Day 272 - Round 2 of AVD

Crud. I just checked the blog & I’m a week behind. That bites. It’s going to be a struggle to catch up. Bear with me!!!

Today was round 2 of AVD. My doctor’s appointment was at 0900, which meant I had to be there by 0800 for blood work. However, I had seen Dr. Lategan’s appointment schedule when I left last week. There were NO empty spots & names were written up both sides & across the bottom of the page! He’s a busy, busy guy! While we had waited, they called about 12 people in 20 minutes to see him!!! Wowser!!! So, I took the liberty of sleeping a few more ‘snooze buttons’. We left the house at 0730, arriving at 0830 at the hospital.

I went straight to the lab for blood work. Today was only a CBC. The gal at the desk was slow as molasses. They took 2 people in the first 15 minutes I waited. When it was my turn, OH MY STARS!!!!!! YEOW!!! I swear that guy was digging through my entire forearm!!! He put the needle in, which hurt. Then he proceeded to rummage around for a vein like he was digging for a matching sock in the bottom of the drawer. It hurt so intensely that I actually yelped out loud! And I’m generally quite tolerant. He didn’t seem to care that he was inflicting pain upon me. Thanks buddy.

I didn’t have to wait long to see Dr. Lategan. I had Nurse Andrea take my particulars (weight, height, blood pressure & sats). We got to chatting & she helped me out with the receptionist/medical secretary issue. I’ve been given the number for her supervisor & I will definitely get in touch with her!

Dr. Lategan came in & ticked a few patients off the list & then informed me that my Neutrophils were high enough to proceed with treatment. (1.8 & then need to be minimum 1.4) Great! We had a quick chat about Neupogen & when I would take them & I could do them in my thigh – not my belly as I had been worried about! He reassured me that the nasty side effects I’d found out about – ruptured spleen à death, bone pain, etc, etc… would most likely be minimal. Well, the death part anyhow, but not the bone pain. I’ll have bone pain due to the large amounts of neutrophils being produced in the bone, but it is manageable with Tylenol. The enlarged spleen happens with patients who have to take Neupogen every day. Thank goodness I will only be taking shots on Wednesdays & Thursdays the week after chemo.

We were just finishing up the appointment when Dr. Lategan felt my neck & commented, ‘Hmm, yep, they are still there. We’ll have to give you more poison this week.’ I love a Physician with a personality. :o)

I headed down to the Treatment Room & found an empty chair closest to the door. (Translation: closest to the toilet!) I just got settled & the needle put in my arm when the Nurses told me I could go for lunch or disappear for an hour or so if I liked. They would call me when my drugs were ready. Great, except for the fact that Mom had just left to get some food. I called her on her cell 8x & she was NOT answering. Knowing her she had it on vibrate, in her purse. Worst of all, she’d taken my wallet with her, so I couldn’t even find a snack close by! Grrr! Low & behold, she popped her head in the door a few minutes later. She had stopped to pay for her parking, waited in line for the bathroom & just got back to the car when she checked her phone & saw ‘WHAT?!? EIGHT MISSED CALLS?!?’ She said there were another 2 while she was checking the message… Hey, at least I’m persistent! :o)

We jetted over to Booster Juice for a vegetarian panini. I love them, but they put onions in them. I usually have to pick them out. I asked today if they could make one without onions. The lady said it was my lucky day, as she was out of onions, so none of the sandwiches had them! :o) We just sat in the car when the cell phone rang. It was the clinic & they had my meds already! We scooted over to Jugo Juice (I think they have better smoothies) & then quickly back to the hospital.

