Round 3 Session 3 - still interrupted

Good day to all.

I am writing this note during a period that was reserved for my 3^rd session of Chemotherapy.  In my last note I had indicated that the 27^th of Dec would be my date for Session 3 but that changed shortly after I had completed the note.  I received a phone call from scheduling to say that the Christmas break was jamming up the available services and they had moved me to early on the 28^th of December.  That resulted in my plan to have my requisite blood tests on Dec 27^th in preparation for the treatment.  I ventured to the hospital early on Monday morning on the quietest streets I have ever experienced in Ottawa.  It was like a ghost town and I was able to get to the hospital in record time.   At the hospital I was greeted by the “blood letters” as they were in severe shortage of patients to ply their trade on.  We chatted in our usual and casual way and I discovered that they all enjoyed Christmas and were all in awe of the ferocity of Mother Nature as she dropped freezing rain over the city the day before.  Shortly after arrival I was on my way with samples flowing to the labs for testing through their internal systems.  I was also quite confident that all would be well as I had enjoyed a balanced diet, appropriate amounts of rest, lots of sleep and some good samples of red wine. 

Later that day, while I was working the keyboard of my computer, I received a call from the scheduling office to cancel my 28^th appt for treatment based on the blood test results.  Unfortunately the scheduler had no further information and suggested I contact Martha the following day.  Sure enough, the issue is that my WBC is still too low.  As I had suspected that was the issue, yesterday I turned to the Internet to see what could be done “naturally” to instill some development of new WBCs in my body.  All the articles I read agreed that Chemotherapy is a cause of decreased WBC count and only some agreed on natural ways to improve the count.  Some ways included drinking lots of water (where have I heard that before) to flush the system, eating garlic, eating probiotics (yogurt), consuming selenium (for its antioxidant properties), consuming more citrus fruits, and of course there is the vine of some exotic tree in the Amazon rainforest which is not readily available.  I also found that the things to avoid are sweets and sugar.  OK so there goes access to all the sweets that are around the house from Christmas.  I was informed that red wine was still a good source of “something” to help WBC as was some beers that use selenium in their brewer’s yeast.  You have to love science as there is always some good news scattered amongst the doomsday stuff.  As a result of that research (I use the term loosely) I should eat more citrus, yogurt and drink more red wine and beer.  I can live with that.  I am going to seek some additional advice from my Dr team as these delays leave me with a sinking feeling that I am giving the bad guys extra time to be destructive while I wait for my crippled system to produce WBCs.  That is somewhat unnerving as I am trying to get the upper hand here in this cat and mouse game of finding and maintaining the best quality of life with this disease.

I just heard back from my Dr’s representative and she is of the mind that my next Chemo will not be re-scheduled before the Jan 10^th planned session due to the Christmas backlog.  It seems they are only administering Chemo to new patients over the next short while to reduce the burden on the reduced staff.   So I wait and hope that the WBC count changes before the 10^th.  On the 10^th I will be going to the Queensway Carleton Irving Greenburg Centre as there is some pressure on the TOH Chemo services due to volume.  Those who live closer to satellite operations are being moved from the centre.  I will be interested to see how they operate as I will certainly compare the service I have grown to know and understand.

On a much more pleasant front, we enjoyed a new tradition this year at Christmas.  It turns out that this year the “kids” took control of Christmas celebrations as Neill and Lee took on the Christmas evening gathering with the Hempel and Rodier clans and Tara-Lee and Brehn took on the Christmas day activities.  Christmas eve was a very nice evening of chatting happily about all manner of fun things while enjoying a delicious meal sitting around a large table.  Paul made his tortiere and Lee made a very tasty cannelloni dish along with a variety of support condiments and taste treats.  After a fine evening we retreated to respective houses for the dark hours in hopes that Santa would judge is kindly.   

Christmas 2016

In the morning we started the day in PJs sitting in Tara-Lee and Brehn’s living room in awe of the vision of presents under the tree and the glee that came with watching Kaia be exposed to this tradition for the first time.  I must say that Santa seemed to judge us favourably as the number of gifts under the tree was very large.  The day slipped by as we lazily opened gifts and chatted excitedly about presents given and received.  Somewhere in there we took time to prepare and enjoy our traditional ham and cheese crepes and of course the Christmas  morning Mimosa.  My observation was that for a group who had promised to cut back and be thrifty around Christmas there was a large booty after all the presents were opened.  I call that a “wildly successful fail”.  It was tons of fun watching people get their surprises and we also enjoyed a remote connection with the Pemberton family and watched Skylar and shared opening presents from each other through FaceTime.  Later in the afternoon the Hempel family arrived for dinner and exchange of gifts.  Our turkey dinner and the assorted fixings were all delicious and we count Tara-Lee and Brehn’s initial effort at taking on this tradition as a great success.  The evening sped by and we broke to get some sleep late in the day.  All in all a very fun and enjoyable Christmas for all of us dotted with great food, drink and conversation with a healthy sprinkling of good humour and laughter.

