Day 154 - Speedy Gonzalez AKA Contemplate

After an exceptionally short night, I found myself somewhat coherent about 0900. I got up to let Valentina out & by the time I came back in Collet was up too. We chit chatted for a bit & then Ezra woke up. He was not too happy to be up - until he saw 'Nini'! 


They played & played & played all morning. It was fun to see the two of them getting along so well! I was amazed at Ezra's growth. When I saw him 2 weeks ago, he was saying words. Now he's saying sentences! My goodness they grow quickly!


Collet took me for a tour of True Hope. Dave's family has this incredible history of helping people with illnesses of all sorts. What began as a solution for bi-polar has evolved into, well, how about you just check it out... http://www.truehope.com I take several of their products to give my body the nutritional support it needs & I've heard so many amazing stories of the products helping people with depression, Parkinson's, MS, cancer, Cerebral Palsy... It's incredible!


I was shocked at the size of the office. Completely not what I expected, but it's always nice to have your expectations exceeded! My only disappointment... No Mac computers. Sigh. If they only knew that ALL of GAP Adventures computers are Macs & they have 5 concept stores in 3 different countries plus head office! Once you go Mac, you never go back. :o) (Just a little dig for the IT boys at True Hope!) Everyone who worked there was friendly & fun. I guess it feels good to know that you are making a big impact in so many people's lives, health & vitality! Bring it on!!!


We returned to the house & I packed up the car. I woefully hugged the family goodbye & made my way towards Calgary. (3 hours late!) I had called the Oncologist's office & told them I was running behind & could I squeak in at the end of the day. She told me to get there as quickly as I could. I left at 1500 & by 1633 I was entering the south end of the city. It took me well over 1/2 an hour to get to Tom Baker. Crowchild was at a stand still. So much for making good time! Luckily the Doctor was still there when I ran in! 


He told me to have a seat & wait. Wow. 3 hours late & I still get to wait! Imagine what the parking bill would have been had I been on time! :o) 


Well, I must say, he drives a hard bargain. I brought up the comments made from the previous week with the other Oncologist...

• Q:If I do 1 month of chemo & the tumors are gone, why am I still doing 5 more months of chemo?
• A:Well, we have to be sure we get it all & sometimes these cells lie dormant.
• Q: If you do a scan at 3 or 4 months & it's clean, why do I still need another 2 months?
• A: (see above)
• Q: The other Doc mentioned they are doing studies &/or tests to see if they can shorten the time/amount of chemo given. Can I get in on those studies?
• A: Well, we don't have any studies being conducted here, but I tell you what. You can do 6 months of chemo (no variation in the dosage) OR you can do 3 months of chemo followed by 3 months of radiation. We'll do radiation on your chest, underarms & both sides of your neck. 
• Q: Do I look stupid?
• A: (Don't worry, I didn't really ask that question, I just thought it REALLY LOUD in my head!)

The Doc also said the last 2 months of chemo are usually the toughest with the worst side effects. I'm thinking to myself... 'Duh! That's because there isn't any cancer left to kill! You're killing healthy cells!!!!'

Sigh. I then proceeded to tell him that I wanted to see my husband before I started chemo. Either I go see him or I wait until he can come to see me. The Doc proceeds to tell me that it's time to put me first. The cruise lines can find another Doctor to fill his spot. What the Doc doesn't quite understand is that Jaco would have to sign off own will, pay to fly to SA, get a visa, pay to fly to Canada & have no income while he was here & obviously nor would I! So the Doc says, give me his name & date of birth, I'll write up a letter & we'll send it to the Canadian Embassy in South Africa requesting an expedited Visitor Visa so he can come here. (!!??)

Next he says, 'Is money an issue?' We can put you in touch with a Social Worker who can put you on disability & get you some income to help out.  I'm beginning to think, 'Is there anything this Doctor can't do?'

Anyhow, he knows I'm stubborn & I want to think things through, so I politely tell him I need time to think about things. He tells me he wouldn't expect anything different, but that he wants me in treatment by the end of April. Oh please God let me find something that works between now & April 30th!

