Wow, I was so exhausted last night that I couldn't get the video to load for today. Why? you ask? Well, let me tell, you about my weekend.
Friday, I rode my bike to the Cross Cancer Institute to pick up the drugs I forgot to pick up when I was there on Wednesday to have my arm checked out. (In case you missed that, it is better, I have an appointment for Wednesday to be measured and order a new sleeve - smaller!) Before I tell you how far I went, I want to remind everyone that I just acquired a bike last summer after years of having a car. So far this year I have ridden it maybe three times.
On the way, I noticed my tires were a bit low, they had just been pumped up the last week before, so I stopped at my friends and asked (I think I've named him) Pete if I could borrow his bike. Well, it hasn't been out yet at all (and is buried behind a bunch of stuff), so we just put air in my tires and hoped for the best. I headed off and was deliberately taking it easy, I wanted to make sure I could get back. It is four miles from my place to the Cross. With the added stop at my friends, round trip was 8.42 miles.
I had a bite of lunch, then got back on my bike to go to the Dr's to get some prescriptions that he had missed two weeks ago. He drives me crazy sometimes and he refuses to write a 'scrip for more than three months at a time or give them to the pharmacist over the phone. That added 2.64 miles round trip. So my total riding for Friday was 11.06 miles! (18+ kilometers for anyone young enough to actually think that way first)
I almost fell off my bike on the way back. There is construction everywhere between here and the Cross because of the LRT and some dipshit stole a shopping cart and parked it right behind the bushes, with just a corner of the handle sticking out. All along the outside of the sidewalk were these little A frame stands indicating no parking (for the construction). I was on the narrow sidewalk because I know I have to replace or repair the tubes but didn't want to pick up anything from the construction debris in the tires. Needless to say, my handlebar caught the shopping cart handle and I lost control. I managed to stay upright, but only just! When I finally got stopped, I looked up and there was one of the workers looking at me. I felt like taking a bow!
Saturday, I spent rearranging boxes and trying to organize the back room in the office. That woman (my boss) has taken a bunch of files from one year and stuffed them in a plastic bag! So not professional! Anyway, that is now done, so I can suggest some changes in the back and see what happens.
Sunday, my friends came and took me to the bottle depot in the morning.....except I hadn't slept all night! I hate having insomnia! I managed to stay awake while at work in the afternoon, but I think that was due to the cappuccino more than anything.
Last night after making and editing this little movie, I was a bit tired and just could not get it to load. I figured out this morning that I was trying to load the wrong thing. Please realize while listening to this tape that I have had about 90 minutes sleep in about 36 hours at this time. I therefore used the wrong words a few times. I did manage to edit out a lot of crap though.
Oh, I forgot to mention on Friday night we went to see stilt walkers perform. I tried to get some video, but a lot of it is shaky - could be I was a bit exhausted. I will see if I can clean it up and show you some of it.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Enjoy.
LRT = Light Rail Transit
Showing posts with label cci. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cci. Show all posts
2008-06-23
2007-10-21
Chemotherapy and the Cross
So, my first post on my Breast Cancer left off with me saying I would tell you about chemo in another post...here it is - finally.
The Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) is Northern Alberta's cancer hospital. You can get your chemo locally, but if you have to have radiation therapy you have to come to Edmonton. Needless to say, it is a busy place. When it first opened it was referred to as the W.W.Cross, after the man who started it. I am not sure when they started to refer to it as CCI & dropped the WW, but my first experience (many years ago for a friends son), it was the WW Cross and in my tiny mind, it still is. Especially as the college I went to was CCI. Change when you are this old, is hard!
Yes, I'm getting there.
To recap a bit though.
July 26th, I had my first consult with my Dr. This is where I learned about the type of cancer I had and the treatment plan. I had hormone positive breast cancer, a 1.5 cm tumor was removed from the top of my right breast, they gave me a 2/3 grade rating on the severity. The sentinal node was 1+, 2.5mm, which is what determined they would take out the lymph nodes, but of the 6 nodes they took, none had any trace of cancer.
So, the plan was to be as aggressive as possible to try to make sure it doesn't come back. I was to get chemo, radiation and then have my estrogen killed. Six to nine months of treatments.
