Day 292 - Round 3 of AVD

Well today was certainly a mish-mash of positives & negatives. Mom2 came with me & was by my side the entire day. Right up until we dropped her off & she sent me home with a turkey bun. (+) We scooted over to HomeSense while we waited for my drugs & she found some pots & woks she had been on the hunt for. (+) She kept me preoccupied & laughing when the treatment got crazy. (+) And she got to meet her new Doctor - my Doctor - Dr. Daly. (+)


And there was the treatment. Blood work was quick & relatively painless. (+) There was no fishing in my arm for a vein. (+) When it came time for chemo, they found a good vein (+) or did they? (-) By the third drug, Dacarbazine, my veins had had enough. My arm was cold to the touch, but the sensation was that of fire. (-) They slowed the drip rate down 3x, but it still hurt. (-) To make matters worse, I had to have an anti-emetic after the chemo. (-) They are out of the pill form of the usual anti-emetic I take, but they have the syrup. I took the syrup the last time & it was brutal on my teeth. Needless to say, I was tired & grumpy by the end of the session. 


Thankfully the Nurses were AWESOME as usual. Mom2 & I had been talking about the hospital a few days before & she thought I was absolutely mental when I said I looked forward to visiting with the Nurses & how friendly & nice everyone was. Only now did she understand my thoughts! We enjoyed visiting with the girls & I even showed them Jaco & I's wedding photos from Namibia (which Mario just won another award with us in his portfolio!). It was priceless, as one of the Nurses was convinced that Jaco's profile looks exactly like Dr. Lategan & she found it her sole purpose that day to convince all the other Nurses to come & have a look at the profile. Her enthusiasm was infectious. (About the only infectious thing you'd want to pick up in a treatment room!) :o) We were all in stitches every time she would call another Nurse over to have a look.


I was excited to see that the Beautiful Sam was in the treatment room again. She makes my day. We enjoyed visiting about our dogs & I'm hoping she'll bring them out for a run on the ranch before the snow falls! 


Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that I would meet so many wonderful people while taking chemo treatments. I was the girl who was strictly opposed to any sort of Western Medicine intervention. I thought it was all one big pharmaceutical push & the Doctors were pretty much robots who were trained to have textbook answers for all the questions. Who would have thought I would ever meet Doctors & Nurses with *GASP* personalities!? I feel like I have another family & I still have 9 more rounds to go! I realize they see a lot of people come & go, but they have made this part of my journey absolutely enjoyable & I can't say enough how much I appreciate that. Hmm, they did mention something about coffee & chocolate... :o)


Of course, Mom had to stop at Costco. I shouldn't have gone in, but I did. Just stay in the car, Jill! But no. I was hungry & enjoyed the Caesar salad sample, so at least that made it worthwhile! Mom2 found another wok & Mom picked up her fruit fix for the week. 


We drove to Mom2's where she made me a delish turkey bun & then it was home time. I crashed on the way home (as in sleep - Mom was driving) & did my best to sleep off the effects of the drugs. 


Tonight was Valentina's last night in the big bed. Tomorrow she graduates to the Big Girl Bed when Papa gets here... Not long to go now! Can't wait!


xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Oh where oh where is my Mexican Hot Pack?

Heating my veins for the poison

Iny saying, 'There, there! You see! It's Dr. Lategan!'

'Don't you think so!? It's him!'

'Her husband looks just like Dr. Lategan!'

Mom2 & I

Mom & I

A Rose between 2 Tulips (Dr. Daly & his two 'Favourite' patients - I'm recruiting to make it a family affair!) :o)

Day 261 - Rainy Day

Ahhhh. The sweet feeling of waking up & then going back to sleep, knowing you don't have anything to wake up for! I slept until 1100! Mom & Unka Jer were in & out of the house with this & that. I took the time to catch up on paperwork & forms that had arrived in the past few weeks. I also took the first step to creating a business! Whoo hoo! That was a rush! Exciting, but I'm a long ways from anything fruitful!

I decided to head to town to pick up some things. I wouldn't have a chance in the coming week with treatment & all, so I decided today was as good as any other! By the time I was organized & left, it was after 1500! Whoops! Luckily I managed to get everything done that was on my list. 


Shortly before I left, we experienced a torrential downpour! Wow! I've never heard the rain like that before! You know it's raining hard when it sounds like wind! There were quite a few puddles lying around & when I went to pull onto the highway, I had to wait for 12 vehicles to go by before I could turn! I guess everyone was fed up with the weather & they were headed back to their comfy & dry beds in the city!


