Monthly Archives: April 2011

Health Issues

Post Radiation – April 22nd

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I finished the last treatment and boost treatment on Tuesday April 19th. It felt so good to be finished this all. It has been tiring. I had a headache all of the next day, and I’m not sure why, perhaps a stress letdown or something, I don’t know, but I am not prone to headaches so it surprised me.

I had to go to the hospital and get 9 vials of blood taken from me and see the nurse for clinical trials. I am taking part in a clinical trial called MA 32. It involves taking a pill a day x 28 days, and then 2 pills a day x 5 yrs. The pill can either be a placebo or metformin 850 mgm I don’t know which I have.  The theory behind the trial they are testing is to see if early stage breast cancer patients do better with metformin than those who don’t take it. I believe they found women who were already diabetic and taking metformin seemed to have better results for both survival and have less recurrance rates. Anyways when I met with my cancer Dr, Dr. Oja initially, I asked him if there were any clinical trials that were going on that I would be suitable for, and he told me about this one.  Suits me. 🙂  I like the idea of being part of a possible solution to help fight this disease.

The radiology gals warned me, as did my radioncologist, that the radiation will continue to affect my skin and symptoms x 2 weeks. I have to say that is true. The skin continues to get more fragile even though the treatments have stopped. I am getting some pains in the breast, like zingers, and the crease/fold under the breast is red and raw and open. I continue to put hydrocortisone on it. I do have a prescription for flamazine, but I don’t have bigger weeping areas bigger than a quarter yet. The Dr told me to get the prescription filled if that happened.

I did a soak of the breast with cool water today and man did that feel good, it took some of the heat out of the breast for a time. They said to use saline soaks but I am not going to do that, I can’t see putting saltwater on the already irritated and open skin, so I’m sticking with water. 🙂

Yesterday we went for a walk in one of the woodland parks, and it was lovely. We went to Surrey lake park, and there we saw an eagle nest, with mama eagle’s head sitting up high in it, and daddy eagle came circling the nest. Cool stuff 🙂

I’m trying to make myself get up and do stuff, just to push through this fatigue. I have to say for the first time in months (even before the diagnosis I had told the Dr. I was feeling fatigue ++ ) (no doubt because of the cancer I didn’t know I had then), I woke up this morning and I don’t feel like an absolute dishrag. The morning is early yet, but I am hopeful that the bone crushing fatigue I’ve been feeling might actually be lifting.  Hope. 🙂  Fingers crossed, and lets see what today brings.  If I can get this inflammation down in the breast area, then I might feel like I’m getting back to normal here. The Dr told me they are inflaming the breast every time they radiate it, and I have not had alot of pains/zingers thusfar, but I am getting them now that the actual treatments have stopped. WEIRD. 🙂

…Pam…

Health Issues

April 18th 2011 – Monday

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Today was my 24th/25 radiation treatment. One more to go!

I think I’m doing pretty good. My skin is getting more sensitive as the days go on. Right after the treatment my skin is fairly reddened but it gradually subsides during the day so that it is looking more darker than the other side, but the last week or so it’s been feeling more sunburnt for longer. I am having some pain especially under the right breast, the crease is inflammed and reddened but no large weeping areas. The bra certainly is a gift and a curse, as it holds the girls in place but it also can cause some rubbing on sensitive burnt skin.   I do believe that I have different skin type than most people as I rarely do burn, and have a great ability to tan. The Dr’s are impressed with how my skin has held up thusfar. I’ve been impressed too, but I’ve been religious about slathering on the moisturizer 2x a day and I am putting some hydrocortisone cream under the breast along the inflamed area.

One thing they did advise this last week, was to do saline soaked wraps of the right breast. I guess they thought week 5 it would be the worse. I am not doing that, because I feel saline (salt water) on a burnt skin can dry it out more. Instead I’m doing just cool water wraps and that feels so good. Once you get zapped so many times, you start to feel cooked inside. I know that sounds gross, but it’s the best way I know to describe it. I saw my surgeon Dr Janzen last week and she said my skin looked GREAT. She said most come in with skin that is bright red and burnt ++. Maurice told her I was a good tanner 🙂 hee hee

Tomorrow is my last day of Radiation. The gals at Fraser Valley Cancer Center asked me if I am going to celebrate. I said I didn’t know, I had not thought about it. Cathy, my sister also thought I should celebrate the accomplishment of getting through the radiation. I will have to think about it. My first inclination is to say I’ll celebrate the day after it’s done, by taking a nice walk in one of the many beautiful parks in Surrey. 🙂  Energy levels continue to be an issue.