I was having an impatient morning with Mom. Her driving was driving me crazy & she wasn’t as rushed to get the chemo over with as I was. Perhaps I’m a patient to practice my patience. :oP

I settled back into my chair & Nurse Samantha started my treatments. She is a wonderful & beautiful young lady. I noticed a photo of her & a Chocolate Lab on the back of her ID card. We chatted about all sorts of things. She is very pleasant & very attentive. She checked my blood flow many times throughout the treatments, she reviewed the side effects & also the dosages I was receiving. I had a bit more of the Dacarbazine this time than previously. I don’t mind. The side effects of Dacarbazine include alopecia, nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms. Pretty mild compared to cardiac myopathy & peripheral neuropathy! I showed her our wedding photos, as I had them on the laptop.

I visited with a Welsh lady beside me. She had Leukemia & now has to have Gamma treatments once a month. A little bottle of this stuff costs $6000! Crazy! It has a certain cell (neutrophils maybe?) collected from 20,000 different people! But it keeps her neutrophils working & thus, keeps away infections.

They gave me another Ativan & it chilled me out nicely. In fact, I’m typing this in real time & I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open & can barely think straight! I’m sure I’ll be out cold on the way home!

I’ve been very happy thus far at the Peter Lougheed hospital. I must say, the Nurses & Doctors are fantastic & they are taking great care of me. I’m very grateful for the chance to be treated here. The crappy part? I’m on the downward slope of baldness. I have really enjoyed the buzz cut. I’m sad to have to say goodbye to it. I am even more sad to have to say goodbye to my eyebrows & lashes! Small things, I know, but it would be nice to keep them – even if it was only 5 or 10 hairs… Wishful thinking. I’ll just have to practice my make-up artistry in the meantime…

So, there you have it. Round 2 done & dusted. Survived another escapade & as Dr. Daly said, it’s nowhere near as bad as I had expected. Thank goodness!!!

We finished up at the hospital, a quick stop at HomeSense & Winners for Mom to find a frame & then it was home to bed. I was sound asleep by 1800! G'nite all!

A sleepy Maria & lonely Valentina (she didn’t get to come today)

xxxxx

Dr. Lategan - he's really tall & my angle (sitting) doesn't make him look any shorter! What a great Doctor though! Patience of a Saint or is it Patient's of a Saint?!? :oP

My Dancing Partner - I get the multi line machine as I need saline & chemo at the same time.

The treatment room. Everyone's chillin' out.

OMGosh - The Gorgeous Nurse who took care of me today - meet Sam! What a stunner!!!

Day 251 - Round One of AVD

Okay, so 3 hours sleep is probably not the smartest idea I've had in a really long time, but I just could not convince myself to turn out the light & go to bed. When I did eventually turn out the light, I just laid there. And tossed & turned. Needless to say the alarm went off much sooner than I would have liked!


I was thinking to myself of the diazepam the Fertility Clinic gave me to take the night before my surgery. I think it would have been a good idea for me to take the same thing last night! I did make the suggestion to Dr. Daly today, of which he gave me Ativan before I started the chemo. 


We left for the city at 0710, dogs & all. I had packed my bag the night before. Books, laptop, music, iPods, journals, camera, etc, etc. Totally not hungry, I had 1/2 a glass of juice & away we went. I figured I would have time to grab a bite before treatment. 


I am quite unfamiliar with Peter Lougheed, so I asked directions to the lab. I knew the blood work had to be done before the Dr.'s appointment, so I needed to hustle up! It was already 0810. Of course I got lost on my way to the lab. When I did show up, this short little fellow asks for my requisition. I had no clue where it was! Didn't they have it? No. I walked back to the entrance & took another turn. The requisition was at another desk. Then the gal tells me Dr. Daly isn't in until noon. What? Wait! No, there I was on the list. 0900. Phew! 


Requisition in hand I walk back to the lab. There was a lady at the desk this time. I handed her my papers as I should & mentioned that I had an appointment at 0900. She replied in an unfriendly tone, 'Yeah, well, there are others ahead of you. Just take a seat.' Okay.


They called one person every 10 minutes! ALL those people in the waiting room were family members of others already having tests done! A fellow named Jared came in & started chatting to me about his platelets & spleen & how his spleen is producing antibodies that throw out all his platelets. He sees Dr. Lategan & had Hodgkin's when he was 10! Crazy! 