I stopped in at Mom2's & had a quick visit. They were both in bed already, but she came downstairs & we had a chat. She finally received her wigs & they look FABULOUS!!! Her's are all blonde & they look really good on her! We also walked out to the garden - she has such a green thumb! It is ridiculous how lush her flower beds & garden are! Wow!


Not wanting to keep her up & wanting to get home myself, we hugged goodbye & I was on my way. Sheesh. This turned into a long day too! G'nite all! 
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

The girls having a nap.

Somebody else in the house is tired too!

Day 147 - Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Stage 2B

Yes, it's official. Today was the day I received the pathology report stating that yes, you do indeed have those nasty little cells in your body we like to call 'Cancer'. 


I started the day off by having a little jaunt on the treadmill & I even managed to run for 10 minutes of my 30 minutes! Mom was impressed at how long I could run for. I didn't think 5 minutes at a time was much to write home about, er, much to write on the blog about, but here I am! My brother showed up half way through the workout & commented on how I wasn't getting anywhere. Ha ha. He was impressed when I put Valentina on the treadmill & he watched her trot away...


Jeff came over to help Mom with one of her new projects. They chit chatted while I did my best to get ready. I'm so not used to this. How do 'normal' people do it? I workout, get food ready, get supplements ready, shower & it takes me 4 hours! And no, I didn't even talk on the phone!


Of course, the battery was dead in Contemplate, so Mom went to get the booster cables. She has boosted the car 3 times now, but still struggles to know which one goes on first, etc,etc. Hey, don't look at me! Red's hot, black's not! She was getting mad because the handles are really tough to squeeze & she couldn't get it wide enough to go onto the post. Yeah, sure... I even surprised myself! I did it! No problem! Must be all that raw food! Ha! 


Contemplate was back in action & Valentina & I were enroute for Tom Baker Centre. Our first stop was blood work. The Lab Tech was surprised to see my black bag moving, until she saw little eyes looking back at her! After Valentina was finished charming the techs, we walked through the corridor to Foothills Hospital. 


Neil, who hosts our weekly prayer group, met a lovely young lady named Alma, by chance one day. It turned out that Alma had Uterine Cancer & she had her surgery on Tuesday. I had never met her, but I did leave her some serrapeptase. I also left her some Winalite pads to get her going. 


It was pretty crazy going to the hospital with my dog, to see someone I've never met before, who has just had intense surgery & just popping in to say hi! In any case, I found Alma's room & WOW! She is drop dead gorgeous! How anyone can look that stunning after having surgery & being confined to a bed, is beyond me! She was in good spirits & anxious to get on with life & heal. She showed me her stitches. Wow! Poor thing! I've never seen such an incision. (I haven't seen many) She is 34 & desperately wanted to be a Mom. They removed her Uterus & Cervix, but left her ovaries. She told me the only way she could have a baby would be through a surrogate mother. If you know anyone!!!!!! :o) Seriously! I look forward to getting to know Alma better & sharing our roads to health & vitality! She enjoyed Valentina & of course, Valentina was happy to have the attention!


Soon it was time for my appointment. My regular Oncologist was away, so I had the 'Substitute Teacher' today. She was nice. She kind of reminded me of Sarah Jessica Parker in a curly haired, slim, fit, same nose kind of way. 


My blood work actually looked really good! Slight anemia, but most everything else was normal. Even my WBC is normal! I'm thinking that is due to the fact that what I'm doing is working! :o) 


The Doc told me I'm up for ABVD. That means my ticker takes a lickin' & my lungs bid Adieu to their scuba adventures. We talked about BEACOPP & CHOP & many other acronyms. She was very patient & answered all of my questions as best she could. 


We all know how I feel about chemo. Well. She told me 6 months of chemo, every 2 weeks. I asked about a scan & she said they would scan me at about 3-4 months. However, she said that the lumps would be gone after the 1st or 2nd round of chemo. ???? Isn't that a bit of overkill? Of course, they want to be sure they have got it all. But then she added, they are doing tests now to see if they can actually shorten the duration of the dosages. Pardon my ignorance, but why would I take 5 more months of chemo if the first month gets it? And then there are the side effects. The metal taste in my mouth - gee, nothing to do with the toxic garbage you've just pumped in? The hair loss - no biggie, please, take the stuff on my legs, arms & face first! And keep it! The nausea - more drugs for that. The dead taste buds, the tingling in my fingers - possibly permanent... the list goes on. I could drone on, but you'll get bored regardless of what you believe. 