I leave the hospital at 1800 & pay my parking ($3.75 - not bad!) upstairs. As I drive past my Filipino friend from the previous weeks, I honk at him & offer a friendly wave. It's his lucky week, he doesn't have to put up with my coin purse this week! :o)

Exhausted from driving, I motor home. It is prayers tonight, but I don't have the energy to go. I am happy to be home, as is Valentina. I see Laura has called! She's back from Mexico! I can't wait to talk to her & see how things went... Did the girls have fun? Did Henk enjoy his time away from his 'other girls' (the cows)? How did treatments go? OMGOSH! The best news I've heard all year - SHE'S IN REMISSION!!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!! AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!! She doesn't have to go back for 1 year! Way to go Girl!!!! I'm thrilled to bits for her! She found out on her 8th Wedding Anniversary. I sure hope I don't have to wait until my 8th anniversary to hear those words!!! :o) 

Talk about a long day... Up & down & all around... Life is a roller coaster! Holy cow! I am about to crash when Mom asks me if I'll drive to Mossleigh tomorrow morning to pick her up. She needs to take Jeff her truck. Crap timing that is! I told her to ask me in the morning after I've had a good night's sleep.

Lekker slaap,

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Best buds, enjoying breakfast!

Hangin' out at True Hope!

The True Hope IT boys. I guess there's always 'hope' one day they'll see the light & switch to Macs. :o)

Awh! What a gorgeous family & look at little Ezra's smile! Too cute for words!

Where would I be without my amazing friend? Lost.

Just a few questions for the Doc.

Day 112 - No Storm.

Starting the day running late never proves successful. You'd think I would know this by now, but apparently I just haven't learned it yet! 


Mom & I were to leave for town at 1100. We left at 1145. Of course, this put us late meeting Al & Wilma for lunch. Luckily I called & told Al we would be late & it wasn't too big of a deal. I was thrilled to see them again. Sometimes you meet some people & you feel an instant connection with them. It was this way with Al & Wilma. I swear, I can feel their warm hearts when I'm around them!


I met them flying home from the ship this last time. Funny, I spent 26 days on the same small ship with them & we never met. Then, when the cruise is over, we meet standing in line for the shuttle to the airport! Turns out, we were actually on the same snorkeling tour in Bora Bora! Ha! 


Anyhow, we enjoyed a wonderful visit & I look forward to seeing them again soon! They have a fantastic journey coming up that will take them to Cape Town, Namibia & West Africa. I am so thrilled that we share the same passion for travel & far flung destinations! I can not wait to hear all about it! I shared some tips on Namibia when I first met them & I'm sure they'll have plenty to share with me about West Africa! 


We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Earl's. It was such a beautiful day out - if it weren't for the remaining bits of snow, I'm sure they could have opened up the patio! Of course, time ticked past quickly & before we knew it, it was time for me to leave for my Oncology appointment. Valentina said a quick hello & goodbye & we were on our way!


Mom had left lunch early to run a few errands &, of course, she was running late, so I went to the appointment on my own. I did sneak out later & called her & luckily she was close by. 


I must say, it was quite ridiculous. We sat there for an entire hour before the Doctor came in to see us. When he finally did, he said he didn't have the biopsy results yet! What?!? He could have at least told me that from the beginning! Now I was going to be late for my Acupuncture appointment. Argh!


What did surprise me though, was that he had my CT scan results already! I had the scan in another town from another Doctor & he had access to them?? Well, that was the good news! He said the Doctor who did up the report didn't have my previous scans to compare them with, but from what the Oncologist could tell, the cancer hasn't spread (!) & it doesn't appear to have grown at all!! If it has, it is very minimal! YAHOO!!! I didn't get a copy of the report, but I will get that when I meet with my GP next week. Now that's what I'm talking about!!! Now, remember, I had my last PET scan the end of July. I didn't start my current protocol until the later part of October. It's working!!!! Hallelujah! 


The rest of the appointment didn't go so hot. He said he wasn't sure what the hold up was with my pathology report, but in case it didn't turn out, would I be willing to do an excision biopsy? HUH? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the train! If I wanted to do that, why on Earth would I have you jab a bunch of big needles in my neck!?!? Do I look insane to you?!? I told him, nope. Another Core Needle Biopsy if this didn't work. Besides, he mentioned the former grumpy surgeon who would be the one to do the surgery. I commented on his lousy attitude & the Oncologist said, 'Oh, they're all like that.' I said I didn't care, that's not an excuse! I heard a Westjet joke on my last flight & I'll manipulate it to fit this situation. What's the difference between God & a Surgeon? God doesn't think he's a Surgeon! :oP


The next topic of discussion at the appointment was the Chemofit test. He completely dismissed it & said it was useless. He said it was often only done on end stage patients (of which I am no where near) & they had already been through chemo that didn't work, so how would the test prove anything? Then he said if the test worked they would already have it in place. Right. Don't even open that can of worms. Bite your tongue... Just bite your tongue. And I did! 