When I was finally called, Lionel, the same man as before, called me into the back & took my blood. He was good! I hardly felt a pinch! My body is getting sensitive to the needles as of late, & they've only just begun! 


Blood work done, I headed back to Dr. Daly's waiting area. Mom came in from the car & shortly thereafter we were called into the room. A lovely nurse named Grete talked to me about a few things, took my height & weight (144.5 & 168) & then gave me a bunch of little booklets to read on all things Hodgkin's & Chemo. Even a copy of 'Managing Chemotherapy for Dummies'!!! Ha ha!


Dr. Daly came in & we chatted about a few things. He checked my hands, neck & my breathing. We talked about my travel restrictions & his travel plans! :o( He gets to go to Quebec, I'm staying put. Fair enough. He walked me to the treatment room & left me with the nurses.


Grete had told us that we would usually have about 1.5 hrs wait until the drugs were sent down from the Pharmacy, giving us time to get a bite to eat, have a tea, walk the dogs, etc, etc. But when I entered the room, they sat me down right away & got started! Oh dear! No food in my belly! Hope it all goes well!


Vivian, an adorable Nurse originally from Hong Kong, tells me I needed to heat up my arms. I said, 'Sure, do you have a heat pack?' (At Castillo's we were given microwaved IV bags of water to keep our injection sites warm) Vivian looked at me funny & said no. Instead, she began filling a sink with warm water. There I stood, hunched over this sink with water from my palms to triceps. I finish soaking them & try my best not to drip water all over the floor while Vivian wraps them in towels.


I sat down & she finds a juicy vein. She didn't like the first one on my inner forearm, so she pulled it out & used the one in my elbow pit (Sorry, haven't learned the technical term for that one yet!). It was good, so we were ready to rock. However, they gave me saline. Then the anti-emetic. Then more saline. As I was trying to rehydrate myself, drinking water & all that saline, I was in the toilet 3x by this point! I had to take off all the blankets & pillows & fold the leg lift under on the chair, which felt like an auto-eject seat every time it came down! Then I had to unplug the IV trolley, which one of the other nurses named 'my dancing partner' & away I'd go to the loo.


When I returned, it was time. I had two bags of Vinblastine, followed by a flush of the line after each. Then it was Doxorubicin or Adryiamycin next. It is a clear red drug. I thought it would hurt going in, but it didn't. Next up was the big bag of Dacarbazine. It was given simultaneously with saline, again, not to irritate the vein. Again, potty time. 


Mom had left prior to the anti-emetic & she finally came back! I hadn't brought my bag with all my books, videos, etc. in it, so I was bored out of my tree! I watched the nursing staff interact & flutter about, discovered a bunch of wrong dates in my Peruvian day planner (!) & chatted with a few of the gals beside me. When Mom returned I was just getting my chemo. She brought me a Jugo Juice smoothie & sandwich, as well as a nice card & 2 books I'd mentioned earlier this morning! What a great Mom! 


We were able to visit with one of the nurses, Deana, while Vivian administered the chemo drugs. It was a nice distraction so I didn't have to think about what was happening.


Soon enough, I was finished! No complications & no discomfort! Yay! Round 1 is done! We headed to the Pharmacy to pick up the meds & there was a little hold up in clarifying that the Alberta Cancer Foundation was going to help out, but 1/2 an hour later, we were good to go! By this point I was pretty tired. I couldn't wait to get home & sleep!


Which is precisely what I did. I set the alarm for 2200, woke up, took a pill, ate some food, checked out the new replacement phones & typed this. I'm now off to bed again, alarm set for 0400 to take the next pill... 


I survived the first round! Yay! It was a breeze! I've been warmed there are rough days coming - Dr. Daly says tomorrow, the one nurse says days 5-7. We'll see! All those prayers, positive thoughts, white light & good energy thrown my way really made a world of difference! I'm so grateful for the wonderful family & friends I have supporting me! 