They want me to come back in a week. I'm still processing. Don't panic. Don't stress. Don't worry. I'll be just fine. Nothing will change, just because they found a few cells they didn't like. I'm still feeling great & there are no new problems! RELAX! I'll keep you posted!


After I paid $12.25 in parking... in change... The poor kid at the booth knows me well by now. He laughed & asked if I wanted a receipt too! It was mostly dimes today. If I have to keep going there I'll go broke on parking alone! Can you imagine? I would have to go Thursday for bloodwork & Friday's for treatments... That's a killing in parking fees! I'm in the wrong industry! :o)


My next stop was the Apple Store. I dug out my old wireless keyboard & hooked it up. I can sit back & blog... but it's a bummer to have to move & use the trackpad. So, Magic Mouse... it's a pleasure to meet you! I love MAC! The folks at the store are so helpful & friendly. I chatted with the fellow about several different Mac products. Obviously my budget doesn't allow anything more than a mouse, but a girl can dream! I told him about my photography & he even arranged a session with one of their trainers to help me out & learn how to make the most out of my Mac for my business!!! Once you go Mac, you never go back! :o)


Next stop: Community Natural Foods - Downtown - Where I don't get accused of shoplifting! Supplements & groceries... Ouch! Painful bill! But they were having an info-session on green smoothies... Interesting!


Next Stop: Fishman's Dry Cleaning. Again. I'm in the wrong business. $225 to clean my gown & put it in a box. Not just any box! An airtight preservation box. I told them to clean it first & see if it's worth preserving! 


Next Stop: Costco - returning the blender I bought last week. I didn't even open it, as I decided to get a slightly better one. No, not a Vita-Mix, but a nice Oster one. It reverses. I like that idea. I wandered around Costco, as one does, and end up with things I didn't have on my list, but can still use! Like the MEGA bag of Whiskas cat food for Adios. Saves me a few trips, I suppose! 


Next Stop: Marlboro Mall: Sears. I phoned on Tuesday & it was a task & a half. I called 4 different Sears stores & after no answers, hang ups, disconnects, poor customer service, lack of skill/knowledge, I FINALLY found my blender! And it doesn't go on sale until Saturday, but they gave me 10% off anyways! Thank you very much! I'm so excited to use it!!!


Next Stop: Gas &... Don't shoot me... It was a bad day... Fast food joint. I will be paying for it in so many more ways than just cash. I paid cash. I ate it. I got a headache. My tummy didn't appreciate the garbage. Fair enough. I deserved it. But... The worst punishment - I bought Valentina a hamburger patty. When I gave it to her, she dropped it in between the seat & the console. I can't get it & neither can she. Oh is that going to be rank come mid-July. Gross, gag, puke. So, I hang my head in shame & disgust. 


Next Stop: Home. I pull up to the house & see something moving under the deck. And then the stench hits me. It's a little Pepe le Pew! A little skunk is snooping around under the deck. Hmm. Small problem! How do I get inside? He's not too fussed about high tailing, er, hopefully not! Getting out of the way! I call Mom inside the house & she doesn't answer. I call again. What's a girl to do? It's not as though I can hop out & holler at it & chase it away. And you thought I smelled bad from taking DMSO! We're talking about a whole new level of stinking! :o) I call Mom again & about the time she answers, Pepe scurries from under the steps around the backside of the house. I tell Mom of our friendly visitor & make my way inside. Even unloading the car was potent. I think Pepe must have left us a memory on the deck, as it was a mighty bit strong! Thank goodness Valentina didn't make an encounter... I can't even imagine! Actually I can, last year my cat, Adios, made friends with Pepe. Got him right on his face. 


Have you ever bathed a cat? Poor Adios took it fairly well. The woeful yowls were sounds I've never heard from him before! 


Today was also the 1st anniversary for Jaco & I. Mom bought 'us' a dozen roses & gave us a card. The card was perfect. It had 2 wiener dogs on the front - dog + dog = heart. It made me smile! Jaco - I love you more today than I did yesterday & all the days before & you have made me the luckiest girl I know. Really. I love you & I miss you & I can't wait to see you again! Soon! Very soon!


I had news of a wonderful friend from ships. Sadly her mother was killed while riding a bike. The mother died on the exact same day as the father 13 years earlier. If you have a moment to send some love & healing for her & her sister's poor broken hearts, that would be appreciated. My heart breaks at their untimely loss.