I had a muga the next day (some kind of imaging of the heart) to make sure I was fit enough to have all this abuse piled on me. Then I had appointments for classes on what to expect from chemo and what to expect after it started. I was given pamphlets and information sheets on dry mouth, eating right, soft foods, how to manage my energy and anything else they could think up. They do a very good job of making you feel comfortable there and making sure you have all the information you could possibly want.
The actual treatments didn't start until August 8th (mom's birthday), when I had my first blood test. The 9th was the first of six chemo treatments. My sister came with me for my treatments, the first one, the nurse told us all about what she was doing, that I could walk around if I felt like it, but that I couldn't leave the room. I couldn't leave the room, because if for any reason the toxic chemicals they were pumping into my veins spilled outside of the room, it would result in having to shut down the floor and evacuate and emergency services would have to come and its hazardous waste and the world as we know it would come to an end. Or something like that.
So, of course, both of us being a bit nervous (well, me anyway) and leery of the whole process, got a bit carried away and we are a sarcastic, witty pair at the best of times. But the nurse played right along with us. Talking about steel gates crashing down around us and lights & bells and action movie heroes. Well, anyway, we had a laugh. Then it got boring. It takes about four hours to pump all that crap into a body. We had each brought books and sis brought along a crossword puzzle book, which we managed to involve the woman in the bed next to mine. Four hours later, we were let go, so we went shopping. It was a bright sunny day. I now tan really easily in my face! Oops!
Well, the next day, I was okay, a bit tired, not a lot of nausea, but, didn't really eat a lot. I had to inject myself for seven days and take certain drugs at various times and durations around the chemo dates. It was about the third day after chemo, sis had gone home already, when the pain struck. Every muscle and joint in my body ached, I felt like I was 900 years old and it was an effort just to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, I had plenty of ready to eat food on hand. I love living alone, but, this is one time when it would have been nice to have had a husband. By day 5 I was in agony, then it got better, in total the body aches only lasted about 5 days. I was very lucky, I was not vomiting, I was able to eat, I didn't have much appetite, but, it could have been so much worse. I got fungal infections in my throat, so wound up with a very disgusting mouthwash. Other than that it was not a horrible experience.
before shave
I lost my hair after the first treatment, just a week or so before the second treatment. I went in to the Cross as they have volunteers in a hair salon and they shaved it off for me and lent me a wig. I had my (very bad) shave Aug 30th. Sis, eventually gave me a clean shave, but, I seem to no longer have the photo on my 'puter. Oh well, it felt much better, as the stubble that was left from the first shave, would poke through head scarves.
bad shave
Having had the lymph nodes removed, limited the chemo to one arm, so by the last appointment, the nurses were having a bit of trouble finding places to put the needle. One time, I bruised as soon as she put it in, so she had to move it, then I bruised from the rubber tourniquet!
Just one of many bruises
Sis managed to come down for three more treatments, then I took the bus until I could get on to the volunteer driver schedule. Usually she just dropped me off then went and did something else, it is really very boring to sit and watch someone with an IV in their arm. It is really very boring to be that someone. I am very glad that I am such an avid reader, I can't imagine what non readers do in situations like this. So, she did my wash and cleaned my apartment and did things for me that I just had no energy to do. After the treatment, we would go and shop or one time we went for a drive out to our grandparents homestead with some cousins. I'll post on that later too.
I will post later on the radiation treatments. As for the chemo, it was pretty much the same, six times, fine for a couple of days , achy for 5 or 6 days, then fine again. As I said, I was lucky.
Good Afternoon.
P.S. there is no proper website fro the Cross, but for those that are interested and like links, here is one for the Alberta Cancer Board, they have a link to the Cross's Patient Guide and how to get there & contact info etc. (all in pdf )
The Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) is Northern Alberta's cancer hospital. You can get your chemo locally, but if you have to have radiation therapy you have to come to Edmonton. Needless to say, it is a busy place. When it first opened it was referred to as the W.W.Cross, after the man who started it. I am not sure when they started to refer to it as CCI & dropped the WW, but my first experience (many years ago for a friends son), it was the WW Cross and in my tiny mind, it still is. Especially as the college I went to was CCI. Change when you are this old, is hard!
