Rant!

One of my pet-peeves is paying for parking. Anyone who has ever asked me to pick them up at the airport knows they better lug their luggage to the curve where I will swing by and grab them, therefore avoiding, what I call, the "airport parking exhortion."

I have been twisted about the parking charge at the hospital each day.

The garage/lots take cash only, my first frustration, who carries cash?!

The fee is $3.50 per half hour. Last week I was 4 minutes into the next half and paid $7.00.

Yup.... $7.00 for 34 minutes of parking. My treatment only takes a few minutes, and I really try to hightail it in and out, taking no time for salutations or meandering.

I get that I have to eat a bland diet, but for some reason I have not been able to adjust.

I guess I am just stubborn!

So, when I whine and complain about my tummy being upset, ignore me, it is self-inflicted.

My new best friend.... Imodium

I have been instructed to eat a very restricted diet while I am having this pelvic radiation.

White rice, white bread, mashed potatoes, bananas.... exciting eh?

No fresh fruits and veggies ... they need to be cooked and no veggies that are high in fibre. No coffee!!! No chocolate!!! I can have clear broth or sport drinks. Nothing greasy, fried, spicy or sugary. I have to avoid nuts, seeds and beans. Limit milk or switch to soy beverages.

I should not have been surprised tonight when we had to make an emergency stop on the way home from camp.

Today's diet: 2 cups coffee

prunes and toast

bbq'd hamburgers with lots of spices and bbq sauce

topped with raw onion and tomato

hot mustard and relish

muchies: raw carrots, yellow peppers, cheese.

I am going to be more careful.

The treatments went great yesterday and again today.

I am not having a lot of symptoms yet, I find I am a bit food sensitive. I am going to cut back on some of the things I was told not to eat and use a little common sense. (bacon and corn-on-the-cob are not good food choices!)

Have a terrific weekend.

2 down . . . 23 to go

The radiation treatments have started but it has not been without some glitches. The first appointment went long (an hour) as they fiddled around for with my positioning. They ended up having to take 3 xrays to help and staying absolutely still with my head in a very hard, uncomfortable block just about drove me crazy. Day two... the machine broke down! So I sat for an hour waiting before they sent me home. I never got back to the clinic. Today, one hour wait to be told it was down again!!!!
The clinic called and I did get in later for my second treatment. The staff in this department are not friendly. This experience has not been like the chemotherapy. The staff (reception and nurses) in the chemotherapy clinic were amazing and as much as I did not like the drugs I did look forward to seeing the staff. I hope this is just a rough start and things will get easier.

Radiation Therapy tomorrow @ 9:00am

What Happens During Radiation
On the days you get radiation, you’ll lie on a table while the machine is placed over you. You may have to wear a hospital gown. The experience is a lot like getting an X-ray, only it lasts longer. The whole process lasts about 15 to 30 minutes, with about 1 to 5 minutes spent actually getting the radiation. A radiation therapist may use special shields to cover parts of your body that don’t need to get the radiation. Or the machine itself may have built-in shields to protect you. The therapist will line up the machine exactly with the areas that were marked during the simulation.

The therapist will leave the room to turn on the machine. You will be able to talk to the therapist over an intercom. You can’t feel radiation. It is painless. You may hear whirring or clicking noises.

You will get radiation treatments every day for 5 days in a row for about to 6 weeks.

You will not be radioactive afterward, so don’t worry about that.

I want hair!

My hair is starting to come in, scant on top, thicker on the sides and back. No fabulous colour, no beautiful curls and waves, just short black and white stubble. (sticking straight up!)

I have just about reached the 2 month post chemo mark and I guess I pictured a short and sassy little hair-do up there by now.

What a fabulous morning at camp. It couldn't be anymore beautiful.

I have absolutely nothing on my "to do" list, leaving me the whole day to spend with my Lord.

I have so much to thank Him for. Thanks God for being with me.

This is a photo taken down at the beach.

Come near to God and He will come near to you. - James 4:8

Answers
I seen Dr. S this morning. I was prepared with my list of questions.
He walked in and initiated the conversation by saying, "I think you might have got the wrong idea the last time we spoke." I said, "Doctor, I have a list of questions I want to ask you first." He was terrific. He patiently listened to my questions and concerns.
He explained why they are using the conventional radiation machine instead of the more modern IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy). We talked about my most recent bout of Klebsiella bacteria (not resolved yet) and if it would impact my radiation therapy. I had concerns about finishing radiation just about the time the H1N1 influenza is suppose to hit the Ottawa Valley. (September) We talked about the possibility of the getting the influenza vaccine.
It came down to this. At this time, there is no visible cancer. I am not exhibiting any symptoms of organ disease and I have tolerated the first two steps of the propose treatment plan. The radiation will scope my abdomen for microscopic cancer. This is cancer that is impossible to see or detect. He added to this, that he is so sure that my symptoms will be minimum based on how I have tolerated the chemotherapy. He told me that about 1/2 of the people who receive treatment for cancer get radiation at some point. The statistics show that adverse reactions are rare.
So, here I go, off to radiation. I know I have waffled on this last piece of therapy. I guess if there is even one tiny, tiny, tiny, bit of disease this could impact on me down the road.

update: radiation starts Monday, August 17th @ 9:00am

I see the radiation oncologist tomorrow morning. I really need to have some questions answered. During the last two appointments the doctor has answered my questions with big sweeping answers that have shut down my questions. Comments like, "we've been doing this for 20 years, it works" and "you have changed and things will not be the same again"

Good Grief!!!

Changed? How have I changed?

Hopefully tomorrow I will get my questions answered... I have wrote them down. I will plod through them, even if his answers try to shut them down.

Wish me luck. I need to have them answered so that I can go forward with this leg of my treatment plan with confidence and purpose.

Does that make sense to you? or am I being overly judicious?

Peach Fuzz

My hair is starting to come back. The new hair looks like it is going to be very white!

I really had no idea how white it may have become because I coloured it.

I have decided not to colour anymore... so what comes, comes.

Update on Radiation

I did not start my radiation treatments this week. I was diagnosed with a bacterial infection

Klebsiella and was feeling very poorly. I have an appointment with my oncologist on Tuesday so that we can talk about some of the issues that are still troubling me about the radiation.