Lastly, as I'm about to go cross-eyed from typing three blog posts in one night... My dear friends, Dave & Michele, got engaged! In Namibia! We think under the same tree where Jaco & I got married! How crazy is that!? I'm so excited for them both! I can't wait to hear all about it! And... my dear friends, Krystle & Ross, who were Bridesmaid & Groomsman, are having a baby is August & on Saturday, they have an ultrasound to find out the baby's sex. They have invited me to go online & see it with them! I'm smiling like a goofy girl right now, but I feel so honoured to be included in their magical moment! Thank you for making me feel special! 


What a day! I'm beat! I'm crawling into bed with my little girl & I will see you tomorrow! 
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Blood work about to happen. Note the armband on the floor. Ew. At least the Technician was friendly & she liked my dog! :o)

Dr. Owen's waiting area. I thought the African Elephant was slightly depressing considering it was our 1st anniversary when we married in Africa & here I am, FAR AWAY from my wonderful husband & about to receive the crummiest diagnosis thus far. (Yeah, my pity party is long since over!)

The card & roses Mom gave Jaco & I for our first anniversary. The card had 2 wiener dogs on the cover & said something about the longer couples are together the more alike they begin to look!

Pretty Roses!

Day 140 - Results. Or Not.

I know I posted earlier about the results or lack thereof, but I'm still trying to catch up! 


Jaco did indeed call this morning. I had left Skype on, but my computer went to sleep. So when he phoned at 0400 on the house phone, he woke the house up! Whoops! Mom woke up & brought me the phone, looking all disheveled & nothing like herself. I love that she says to me, 'It's 4 o'clock, what are you still doing up?' Um, what are YOU doing up? Maybe we're up for the same reason? We heard the phone ring? :o) She later came back to my room to tell me to talk quieter - I love how she can hear a pin drop without hearing aids at 0400, but can't hear me talk across the table when she's wide awake & hearing aids in. Sigh. 


Anyhow, Jaco was on his way... Capetown to Johannesburg to Atlanta to Montego Bay. He was flying business class, so hopefully he'll catch a little rest on the plane & not be too wiped for work!


I went back to bed & fell asleep to the sounds of Mom printing, typing & clicking away in the next room. She was up & didn't want to go back to bed. Yes, I feel bad! They left about 1100 for their big road trip.


I left for town shortly thereafter. I had some running around to do & of course, the biopsy results at 1400. As I mentioned earlier, I waited 2.5 hours only to be told they didn't have the results back! $8.75 in parking... The poor fellow at the pay booth. He received all of my change! I am glad he didn't drop the parking 'arm' on my car as I exited!!


After I was set free with a week of wiggle room, I ran my errands, the usual, CNF, Costco, and then to prayers. It was a great night at prayers! Valentina was exceptionally charming & managed to gain the affection of everyone there! That's my girl! :o)


So there you have it! The exciting day that wasn't! Here's to a bigger & better tomorrow! Ha!


Love & hugs, 
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Doesn't this room look like a fun place to hang out for 2.5 hrs?

I mean, who wouldn't want to chill out in this avocado green chair for half the day? It looks so comfy! I'm sure there's a massage button somewhere!

Even Valentina got bored!

Day 117 - Running Around!

Hello everyone! I hope this finds you well!


Today was my day to run around the city & accomplish everything on my LONG list of 'To Do's' before Mexico. As usual, I got a roaring good start to the day & left at the early hour of 2. (p.m.) Yes, hardly early, but hey, I did good to get out of the house at all! Luckily for me my bank is open late & I could do most things at Chinook Centre - a large mall that is fairly centrally located.


First stop was the finance division. After today I have two remaining payments on my bankruptcy - Yay! I will be happy to have the shadow off my back & begin rebuilding in the sunshine! After I left MNP, I headed over to Chinook. Again, to the financial divisions. Trying to sort out a bank draft for 2 doctors when you're not quite sure what either of them is going to do to you is a bit of a dilemma! We managed to get things sorted out & one more stop back at the bank before we leave will have Mom as the Power of Attorney, so she can help with any pickles that might arise while I'm away. The Teller I dealt with was the same Teller I had before I left to see Jaco. She has this amazing pearl/bee pendant. Her boyfriend gave it to her, along with some other unique pieces of jewelry. I was excited to see her & find out what she got for Christmas & Valentine's Day, only to hear her say she got a Wii. Apparently my face must have looked disappointed, because she quickly told me that was what she had wanted! :o)


Off to another bank to change the PIN number. Holy Jeopardy music while he sorted things out! A cute young feller with an Aussie accent, he takes my card & says he needs to check with someone. Then he comes back & says he needs to make a call. Great. Does this mean they're taking back my card?!? What have I done now? I'm sure I've been good. I didn't break any laws. I think. No, I am sure I didn't... Finally, after a million scenarios play out in my mind, he returns & with a smile, hands me my card & sends me to the ATM. Relief!