Sleep well! xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Vivian reviews the drugs & their side effects with me.

Getting sleepy!

Dacarbazine & Saline

Mom lights up the room

The hi-tech hot pack machine!

Okay, round 1 done & dusted. 

Day 245 - More Teeth & Naturopathic Stuff

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I booked an 0800 dental appointment the morning after surgery, but I did. So away we went. Mom had to drive me, as I was legally impaired until 1330 this afternoon. Naturally we left a bit late, but Lois was ready & waiting for me when I arrived at 0810. 


Oh dear. My bottom teeth were bad yesterday. My top teeth were even worse! My gums have receded so much that the root is exposed. Which meant that Lois couldn't even drag her 'little scrape-y tool' across the area! It sent me through the roof! She cleaned as best she could & polished them afterwards. I love the suction thing & I love a Hygienist that lets you control the suction. There's nothing like gagging on your own spit or swallowing some mint tasting chemical! Ick! Lois let me use the gadget & I was grateful! I took the wedding photos to show her, as she was quite amazed at the story of Jaco & I. She is such a sweet heart! She's very passionate about her job & thankfully so. If she wasn't I probably wouldn't have known my teeth were in the shape they are in! I picked up a Sonicare toothbrush & I'm in love already! The organized side of my personality loves it! It has a 2-minute timer with 30 second bleeps to tell you when to change quadrants in your mouth. And it has a UV brush cleaner! Oh & it brushes your teeth sparkly clean! 


I waited outside in the sun for Mom to pick me up. She'd run to Okotoks to get the 14" rims for the car. I waited for quite awhile. I thought she was in a rush, but you know Mom! Lo & behold, she finally drove by. Apparently she'd been into the clinic a few times looking for me, but didn't bother to look outside or drive through the parking lot! She'd been there 1/2 an hour! Whoops! We stopped at the bakery for a quick bite & then headed home. She had to rush into town for her day planner production.


I crashed for a good 1.5 hrs. I was so wiped! I really didn't want to get up for my 1445 appointment. I quickly got ready & hopped into the car. It wouldn't start. The battery was completely flat. Great. Thankfully the truck was running! I don't enjoy driving the beast, but I had no other option! Away I went!


Parking was fun & I still have no idea how the silver Honda made it out of the space next to me, but kudos to the driver! The Naturopath didn't impress me too much today. The last appointment was pretty hefty. ($$$) Today was nearly $60 & I was there for about 5-10 minutes. He browsed over my medical papers & focused on blood work from 6 months ago.  He told me to email him on Friday after chemo & let him know how I felt. Huh? What is going on? He'll get one more shot. I certainly didn't feel like we had a $60 conversation. Thank goodness the parking was free! 


I stopped at Jugo Juice (of course!) & headed home. I spent the rest of the evening trying to sort out my desk & a pile (mountain) of papers. No, I'm not finished yet! I also attempted hooking up the Magic Jacks, but I hit a few roadblocks. Looks like I will need to set them up on a PC! How rude! :o) 


Okay, super wiped & looking forward to some R&R...
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

Lois - she's a riot!

Sleepy little town...

Saving my teeth!

Watching the clouds roll by!

Day 236 - Ultrasound #2

Yawn. I'm such a Garfield. I wasn't meant for early mornings. A late night & an early morning appointment left me sleeping paranoid that I was going to miss my alarm & then the ultrasound. I woke up at 0430 thinking I'd overslept. I was surprisingly alert, but quickly came to my senses & went back to bed. When the alarm did finally go off at 0600, I certainly wasn't ready for it! I hit snooze until 0640 (yes, I did) & then rolled out of bed, rushing around. 