Then I asked a few questions about the chemo protocols. Turns out I would be up for ABVD. Yup, the one that causes cardiac toxicity & oxygen toxicity. I asked about scuba diving. At first he brushed it off, then in the end, he tells me I can kiss my scuba diving career goodbye. Goodbye?! I haven't even started!! I haven't dove the Great Barrier Reef yet! Sorry, no can do! And for those of you who are rooting for the chemo path... Even my 'Other Doctor' said NO to the bleomycin (oxygen toxicity). Pulmonary Fibrosis? No thanks. When I asked the Oncologist about my options if I didn't do bleomycin (lungs), doxorubicin (heart), cyclophosphamide (secondary bladder cancer) or prednisone (13 side effects) what my options were, he said none! And then he tries to tell me that there are more protocols for Lymphoma than CHOP & ABVD! Caught you!


I also asked about support in the line of nutritional, supplemental & so forth. Oh yes, we have therapists & nutritionists. Okay, so what kind of supplements? Oh, no supplements while you are on chemo, they could interact. Okay, what about eliminating the chemo drugs, dead cancer cells & other bodily waste? Just drink lots of water. Seriously? I can feel my poor liver wincing from here, let alone my kidneys & intestines! I have come to realize there is NO LOGIC in ANY OF THIS!!!! 


Needless to say, I am more excited to get to Mexico than ever before! Especially with the news of NO GROWTH!!!! I'm praying that my pessimistic Oncologist didn't want to share the wonderful news that it's actually smaller than the last scan! Hey, a girl's got to have some hope, right??!!


I left TBC in a state of mixed emotions & headed for my Acupuncture appointment, now half an hour late. Luckily someone cancelled & I was able to still get in! Dr. Mah tested my supplements & all but the Cayenne & Curcumin (tumeric) tested strong. I reckon it's because I loathe being in the kitchen! :o) But, he strengthened me to them & by the end of the session I was good to go! It's so relaxing. I fall asleep every time! I'm lying down with a heat pack on my neck, a heat lamp over my abdomen & then of course, the 8 needles in me. Needless to say, there's no rolling over! :o)


After the acupuncture, I headed for Community Natural Foods. Again. I had to pick up some supplements for Mexico & I added a few more to the regiment. Perhaps the funniest part of my day was when I asked for some help with the coffee. I needed to get medium roast fine grind. The fellow told me they didn't have any ground coffee, but I could use the grinder in the store. I agreed & asked which kind of coffee to do I choose? He asked what kind of flavour I wanted. *Blush* I replied, 'Well, the flavour doesn't really matter. It's for an upside down coffee.' He looked at me perplexed. I continued, 'It's for an enema.' 'Okay, well then... Do you want to go to Vienna, Guatemala, Tuscany, or Kenya on this enema?' :o) All in a day's work. FYI - It's supposed to help detox the liver. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll spare you the details.


I also bumped into Zoe, my MCP friend. We shared a big hug & I told her I'd pop in after I returned from Mexico to let her know how I was doing. Several hundred dollars later, I was on my way to prayers, only 1/2 an hour late.


Prayers are always fun. It's great to share in each others lives & share in our faith that our prayers will be answered. It's even more fun when they are immediately answered! I prayed that Jaco would find the time to update his CV so we could have it in to the recruiter before she returned from her holidays. My husband, in all his perfection, does NOT respond well to outside influences of pressure. The more I push, the more he resists. Running late? Hurry up? Drag my feet. The day of our wedding in Waterton, we had 20 minutes to get ready. He tells me, 'I'm going to the gym. See you in a bit.' AHHHHHHHHH!!!! But, luckily punctuality isn't a strong gene on my side of the family either. Hey, we'll get there! My own personal time zone! ;o) Anyhow, to my amazement, I returned home to check my emails & find his CV in my inbox! Wow! He is perfect! Two prayers answered! :o)


Exhausted I crawled into bed after a brief chat with Jaco. He was up at 0300 still packing & ready to fly home... Oh how I wish I was on that plane too!


A big thank you to my Mom for rearranging her day to come to the appointment with me. Even if we did just sit there & giggle about Valentina's flatulence!


Lekker slaap & see you soon!
Love, 
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Al, Wilma & KC

Sigh. I've only shrunk by 6 lbs. Do you think my UGG's weigh 19 lbs?

Valentina hits Tom Baker again. What a good girl!