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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.