I left for the city just as the rain began to fall. It poured & spit & quit & then repeated itself on the way in. I managed to find a 2 hour free parking spot near the clinic. Oh the small things in life! I met with the Psychologist first. I'm thinking I shocked her out of her morning routine, as I was the first patient she saw. I think most of her patients are couples with emotional issues about infertility. Husband blames wife, wife blames husband, baggage from the past, etc, etc. In I waltz. Cancer. Husband from another country. No job. Living with Mom. Chemo on the horizon. And who said I didn't like to stir the pot??!! :o) We had a wonderful visit & she was very friendly & comforting. We talked a lot about Italy. Glad I'm not alone in my love of Italia!


Next up was a bit of blood work. I've been taking baby Aspirin to help thin my blood & it's definitely working. My arm looks like it never has before from the needle. Nice purple spot. (My injection sites are also looking a little 'funkier' than usual) 


I sat in the waiting room for awhile again & after it had been about a 1/2 hour, I thought I better check again. The receptionist said she'd check & see what was going on & I hadn't even sunk my butt into the chair when they called my name! Impressive! Apparently the ultrasound machine was giving them some hassles today.


I'm pleased to report that I have 9 follicles. Always dreaming of being an Overachiever, I was hoping for 12, but 9 is fine. I have no idea if they look good or not, but I guess we won't really know for a few more days. I am to return in 2 days time & take an additional shot in the evenings for the next 2 nights. 


The nurse came in to talk to me about my new prescription & it turns out her daughter just joined the Island Princess as a Dancer! How fun! I did my best to reassure Mom that her daughter would be fine & in good hands... She'll have the time of her life! It brings me great joy when I hear of young people venturing abroad at a young age to experience more of life than just university & marriage & mortgage & kids... I believe that travel is the best education money can buy. Don't get me wrong, I think it's fantastic to earn a degree & become educated in a field you love. But what if that field you love is in the south of France & full of lavender? :o) 


I picked up a Jugo Juice & a zebra print shower curtain & headed for home. I was planning on heading straight to bed, well, after a quick detour to see if the wigs were here. They weren't. But, I did get a lovely letter from a collection agency. Are you kidding me? I declared bankruptcy! I've been discharged! The cheeky sods at the Royal Bank have only NOW sent my 'account' to a collection agency. I didn't hear a peep from them while I was in bankruptcy... a friend reckons they are trying to double dip & get more from me! Good luck! I called the collection agency & the guy was pretty aggressive. When I told him to contact Meyers Norris Penny, he said it wasn't up to him to contact them & I 'better get used to a lot of phone calls'! Ha! I'll email MNP tomorrow... 


I was headed for bed & the phone rang twice. I just got nestled under the covers & it rang again. 10 minutes of sleep. Another ring. Argh! Okay, fine! I'll get up & deal with a few things. 


I never did make it back to bed before midnight. I worked on my Oncology notes & questions for Thursday's appointment, filled out a 9 page questionnaire for my Naturopath appointment tomorrow, completed my 3rd shot of the day and played with the dogs for a bit. I was supposed to edit Mom's day planner, but her computer was on vacation. 


My evening shot was a bit of a drama. I pulled out the supplies & the directions. As I'm reading, it says to administer the injection in your stomach. Nothing about the thighs. I'm not a belly shot kinda girl (just ask my photog friends for THAT story!), so I was pretty worried. I called the Health Link number & the gal on the other end couldn't really say. I called the Medicine/Herbal/Poison Control Centre. After being on hold for 10 minutes, I hung up. I was supposed to do the shot at 2000, it's now 2015. I call the IVF number & of course, they are closed. But their message says to call Foothills switchboard & have the Fertility Doctor paged, if it's an emergency. Well, I'm not really an emergency, but is there a nurse available? Nope. Next thing I know, Dr. Wong calls me back! He said I was fine to do the shot in my legs, as long as I get it in somehow! Phew! Good stuff! I apologize for troubling him & head to the loo to do the shot. If these shots were tequila, I'd be plastered by the end of the day!!! :o)


I'm not sure what I did this time, but again, I got a nice big lump at my injection site. I'm just not meant to give myself needles... Anyhow, it's done & dusted & only a few more days of these needles. Then it's back to the big one! Yikes!