I hope that you had a similar experience with your respective families and that the New Year will bring you new and enjoyable experiences throughout 2017.

Love to all .....

Round 3 Session 3 - Interrupted

The week started with a flurry of appointments at the Ottawa Hospital at 7:30 am.  I visited with the blood letters who drained an appropriate amount of blood and collected some urine samples.  My instructions for the urine test were much clearer this time and all went well.  The ladies were at odds about instructions about holiday blood services but I ignored their chatter as I was not scheduled over the holiday.  I then walked over to Timmy’s for a breakfast sandwich and a tour of my e-mail inbox. 

My 8:15 am appointment with Dr Jonker was in Module C and I checked in at the time of the appointment.  I was then ushered into a room by a new nurse who listened patiently about my experiences of the last two weeks.  She noted the key issues on my file and weighed me and then disappeared.  My next human contact was with Dr Jonker this time and we had a good chat.  He was satisfied with my reactions and the way I was managing them so his recommendation was to stay the course and have my Chemo treatment thee following day with the same cocktail that was prescribed last time.  We chatted about Christmas and I took the opportunity to remind him of my vacation period and scheduling around it.  He was OK with the plan.

So off I went happily confident that all was as it should be.  I went to the Superstore for some shopping for fruit and other staples.  While I was in there I received a call from Martha, Dr Jonker’s clinic nurse.  She had just received the blood test results and my White Blood Cell count (WBC) was below normal and they were going to delay my Chemo by one week.  That called changed a bunch of things for me.  Not only did I now have to deal with bloodletter’s Christmas schedule but it also was a kick in the teeth as I was familiar with the WBC process that I had dealt with in previous Chemo Treatment sessions.  It meant that I could go three weeks between sessions or rely on a very expensive self administered shot just after Chemo was completed to heighten the development of WBCs post Chemo treatment.  In addition, this revised schedule was going to put a pressure on me around my holiday plans.  Bottom line – I was bummed out as I thought I had some control over my schedule.  Not so as this is now in the hands of my WBC count.

Now my next Chemo is now on the 27^th of December with blood tests either the Friday before or early on the 27^th.  On a more positive note, this revised schedule ensures that I will be able to enjoy the Christmas meals and festivities without Chemo side effects.  That is not too bad at all.

Other things that happened over the past few days were very positive as we visited my Toronto family for a couple of days.  Tara-Lee, Kaia and I set out by car last Thursday and spent a few days with Lucy while we shopped, ate, visited friends and family, ate and rested.  It was a good visit which ended with a post snow drive back to Ottawa on Saturday.  That night Freddi and I were invited to a gathering of some Lake Bernard friends and family to enjoy some cheer and some Christmas food delights at the Hempel cottage.  It was a very nice evening of laughter, good food and cheer.  On Monday I had a dinner date with two lovely ladies who I worked with and have stayed in touch with.  Having dinner with them and catching up on our lives was a very positive ending to a tough day.  It is these encounters that provide a source of positive energy to get through some of the tougher times.

I expect that I will not to adding to this blog before Christmas as I am on that holding pattern.  Therefore I will take this opportunity to thank you for following this trail through the woods and send you off with my best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Frantic First with your family and friends.  It is a time of year to relax and enjoy time with your closest people.  That is what I will be doing.

Love to you all .......

Second week Session 2

The second week is now underway and I feel the urge to get a few things off my "todo" list.  Well I always have that feeling but right now I feel I may be able to accomplish some of those tasks.
My physical situation is much better as I seem to be stabilized in all areas.  Nausea under control, input/output seemingly OK, sleep is possible and my general attitude about things is much more positive.
 
This week I will be attending the Birthday Dinner, this evening, when Freddi takes us out for a special dinner each year.  We have selected Gazellig once again as they have small plates, great food, exceptional service and will be able to accommodate Kaia in one of their roomy booths.  I am looking forward to that as we always have a great fun filled evening.  In addition this week we are going to the NAC with friends and family tomorrow and then Tara-Lee, Kaia and I are hitting the road again.  We are driving to Mississauga to visit with Lucy and her family.  This trip will serve to introduce Kaia to that part of the family as well as to drop off some Christmas presents to the assembled family.  It is always fun to visit that group around Christmas as the kids are still of the age where they get excited about Christmas.

Today I set up our outside tree and put some lights on it.  It is a beacon on our deck to all who happen to be around the lake (once the ice is firm).  In addition I set up our inside tree to fall and be ready for decorations on the weekend.  All of this is late this year but what can I say.

