Today is a beautiful sunny cold day at Lake Bernard. We have endured yet another downfall of snow
and are getting ready to exit January with a snowfall number that sets a new
record. I believe that we exceeded 100
cm for the month. That means that there has
been some snow shoveling and snow blowing and today was no exception. It was nice to get outside and throw some
snow about in the sunshine. However, it
has been cold and it continues to be just that.
I did not sit down to give a report on the weather but it is
such a Canadian thing to do. I wanted to
share with you the results of my last Chemo session and events that have
happened in the last couple of weeks. The
session was scheduled for Jan 16th so I went to do my blood tests on
Jan 15th. Nothing
extraordinary about the blood-letting session but the good news was that my WBC
count made it over the bar of minimum acceptable to proceed. I guess the stomach shots after Chemo are
working as usually my WBC count is low after a couple of weeks. I was pleased that we could proceed even if I
am not really on side with Chemo every two weeks. My head and heart are in agreement with the Dr’s
recommendation but I still ask myself if the effects of Chemo are worth the effort
as it seems that we cannot really do anything with the Cancer and I do not have
any symptoms to speak of. That is a
daily conundrum that goes away the farther I get away from Chemo day. After this session I was feeling pretty punk
for the first couple of days. I stayed
low and at home until it was time to remove the bottle on the Thursday after
Chemo. I was not working that day so I
was able to relax and rest until work on Sunday morning. Each day got better but the effects seemed to
linger longer than before. For example,
I still had a taste of Chemo on day 6 which normally was gone after day 4. I also had some discharge through my nasal
passages that had colour and texture. My
feeling was that such a discharge was not a good thing. I have since learned it might just be a temporary
result of having Chemo. Man, you learn
new things every day – even after being involved in Chemo for three plus years. So things progressed and got better every
day.
The only interesting thing that I did, besides my work at
the airport, was to take a trip to Mississauga to visit my sister and any
family members who were available during my short stay. Lucy and I just hung out at home and chatted,
discussed politics (a fav for my sister), discussed her grand children, watched
some CNN and discussed events of the world and enjoyed some good food and a
trip to a restaurant. It was a perfect
relaxing couple of days and I enjoyed the low key time as I rebuilt from the
last session. On Friday I returned to
Ottawa to get ready for my next work shifts at the airport. Freddi has been very supportive of all of my
activities during this period and dealt well with my shifting moods as I
progressed out of the hole I feel around me during this time. I am pretty cranky when I am not feeling
well.
On Monday I did my blood tests again as I had an appointment
the following day with Dr Jonker. This
was an important meeting as I wanted to get an answer to the question: Is all this worth it? Four sessions had been completed since my
last CT Scan and discussion with Dr Jonker.
There were only three possible outcomes to this new test.
1.
The Cancer continued to grow.
2.
The Cancer growth was abated and remained the same
size as before
3.
The Cancer had receded some.
I guess there was another possible outcome in that it could
have disappeared but I was pretty confident that would not be the case. Dr Jonker has already told me that
elimination is unlikely. Yesterday I met
with Dr Jonker and we had a discussion about the bigger picture, the test
results and the future treatment plans.
I am really happy to report that the best case showed up in
that the Cancer had reduced in size in both my liver and my lung. I really was not expecting this to be the
case. I asked to see my CT result as I had
no visual context to deal with and he obliged me, grudgingly, and showed me a
side by side comparison from just before I started back on Chemo. Clearly the Chemo is doing its job and the
horrible and annoying side effects suddenly became more palatable as there were
positive results. That makes yesterday a
turning point in my attitude and my expectations but I am not quite sure what will
come next. We did agree that I should
take my vacations in Feb and Mar and we set a schedule to work around my travel
dates. I will do Chemo on Feb 12 and 26
and then take a break until Mar 19 when I return from Hawaii. At that time we would move from 2 weeks to a 3
week cycle. My next CT would be in early
April followed by another discussion with Dr Jonker at that time.
I am feeling a lot stronger today and I am much more optimistic
about the future with this news. We
discussed a long term prognosis but he was very resistant to guessing on this
subject. I expected little else but at
least had to try. So things are good, I
am positive and acceptant of the short term plan – as if I have a choice – and I
am leaving for a short vacation tomorrow.
I am a happy boy......
Thank you for dropping in and I am more than happy to
respond to any questions, thoughts or comments you might have on this blog
update.
Be well .....
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