I'm off to bed... Have a peaceful sleep...
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

My dog who hates to have her photo taken.

Playing shy

Tolerating a kiss or two...

Day 235 - White Flour?!

Today was my orientation at the Tom Baker Centre for chemotherapy. Of course, Mom & I were late. Construction, parking, & bad directions from the front desk didn't help matters much. We found a seat & tuned in to what the nurse was saying. She talked about what to expect during chemo, when you get chemo & what not to do.

A lot of it was common sense - if there is any with chemo - but some of it really didn't make sense to me. I get that the goal is to poison the body as much as possible to kill all the bad (& good) cells, but is it really necessary? Surely some vitamins & minerals & healthy food wouldn't be that detrimental to my health? :o) Sounds funny! 

Even funnier was the lady across from us... The nurse was advising us to eat a good meal the morning of our chemo treatments & to bring snacks with us. The lady across the way pipes up, 'I was told not to have any GREASY foods on the treatment days. Is that true?' WHY WOULD YOU HAVE GREASY FOODS AT ANYTIME THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE CANCER CAREER??!! 

Adding to the ridiculousness of it - the nurse tells us they have volunteers who come around the treatment rooms & offer you coffee, juice & cookies. I'm thinking, 'Oooh, warm chocolate chip cookies!' (Which are just as bad as greasy food, I know!) But nope, they are the kind you get on a WestJet flight. Prepackaged & filled with rubbish. Just what I need to heal! (Can you see me rolling my eyes?!?)

Lastly, on the list of ridiculous diet suggestions, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, their recommendation for diarrhea is to eat WHITE BREAD OR WHITE PASTA!!!!! Can you believe it?!?! Does anybody even eat that garbage still??? HUH-LOW!!!!! It struck me funny that I can't indulge in vitamins & minerals, but I can plug my colon with gooey, gluey white flour! Gross. Don't believe me? Check here.

I had the nurse up in arms, as she told us to flip through our green folder & I told her I didn't have one. Then she mentioned the infamous red card. I told her I didn't have one. She said I must be new. I told her I'd been coming here for 18 months. She was really flustered then! But, not nearly as flustered as the moment the power went out! Yes, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre forgot to pay their power bill. :o) We were about 10 minutes without power, so she read from her binder. 

After the (no)Powerpoint presentation, we had a tour of the treatment room. Shudder. I can't believe this is my reality. Get me in & get me out. I want to spend as little time as possible in that area! Icky. The nurse also pointed out the little 'kitchen' where they have toast, coffee, tea, jam, peanut butter... But... Fruit? Vegetables? Don't be ridiculous! 

Perhaps the most shocking part of the day was when I discovered that I needed Medical Coverage for the pharmaceuticals I would need in addition to chemo. WHAT?! And here I've been bragging about our wonderful socialized medicine. What gives!? All the anti-emetics would NOT be covered. So they'll fill me full of poisons & if I can afford the 'feel better' meds, I'll be fine & dandy. Something is NOT right about this picture! After the orientation was completed, I went straight to the desk to book an appointment with a social worker & figure out the health care business. She would call me tomorrow. Another hurdle begins! Wish me luck! 

I also found out that my hair will be completely gone until about 1 month after chemo. Lucky me. I guess I was pretty naive, as I thought it would start to grow back around the 3 or 4 month mark, but that was just me thinking silly! So, instead of my 2 front teeth for Christmas, all I'll want is hair! (on my scalp, just to be specific, in case someone out there wants to play a cruel joke on me & give me more whiskers!!!)

The nurse was quite knowledgeable about chemo drugs, so she offered a few websites to check out. I will say, besides the front desk chick who didn't know much, the rest of the receptionists I dealt with were WONDERFUL & very patient with this patient. 