On another front on Sunday we were invited to a gathering at Tara-Lee and Brehn's home to fete the season with some of Tara-Lee and Brehn's friends.  It was a very nice time with lots of kids and noise and very good food.  We enjoyed visiting and then settled into a quiet evening with Tara-Lee and Brehn where we celebrated the season, special occasions and watched Kaia settle in for a long night sleep after an exhausting time with many guests.

I do hope all of you are getting your shopping done and checking off your individual "todo" lists as Christmas fast approaches.

Round 3 Session 2 continued

(written Dec 11, 2016)

Today is the occasion of my daughter’s birthday.  That brings a smile to my face as I recall Freddi working diligently in the kitchen in our house in Russell ON as she prepared my birthday dinner for family and friends.  She had been on her feet, setting the table and cooking her heart out to entertain the assembled family and friends.  At one point she told me that we should sit down and that I should serve up the beautiful roast beef dinner to our guests as she was going to lie down since she had been in labour for the past few hours.  To my surprise, she was not kidding and we were on our way to the hospital in short order.  I believe our guests had a great meal and sampled the fine selection of wine but we were not part of that portion of the evening.  Tara-Lee was born several hours later in Ottawa.  That started a life of a cheery little girl who has spent a good deal of her life bringing happiness and smiles to many people on our planet.  To that little girl I say “Happy Birthday” today.

In addition today is day 6 after my last Chemo Session and things are starting to become clearer.  First and foremost, if I follow thee Dr recommendations things will go better.  My side effects have been reduced now that I am taking the drugs and drinking more water.  They are certainly not eliminated but the impact is certainly way down.  I had some bouts of nausea, tiredness, lethargy and of course the usual input output issues accompanied by fairly significant cramping.  It is unfortunate that one cannot predict these issues as that would allow one to better plan the day.  But one cannot plan and one needs to have proximity to bathroom facilities and plenty of drinking water. As I look ahead it is my hope that the effects will continue to diminish and allow me to be more fluid in my activities.

Over the week I managed a couple of outings for shopping as Freddi was off on Friday and we ventured to Wakefield for a quiet lunch at Hibou and some Christmas shopping.  All went well and we had some good food and managed to get some gifts at the various shops in the village.  It is nice shopping in a less busy environment than the malls in the city.  Other than that I was pretty sedentary and I read, cooked and did my Christmas cards by the fire. 

I am smiling as I think about how I was about to start this next paragraph.  My initial thought was that “The big news of the day is ...” when I realized that although big to me it is of little consequence in the bigger picture of life around us.  In a time when people are still talking about the impact of the American election, the issues of Canadian parliament paralysis or moving too slowly, the Pheonix pay system for the public servants and atrocities happening around the world, I am excited by the fact that the ice has moved into Lake Bernard over night.  Although pretty microscopic in importance it is still a big event that only happens once a year – in my world.  But it has happened and now we settle in for a long cold winter period for which we must seek relief from time to time.  My thoughts are turning toward Hawaii for certain now.

Round 3 Session 2

On Monday morning I made my way to TOH to do my standard pre-session blood tests and to meet with my Medical Oncologist to report on the reactions/side effects over the last two weeks.  The first part was relatively simple as I renewed my friendship with the ladies on the Cancer Centre “Blood Letting Unit”.  Nothing much new there with the exception that one of the staff members was dropped by her husband of 40 years and she has never been happier.  Things get pretty personal pretty quickly in that unit.  My regime of blood tests has been adjusted for this session.  It requires some complicated instructions about a urine test.  Firstly, I have never studied for a urine test and secondly, I always thought I knew what I was supposed to do.  Not so ......

After the visit to the blood unit I killed a bit of time before meeting with the Dr. Robillard who was interested in my details of my reactions and was somewhat disappointed that I had experience the side effects that I did.  In discussion she learned of my aversion to drugs and she gave me good advice: “Take the drugs! .... and drink more water” and my life may be better.  I considered myself told.  My test results were sufficiently good to allow me to go forward with Session 2.  We also discussed my vacation plans to ensure that this does not get in the way of my life and established plans.  She noted our plans and agreed that we will be OK to travel and put Chemo on hold for a short period.  I thanked her for her good advice and understanding and I went about my day.

Today I went to the Chemo Unit as scheduled and had a slightly anxious feeling.  I have no idea why I was anxious and I had assumed because I did not sleep well last night.  This was reflected in my Blood Pressure being elevated above the level acceptable for one of the cocktail components.  This resulted in a delay to the start as I tried to relax and get my BP in the acceptable zone.  That did not happen so a Dr. Consultation was necessary and the Dr. decided to proceed but to also prescribe some BP meds for me.  Now this is not new to me.  I have always had “white coat syndrome” when in hospital but this time it did not abate with time.  I now have a follow-up in two weeks to see how that is going.

