Thursday, May 30th, 2007 -- The Day After!

'Evening Bloggy!

Ok, ok... I confess! I forgot to come in and update Bloggy, which I had planned on doing a couple of times. Not that there's any earth shattering updates, but I do get a few emails from some of you when a couple of days have gone by and I haven't entered anything. Hehehe... I don't mean to scare anyone! It's not a matter of me being in trouble... more like I haven't realized a couple of days have gone by... and then, I open up a new blog entry page and forget what I had last written. So hopefully I'm not repeating myself. If I do (grin), then just put it down to Chemo Brain! Although I'm not getting a lot of the "typical" chemo/radiation side affects, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that I definitely have what they call "Chemo Brain". This is where the treatments actually affect the brain, mostly the memory bank... both long term and short term. And the fun one is when you are talking about something but the word(s) that come out have nothing to do with the object/subject you are talking about! It can be quite fun trying to interpret what I've just said (grin).

Anywho... let's see. It is now Thursday night. This week is week 3 of Radiation. Today was Session #13, so I have just broken the Radiation halfway mark (which will be a total of 25 sessions).

Now, what I have noticed, and was warned would probably happen after 2 weeks of treatments, is how easily I get tired. It's a different kind of tired than when you've been up to late and have to get up early in the morning. It's more like a "fog" sets in and you know when that fog sets in you are going to be very tired where every limb seems too heavy to pick up, or to walk that extra step. There is no lead up to this fog... it just happens and you are tired. OR, as happened yesterday and today, I didn't particularly feel tired, but didn't really have any energy to do anything, so thought I would just rest and read my Ann Rule book (No Regrets). I don't think I got more than a couple of sentences read and I was sound asleep... for 3 hours! Both days! And this is why it is so important to not have the added stress of having to be at work during cancer treatments.

After my recent scuffle with the Extended Health Benefits insurance company, I now have a better understanding (and compassion) for people who do not have a Long Term Disability program with their employer, or an Extended Health Benefits package through work. These poor souls would have to try and go to work AND do their Chemo or Radiation treatments. I do NOT know how they do that. For those of you who get to see me in person, you all know how well I'm doing, physically and I think emotionally... but there is no way I could concentrate/focus on work with the Chemo Brain fog and the lack of energy/tiredness. I realize now how blessed I am that our employer supplies these benefits because I really don't know how those who don't have them can go through this journey.

Yesterday (Wed), after my nap I did have another side affect... one that I was hoping I wouldn't get (grin) and that is a case of the "runs". Hahaha... no, I will not go into detail on this (too much information!!) but suffice it to say, one needed a fair amount of Immodium and even then I wasn't sure if it would come back or not. Also, I tried drinking plenty of fluid since I knew this was one quick way of getting dehydrated.

Meanwhile, last night I had plans and I was soooo glad I went through with them and didn't cancel because of this side affect ;) My friend, Wendy Bollard, had a gig singing at the Oasis (http://www.oasisvancouver.com/). Steve C. (my friend who is one of the owners of the Oasis) and Joan (my friend and Bridget's veterinarian) and I got together to see Wendy and enjoy the evening. And enjoy we did!! We had so much fun and so many laughs! Ok, I was behaving and drinking diet coke... and did not partake in the wine that the others were. Hehehe... I haven't done a clubbing night in such a long time and this one was particularly fun. A friend of Steve and Joan's, Dean, who I met up at Paradise Valley, showed up too, and then another friend of Steve's showed up. We had a regular little group of us, which Wendy joined once she was finished for the night. Steve was so impressed with her, he wants to sign her up as being a regular singer at the Oasis, which would be fabulous because she is soooo good!

I was a good girl because I knew I had to get up and be at Radiation for 9:20am this morning, so I left at midnight, or thereabouts. The Oasis is only 6 blocks from my apartment and originally I was going to walk up and back, but considering I was feeling a little off earlier, I took the car.

Tonight... I was good and stayed home... not that I was suffering from last night at all, but then that's one of the good reasons to not drink. Not to mention, I just don't like the taste of alcohol so never have acquired the desire to drink. It has nothing to do with anything other than I just don't care for the taste of alchol... EXCEPT (there's always an exception!) for Milestone's Bellinis!! Now that's a different story :)

Ok... it's just after midnight again!! Time to head to bed, although tomorrow I don't have to be at the clinic until 12:30pm, so no rush in the morning :)

Ciao for now!

Cheryl