We even got free parking today! Whoo hoo! How sweet is that!!! It adds up so quickly. Mom & I lamented that the Big Pharma should at least pay for patient's parking. Anyhow, driving on, we stopped at Jugo Juice. I am officially obsessed with Copa Cabana. They use agave in their smoothies! Sweet! 

We stopped at the post office & the General Store on our way to see if the wigs were in yet. No luck. I checked the tracking number & they are out of Canadian Customs, but I have no clue where they are now! Oh hurry here! I want my wigs! Any suggestions for names? I've decided every wig needs a personality... 

When I arrived home, I was checking my messages when Kim Ing rang me on Skype. 3 hours later, Joanne called. 3 hours later, I was up to speed on her trip to Mexico & Adam Dreamhealer. I sure do miss her & our laughing fits! I am so happy to hear that she is feeling footloose & fancy free! She is kicking cancer's buttocks & that is WONDERFUL!!! 

I collapsed into bed quite late. It would be a short night... Tomorrow is bloods & ultrasound at the Fertility Clinic. Cross your fingers all is well! 

xxxx

Maria & Valentina

Valentina fell asleep waiting to use the phone

A headset is a beautiful thing.

Day 201 - A Day In The City

Well, today was quite the day. I spent a good portion of the day panicking about all these little things that kept popping into my head… ‘What about this?’ ‘What about that?’ ‘You forgot about this.’ I was pretty much driving myself crazy.

I had a MUGA scan at 1030. A MUGA scan is a scan done to your heart to see how well your heart is functioning. Basically they inject you with a radioactive substance & then scan 2 sides of your heart with a gamma camera. They make a lovely little video of your heart & see what’s beating. It was certainly the lesser of any scanning evils I have had done so far.

As I will be having Doxorubicin as one of my chemo drugs (AKA Red Devil), I needed to have a scan of my heart. Doxorubicin is particularly known for weakening the heart muscle. I’m going to have to muster up a lot of love & keep this ticker strong! :o) I was a little concerned that the MUGA scan might interfere with the fertility program, but after many calls, I was finally told that the Doctor looked it up online & I should be fine. Um, so he googled my potential health risk? He didn’t know before hand? Comforting, real comforting!

The folks at the Nuclear Medicine department were friendly & easy going. I’d been there before for PET scans, but I was in a different section today. I visited with 2 of the technicians about orthotics, camera gear, children, falling in love on a cruise ship & few other things. They had me out of there with 6 minutes to spare until my appointment at the fertility clinic.

I had no idea there were so many infertile people in Calgary. It must be an epidemic! It was crazy busy in there! Both with staff & patients! I waited for about an hour until I finally met with the Doctor. Talk about the wind coming out of your sails. I am one day late to start IVF treatment, which means I will have to wait 5 more weeks before I can start chemo. ONE DAY. ONE DAY=5 weeks of postponed treatment. I’ve had time to deal with it, but I was pretty upset at the time. If only the bloody Doctors had responded to my emails & questions from the ship, I wouldn’t be sitting at this table hearing this crummy news. Ahh. Or if I had a few more hours notice about the previous day’s appointment! But! The good news is, they can help me & it can be done relatively quickly. Most people wait 1 year ++ for treatment. They are pulling a lot of strings to fit me in & I am very grateful for that. I have no idea what my Oncologist will say when I tell him it’s going to be another 3 weeks, but I suppose we’ll just have to work with it.

I’ll ask now for any prayers you might have to offer – that the IVF treatments go smoothly & swiftly without complications & that my body can keep the cancer under control for 5 more weeks without jeopardizing my health any further. Thank you!

I am coming back to the Fertility Clinic on Friday morning to discuss the plan. Fingers crossed!

I left the clinic & headed to Planet Organic for a few goodies. Then I stopped at Jugo Juice for a smoothie & then it was home time. The little doggies were very happy to see me! We spent a bit of time outside & then headed in to get comfy for the night.