I saw the onco-radiologist on Friday, and she advised Maggie and I that the fatigue can continue for 2-3 weeks after the radiation. I am glad that my family Dr had the wisdom to recommend my gradual return to work start May 2nd.  🙂

…Pam…

Health Issues

Getting a radiation treatment April 13th 2011

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Outside the Cancer ClinicI thought it might be interesting to see what happens when someone has radiation. I took a movie when I went to the treatment today, so it shows what happens while I am in the room. It takes about 9 minutes for the movie to run, but it shows how exacting it is, and how much preparation they do before they actually zap you. 🙂 I like the way the machine moves. The bed/stretcher I am on swings out sideways as well, when they do the boost radiation treatment.

This movie shows you what happens during a radiation treatment. We are told to not move. Even moving fractionally can mean they have to reset everything or move you back to the original position, so as you can see, I don’t move a muscle. 🙂 This was taken at Fraser Valley Cancer Clinic

…Pam…

Something About Us

Akebono Cherry Tree

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Akebono closeupThis year we purchased an Akebono Cherry tree from the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival committee. They try to get Vancouverites to plant cherry trees each spring. Vancouver has a long history of cherry trees, and there is a yearly festival. About 85 years ago, a Japanese immigrant donated two hundred trees to beautify Vancouver. Nowadays, streets are lined with the beautiful blossoms. It’s a stunningly gorgeous way to enter spring!

Max and cherry treeWe decided to plant this tree in memory of Vern, Pam’s father, who recently passed away. He was cremated, and didn’t want a burial plot, but we felt that we wanted to do something to honor his memory. The tree is about six or seven feet tall right now, but it grows quite quickly. We’re hopeful it will flourish here, and give us much joy for years to come.

Grape hyacinthWe took a few other pictures around the garden. Many years ago, when we lived in Vancouver, our next door neighbour had grape hyacinths growing. Some dropped over his retaining wall onto our property. Slowly, I transplanted them, stretching them out until they encircled our our whole yard, across the front yard, down both sides, and along both sides of the walkway, and along the front of the house! All from an original three or four bulbs. When we moved out here to Surrey, I took a handful of the bulbs with me. Slowly I’ve been transplanting them here too. Now they run all the way across the front of the house, and all along the back garden. This year I’ve started ringing our trees, and side gardens.

TulipsI dig the tulips each fall, and reposition them, and they’ve doubled, tripled, quadrupled in numbers over the years. This year, we have seven or eight batches of them! I tell you, bulbs are the best bang for the buck!

Dog planterThe dog planter is one that Pam really loves. He’s a little metal guy, about a fourteen inches long. We plant him with pansies or other flowering plants. He’s just been re-done yesterday, so he’s not very full yet. But he’ll look great in a couple weeks.

Commentary

Thomas Covenant

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I’m a big fan of the books by Stephen Donaldson in the Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever series. He wrote an original trilogy, then a second trilogy. Now he is completing the work with a quartet of books. The second trilogy was on the New York Best Seller list for a long time, over a year I believe.

Thomas Covenant is the quintessential anti-hero. Most books in the genre feature warriors determined to overcome great odds, heroically battling against ridiculous odds, and of course, prevailing. Covenant is named the Unbeliever because he refuses to believe he can be of consequence in these huge battles.

He has leprosy, so his health plays a large role in how he combats things. He has already lost a couple fingers on his hand due to his disease. so he must be wary of everything, since it could wind up costing him a limb. Unable to feel in his extremities, any injury could lead to putrefaction, and more amputations.

The Land, where he is transported to, is peopled by amazing characters, races and creatures. Bannor and Lord Mhoran in the early books help him, and their humanity is remarkable. It’s a great series of books, and I have enjoyed them very much. Both Pam and I have read them several times. My first edition of the first novel has been read so many times, that virtually none of the pages remain attached to the cover!

Anyway – the third novel of the final quartet was released a while back, and I was looking for it on the internet. I found a professor’s website where he was offering the book to some lucky person who sent an email. And he chose me! How lucky can you get?

All Donaldson’s books require a commitment from the reader, since they are generally over 500 pages, and always contain words that you don’t normally see in everyday life. It’s just a terrific way to spend a few days. I started the book, and basically didn’t put it down until I was finished.