The actual Chemo was uneventful and of course the nursing staff members are nothing but helpful in making me feel comfortable while getting me out of there to fulfill their commitments to other patients. The upshot is that I am a bit tired and just about to re-evaluate the drugs I have been given and start a regime to ward off some of those nasty side effects.  It is my hope that the plan will lessen some of the inconveniences I experienced in Session 1.

I hope the week ahead is a good one for all of you.  

Week 2 after Session 1

The second week after my first go around was better than the first week.  I still had some physical inconveniences as my body struggled with intake/output issues but I tried to manage those things with some sort of confidence.  I did have a couple of days with some serious cramps and some resulting bowel issues but these things subsided a little each day.  I may have brought some of this on myself as I avoided some of the medications that I had at my disposal due to my desire to go it without drugs and heal myself.  I have now learned that I should do as I am told and take the drugs and drink more fluids.  Both of those actions will reduce the impact of some of these side effects.  Hopefully my apparent learning disability will be put aside for Session 2.  I am currently at the hospital in the process of Session 2 but I will talk to that experience later.

In my last note I had expressed some concern about meeting with a financial planner and having to bare my soul as a poor provider and planner of our financial affairs.  Freddi and I had that meeting and were extremely pleased as the experience was nothing like I had imagined.  Our new planner is a 37 year old family guy who was open and experienced in making sure the process is not onerous or foreboding.  We chatted for a period of time and he expertly culled certain foundational information from us including some of the things that we were concerned about and some high level assets and liabilities.  From there he offered some unique thoughts and approaches and a commitment to go away and shape a high level plan that we could flesh out over a period of time.  The subsequent follow-up note from him laid out a good set of objectives, actions and a timing horizon that was not too onerous or pressing.  All in all it was a good experience and we are both are very happy with the direction we are heading.

In addition, in my last note I had eluded to the opportunity of traveling to BC to visit with “the boy” and his family.  Tara-Lee, Kaia and I set out early Thursday morning (Nov 29) to fly to Vancouver and work our way up to Pemberton.  It was a full 12 hour commute and a challenge for someone at the tender age of 11 weeks.  However I had forgotten that Kaia was experienced in transcontinental flying.  She turned out to be the least stressed of all of us and she slept when we were in transit and entertained us while we were in between flights or car rides.  She is an intrepid traveler and Tara-Lee managed to have Kaia’s flight log book updated by the crew of each flight we were on.  It was particularly fun traveling with Tara-Lee as she knows so many people in the airports and on the various WestJet flights. The whole travel experience was very enriching.

Once in Whistler we dropped into Gray’s construction site to see the project he is currently engaged in.  This project is to transition a spacious 3 storey condo into an even more spacious 6 story condo.  No big deal to Gray as he is very familiar with all of the details of the project.  To a person like me it is a daunting challenge with hundreds of possible problems to overcome.  I was very happy to see his site as he has spoken of the project over the last 6 months and it helps to see what he was talking about.  We then moved on to Pemberton to connect with Bree and Skylar.  Skylar was really happy to see Kaia (her cousin) and was very attentive.  As Gray and Bree had a Christmas party to attend, Tara-Lee and I held down the fort with Skylar for the evening.  She was enthusiastic to show us her school work and her skills in colouring and craft projects. 

Friday was a nice low key day doing only what we wanted to do.  It was a relaxing day where we enjoyed seeing some of Tara-Lee’s friends and some trips to the shops to get food for dinner and gifts for the upcoming Christmas event.   Friday evening we enjoyed a tremendous sushi dinner that Bree prepared.  We repeated the same plan for Saturday with the exception that we went to the local high school for a craft fare which was attended by about 80% of the folks who live in Pemby.  It was fun to see how many folks Gray and Tara-Lee knew from the area.  This town is certainly a community of like minded souls who enjoy the great outdoors and the joys of raising children.  Later that day we put dinner in the oven and then went to a cocktail party at one of Gray’s client’s house.  This is the client who invested heavily in re-doing the inside of his rather large and detailed house.  It was fun to see the final product of his 2 years work at this site.  I believe I could learn to live in such a house but it would require some significant adjustments for me.

On Sunday we made our way into Vancouver and caught couple of flights to get home that evening.  The overall trip was a success as Christmas presents were delivered and received and we managed to have a relaxing weekend together.  While we were away Freddi had the opportunity to make Christmas decorations happen throughout the house totally unencumbered by my opinions and thoughts.  She did a great job nd added some new and interesting approaches to our regular decorations.  I guess all she needed was a clean slate and no outside “suggestions”.

In summary, my second week after session 1 was a fun filled week with only a few inconveniences due to the treatment.  My next note will provide some insights into how my session went today.

Be well and happy ......