I was quite tired by 2100, but I was still up at 2300 when Mom finally made it home from her long day in the city. We watched the dogs play for a bit & then hit the hay.

Here’s to a nice relaxing day tomorrow with nothing on the agenda…

Puppy dog tails & kisses,

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sisters sharing the bed!

Day 158 - Holy Cow! What A Day!

Phew! Today was a LONG day! I had planned on heading out early, but as usual, the morning got away from me... Then dear ol' Contemplate wouldn't start! My last day to drive my lovely car for many months to come & it was no go. Mom was already gone with NeverLate, so I was left with the truck. I don't mind driving the truck, but it's a gas hog & a bit of a tank to drive in the city. Regardless, I headed out around 1100 for Cochrane.


First up was the TD bank for the $25 Barbados Import Permit. $25 Barbados dollars is equal to about $13 Canadian. It cost $50 (!) to post to Barbados. Ouch! 


I stopped in to see Jenn on her first day of her new job. She looked like a supermodel!!! Wow!!! I couldn't help but stare! She is such a beautiful woman! With those big eyes & perfect smile, no wonder Mike was so swiftly enamoured with this gorgeous Canadian gal! :o) I hope the job goes well for her.


I will admit. Today was a weepy day. I cried on my way to Cochrane, I cried on my way to Calgary & I cried on my way home from the city. I cried at songs on the radio, I cried when  I couldn't find the courts office... Yeah, I was a bit of a wreck. I'm sad to be leaving all my friends & Mom & happy to be leaving to get healthy. I'm sad I'm not already healthy, I miss my husband & I'm sad we're not already living somewhere together... And pretty much anything else made me cry.


I stopped at GAP Adventures to say goodbye to Michael - he was busy as usual! Then it was downtown to sort out the speeding ticket I got in September. I was caught doing 102 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. I was 3 hours late leaving for the wedding weekend, with a million things on my mind. It is my first speeding ticket in Alberta. Grrr. Anyhow, it had gone to trial so I had to see a Prosecutor about it. I phoned & was given the wrong directions. I went to 5 different places & couldn't find the right floor when I finally found the right building. Needless to say, I was getting close to losing it! I ended up having to buy a Jugo Juice just to get more change & pay for parking. My luck I'd get a parking ticket while paying for my speeding ticket! Hmpf!


The Prosecutor was actually human! He was very much unlike the Judge I visited in January - thank goodness! He reduced my ticket & I received 2 demerits instead of 3. 


I motored over to Meyers Norris Penny with minutes to spare on the parking meter. I paid my last payment & hugged my Bankruptcy Consultant goodbye. I was very excited to have made my last payment... Just another 3 weeks of receipts to submit & I am free & clear! Yahoo!


I boogied through the rest of the afternoon trying to get the rest of my to-do list accomplished. Community Natural Foods, then I tried to get a roll of slide film cross-processed. I was rejected at Vistek, Costco & Black's. I'll just take it to California with me & have it done there. I stopped at PetSmart, the Luggage Shop, Chapters, Jugo Juice (again), and then I stopped at Mom2's. She'd been away all weekend & I was quite worried, as I didn't know she was gone & I couldn't get ahold of her! She hadn't checked her email recently, so she didn't know I was leaving - for 4 months! 


It was nearly 2000 & I was pretty pooped. I decided to pick up some veggies for Mom & head home. Hungry as a horse, I decided to have some sushi. I chose a chai tea & sushi over a burger & fries. I thought that was a wise choice! Sushi Ginza was delish!


It had been quite windy all day & I swear in a matter of minutes, the temperature dropped by 10 degrees! It was freezing cold!!! Yuck! Of course, I arrived home to find a lovely blanket of fresh snow! Oh the joys of living in the mountains! 


Tomorrow it the last chance to pack & hit the skies enroute for health & happiness... Sleep well & I'll see you soon! 
xxxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Jenn on her first day!

Yahoo! Last payment!

Great Sushi!

Great service!

Great times!