: Well, I'm beginning to feel it
Mental Health: For me, so far so good, but concerned about my Dad, Gunnar.  The boys are happy, happy.  Stay tuned for Part 2 - or how may blood draws and IVs can I have?

To all my family and friends who have contacted me, I know you understand why I am not able to respond to all of you individually. Thank you.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I wish...

This post is my one rant to looking back (I've been told by my doctors not to), but I've justified it to myself by deciding if it makes one person make a different choice, then that's fine with me.  So now that I know what I know, what do I wish? I wish I understood that when a mammogram comes back negative, it does not necessarily mean that they examined all the tissue and they were able to see clearly that nothing was there (a true negative). It could also mean, they've looked and they cannot distinguish normal from tumour tissue (inconclusive).  So ladies, when the radiologist tells you "Ma'am you've got dense breasts", know that it means they can't see a darned thing. If you think something is going wrong, press for an alternative diagnostic tool or monitor yourself more closely in the coming months knowing that the mammogram you just had that said negative, really said, "We don't know".  Oh..and enlist the aid of a specialist ...
5 comments
Read more

Fitness Photo Shoot

Fitness after stage III breast cancer Plank on ball in silhouette Why a fitness shoot? I am not a fitness model, nor am I ripped like one, but I wanted to do a fitness shoot for a few different reasons: 1. As a reminder of how far I have come At the 5-year anniversary of my diagnosis of stage III breast cancer, it seemed a good time to remind myself how far I have come since I went through the trauma of diagnosis and treatment. That no matter how low I felt at the time, I came through it. Not all my sisters made it and many are still struggling today (shout out to my IV-leagers - those living with stage IV,  EVERY DAY). 2. As a reminder of how much the body can do It is a moment for me to acknowledge that while there are things I still cannot do, there are things I could not do when I first started lifting weights, that I can do now and THAT is amazing to me. When I first started weight lifting maybe I could do shoulder presses with 7.5 lbs, now I can do more t...
17 comments
Read more

Job Search2: Networking etiquette..

On which I have a few ideas.  As my husband keeps telling me, I won't get a job by spending hours in front of the computer submitting applications to online job postings.  The best use of any job-seeker's time is spent talking to friends and acquaintances and letting them know that you are looking for a job and what your skills and interests are. So here is what I found tricky about networking: How hard to push?  Working parents are busy, so if I asked a friend, who is a working parent, about a position I had seen at their company, do I ask a second time? How soon after? And what if there is another position - do I talk about that too?  If that friend is very enthusiastic about getting more information for me on a post then I hear nothing, what then?  Is it realistic to think they'll get back to me?  I find it difficult to broach the topic again.  I might ask a second time but for me there is no third time. What do I trade in return? In the net...
4 comments
Read more