Yes, I'm getting there.
To recap a bit though.
- May 15 Mammogram
- June 5 Lumpectomy & Sentinal Node Biopsy
- July 5 Axial node surgery (lymph nodes under right arm)
July 26th, I had my first consult with my Dr. This is where I learned about the type of cancer I had and the treatment plan. I had hormone positive breast cancer, a 1.5 cm tumor was removed from the top of my right breast, they gave me a 2/3 grade rating on the severity. The sentinal node was 1+, 2.5mm, which is what determined they would take out the lymph nodes, but of the 6 nodes they took, none had any trace of cancer.
So, the plan was to be as aggressive as possible to try to make sure it doesn't come back. I was to get chemo, radiation and then have my estrogen killed. Six to nine months of treatments.
I had a muga the next day (some kind of imaging of the heart) to make sure I was fit enough to have all this abuse piled on me. Then I had appointments for classes on what to expect from chemo and what to expect after it started. I was given pamphlets and information sheets on dry mouth, eating right, soft foods, how to manage my energy and anything else they could think up. They do a very good job of making you feel comfortable there and making sure you have all the information you could possibly want.
The actual treatments didn't start until August 8th (mom's birthday), when I had my first blood test. The 9th was the first of six chemo treatments. My sister came with me for my treatments, the first one, the nurse told us all about what she was doing, that I could walk around if I felt like it, but that I couldn't leave the room. I couldn't leave the room, because if for any reason the toxic chemicals they were pumping into my veins spilled outside of the room, it would result in having to shut down the floor and evacuate and emergency services would have to come and its hazardous waste and the world as we know it would come to an end. Or something like that.
So, of course, both of us being a bit nervous (well, me anyway) and leery of the whole process, got a bit carried away and we are a sarcastic, witty pair at the best of times. But the nurse played right along with us. Talking about steel gates crashing down around us and lights & bells and action movie heroes. Well, anyway, we had a laugh. Then it got boring. It takes about four hours to pump all that crap into a body. We had each brought books and sis brought along a crossword puzzle book, which we managed to involve the woman in the bed next to mine. Four hours later, we were let go, so we went shopping. It was a bright sunny day. I now tan really easily in my face! Oops!
Well, the next day, I was okay, a bit tired, not a lot of nausea, but, didn't really eat a lot. I had to inject myself for seven days and take certain drugs at various times and durations around the chemo dates. It was about the third day after chemo, sis had gone home already, when the pain struck. Every muscle and joint in my body ached, I felt like I was 900 years old and it was an effort just to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, I had plenty of ready to eat food on hand. I love living alone, but, this is one time when it would have been nice to have had a husband. By day 5 I was in agony, then it got better, in total the body aches only lasted about 5 days. I was very lucky, I was not vomiting, I was able to eat, I didn't have much appetite, but, it could have been so much worse. I got fungal infections in my throat, so wound up with a very disgusting mouthwash. Other than that it was not a horrible experience.
before shave
I lost my hair after the first treatment, just a week or so before the second treatment. I went in to the Cross as they have volunteers in a hair salon and they shaved it off for me and lent me a wig. I had my (very bad) shave Aug 30th. Sis, eventually gave me a clean shave, but, I seem to no longer have the photo on my 'puter. Oh well, it felt much better, as the stubble that was left from the first shave, would poke through head scarves.
bad shave
Having had the lymph nodes removed, limited the chemo to one arm, so by the last appointment, the nurses were having a bit of trouble finding places to put the needle. One time, I bruised as soon as she put it in, so she had to move it, then I bruised from the rubber tourniquet!
Just one of many bruises
I will post later on the radiation treatments. As for the chemo, it was pretty much the same, six times, fine for a couple of days , achy for 5 or 6 days, then fine again. As I said, I was lucky.
Good Afternoon.
P.S. there is no proper website fro the Cross, but for those that are interested and like links, here is one for the Alberta Cancer Board, they have a link to the Cross's Patient Guide and how to get there & contact info etc. (all in pdf )
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