Next stop was the accessories shop. I picked up some headbands for one of the nurses at Castillo's clinic, as well as a few necklaces for the receptionists & the other nurse. $15. Next stop was LuLuLemon. I walked in, looked around & walked out. Yay for me! Didn't buy a thing! I'm getting so good at this game! :o)


I headed across the street & stopped at the pet store to pick up a harness for Valentina's 'Service Dog' patches. Unfortunately they were out of the kind I needed, but I did get her a 3-pack of mini-tennis balls, along with some treats for Adios. Next door was Staples & I was in need of refills for my day planner I picked up in Ushuaia, Argentina. Unfortunately they didn't have a size that would fit, so it looks like I'll have to order them online. By the time I get around to it, the year will be half over! Oh well!


Next stop was Community Natural Foods. I needed another bottle of MCP to last me the month while I was away. I hadn't purchased it before at this particular location, so I asked for help. While the new clerk went to ask for help, I picked up a few other things I needed & put them in the reusable bag I was carrying. The give you $0.05 if you use your own bag, plus I don't enjoy plastic bags. I managed to find the MCP on my own & waited until the clerk came out of the bag to let her know I'd found it. She brought another clerk with her & when I showed them I'd found it, I put it in my reusable bag. The 2nd clerk proceeds to tell me that I should use a basket & not my reusable bag, for 'product control'. My jaw hit the floor. Is she accusing me of stealing? WTFiretruck is going on? I always bring in my own bag & put my stuff in the bag, proceed to check out & PAY for my things! I had a cold & I don't like to touch the carts that EVERYONE else has touched & will continue to touch after my 'sick' germs have been added to the mix. 


I was 100% offended. When the clerk brought me the basket, I said, 'It's okay, I'm finished shopping now.' She looked annoyed & said, 'Okay, I guess I'll put it back now.' (Again, not necessary) Thank goodness it wasn't Zoe's store. I think I'll report it to the Manager. Preposterous! FYI - I went to the competitor's store - Planet Organic that night & asked the clerk if there was an issue in using a reusable bag instead of a cart. He said, 'Absolutely NOT!' I told him what happened & he apologized that I had to go through that. Hmpf. Well, I guess that's settled!


Next stop (after CNF) was Costco. Generally a zoo, but tonight it wasn't bad. I even managed to get good parking! Costco always has so many fun things. You go for three items, come home with fifteen & twelve of them you didn't need! Anyhow, I only came home with the necessities. A hard drive for Mom ($100 for 500gb - portable!) & some fruit & nut bars for moi.


I dropped by Mom2's to leave her the water bottle she forgot in the car. Luckily she was home & we had a quick chat. She sent me home with this delicious soup. It was kind of like a miso soup with beet greens, rice, & some sort of chinese root in it. She made it from scratch & was it ever yummy! You should try her stuffed salmon one day... Wow!


The last stop of the night was at Pet Planet & Planet Organic. Pet Planet managed to find Valentina's harness & Planet Organic didn't feel the need to give me a criminal record for shopping there. The day has been a success!


I motored home, exhausted & trying to be excited about the impending packing day waiting ahead. Mom had left for Nanton & Valentina waited at home for me. Boy, was she excited to see Mama! She reminds me of the Tasmanian Devil when she's been alone for awhile. There's this flurry of motion every which direction. I've learned the trick is to greet her outside. Open the door & walk back outside, otherwise, you're left cleaning up 'happy pee' everywhere. Think pee & a wagging tail. Not a pretty sight! So, if you come to visit, just IGNORE her for the first 5 minutes until she settle down. It will be ALL good & much cleaner! :o)


Alrighty, there you have it... another enthralling day in the city running around. Here's to a good night's sleep & an efficient day of packing tomorrow! 


Lekker slaap!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Nonna has a lump in her side! Oh no! But wait! It's moving... :o)

My gorgeous little girl, who loves me unconditionally!

Mom2's Super Duper Souper!