All About Max, Grand Cayman

Spring in Vancouver

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Max among the daffodilsThis time of year is so lovely in our neck of the woods. The cherry trees are blooming, the daffodils are everywhere, the tulips are getting ready to bloom… it’s just a great time of year. We’ve been planting some new bulbs, and weeding out the winter sludge. The grape hyacinths have really come along, and they fill the border all along our garden with a profusion of purple!

Max and I took Pam to her appointment and we went for a short walk through Green Timbers Park. It’s about $4.50 to park at the hospital, so that’s why we head over to a park for a short walk while she gets radiated. Today, I managed to get him to sit still and I snapped a few pictures of him sitting among the daffodils. Nice picture I think.

I’ve included a short movie taken the other day at the Serpentine dog off leash park. A lot of the grey Hydro boxes have been painted with a mural on them, with scenes of flowers, woods, and trees. I think they are terrific really. So lo and behold, they’ve painted the garbage bin outside the dog park! We both thought it was cute enough to take a movie of it so you can see it in the full 360 degrees.

Health Issues

April 4th 2011 # 14 treatment

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Today is going to be my 14th treatment of radiation out of 25  so over half way done. 🙂 woo hoo! I can’t wait for my life to get back to normal. We have a routine now, where M drops me off at the cancer clinic and I go do my thing, and while I am off getting zapped, M takes Max for a walk at a nearby park or he goes and sits where the parking is free and reads and waits for me. Parking at the hospital is expensive so its our way of not having to pay close to a fiver ever day! 🙂

Last treatment on friday I saw the Dr and she told me they were taking me to another room to get marked up so they could measure and mark where they were going to do the more focused beam around the location where the tumor had been. So I ended up with a diamond shaped thing inked onto my right breast, and they said they will be drawing that mark on each time they do the focused beam. I forgot to ask the Dr how many of those more focused ones they do, but I suspect it will be the last week of the treatments. I still have 12 to go, including today’s.

My skin is holding up pretty well. I do notice it feels somewhat heavier in the area between the two incisions, almost like a “cooked” feeling, where flesh is firmer. The nipple on that side continues to darken, the skin gets redder especially right after the zapping but then seems to resolve back to it’s normal color, however I am left with the skin looking different shade than the right (a bit). So far no skin breakdown but I have been pretty diligent about using the olay moisturizing body wash and then the lubriderm moisturizer every day. Dr thought things looked good.

Fatigue continues to be an issue, and I find myself pushing myself to do things so that I don’t turn into a lump. My first inclination would be to not do anything, but I can’t sink into that. Yesterday Maurice was out pulling weeds out of the garden and I took a small rake and was able to pull a few out too using it. Nothing to strenuous but it felt good to be helping 🙂

I’m over half way done and my right arm numbness is persistant. The dreadful pain from the nerve irritation is gone now. What I feel is that my arm feels heavy, but it’s more because there is a big numb area in the back that feels like a blob I’m lugging around, as I can’t feel it except when it hits my body. It is a weird feeling but I’m getting used to it. Hopefully it will resolve itself, but I suspect I’m going to be stuck with this numbness for the rest of my life (my prediction) , the surgeon said that whatever I have at the end of one year, is what I will have the rest of my life… so we shall see, there might be room for improvement.

One thing I have been doing is eating junk food. I think I have been feeling sorry for myself and using that as an excuse to eat like crap. That has to stop. I know that the meds I am on raise cholesterol, and I don’t want that, and I won’t be helping myself at all if I continue to help raise my cholesterol on top of the meds, because I’m stupidly eating high fat crap.

_____________________________________ _______________ ________________ <– the line in the sand has been drawn.

Many thanks to everyone who has been emailing me, calling or coming over for visits. I’ve appreciated all. Also thank you to all the gals at work who sent the condolence cards and gifts for me on the loss of my dad. I was very touched. Thanks Sharman and Nikki for bringing the cards and gifts and the nice visit.  You are all a great bunch of people to work with and the care and attention you’ve given to me while I’ve been off is a testament to that. Special thanks to Maggie, for her trips in to visit, and take me to radiation some times, for being a swell friend, and to Gen who unerringly calls to see how I am doing, to my sister Cathy and brother Peter who always check on me, to M’s parents who call and who’ve sent gifts, and especially to Maurice, who has always been there for me in every way. 🙂   I am a lucky gal.

…Pam…